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Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was born on April 21, 1926 in the London Borough of Mayfair.
She is the first daughter of Prince Albert, later King George VI.
and his wife, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon.
Photo: Universal History Archive/ REX / action press
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A royal smile: Elizabeth is rarely addressed by her full name by her family.
To them she is just Lilibet.
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Elizabeth holds a corgi in her arms, she has a crush on dogs – her love of animals lasts into old age.
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Elizabeth is growing up alongside her sister Margaret, who is four years her junior, here they are in 1942.
It's been six years since her father's coronation - and Elizabeth is heir to the throne.
Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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In war everyone has to lend a hand, including the heir to the throne.
Elizabeth is being trained as a car mechanic and driver by the home aid service ATS.
She is also involved in the women's charity.
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Elizabeth is being prepared for her future office in private lessons.
But you also have to have fun.
Here she is playing a game with the crew on the deck of HMS Vanguard in 1947.
She is on her way to South Africa with her family.
From there she gives a radio address for the first time, after which she moves more and more into the public eye.
Photo: Paul Popper/Popperfoto / Popperfoto via Getty Images
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The princess is studying constitutional history and law.
Her teacher is Sir Henry Marten himself, head of the elite British boarding school Eton.
Photo: Lisa Sheridan/Getty Images
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In 1939, at the age of 13, Elizabeth fell in love with the handsome 18-year-old naval officer Philip.
After a military putsch in 1922, his family – his uncle was the king of Greece – had to leave their homeland, fled to France and from then on lived in rather modest circumstances.
Philip is an unsuitable match for Elizabeth, and yet the right one.
The two married in 1947 and he became Duke of Edinburgh.
Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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On June 2, 1953, Elizabeth was crowned Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Abbey.
Her father died a year earlier and she is now succeeding him to the throne.
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The queen wants to present herself to her subjects and embarks on a trip around the world.
Here she stands aboard the SS Gothic, en route to Fiji in the South Pacific, filming the arrival of the escort ship HMNZS Black Prince.
Of course, Prince Philip accompanies his wife.
Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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Elizabeth II and Philip have four children: Charles, Andrew, Anne and Edward.
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Bettmann/Bettmann/Corbis/Getty Images
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The camera team invites you to lunch: Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, Princess Anne and Prince Charles gather at the table in Windsor Castle for dinner and are filmed by a BBC team.
The scenes are to be part of the documentary »Royal Family«, which will be broadcast in June 1969.
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Matt Green/Getty Images
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The documentary offers viewers an unprecedented insight into royal life.
The camera team also accompanies the royals on trips.
The 110-minute film is shown with a two-minute tea break, and 23 million people tune in.
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Becomes her: Queen Elizabeth II with crown and jewels.
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Serge Lemoine/Getty Images
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Kindergarten intern gets engaged to the heir to the throne of the most prestigious monarchy in the world: in the spring of 1981, Diana's star rises in the royal family.
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Fox Photos/Getty Images
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But Diana and Charles' mother don't get along.
The relationship between the two women was completely destroyed when Diana unpacked her marriage in a television interview in front of a British audience of millions in 1995 and doubted Charles' suitability as a future king.
The Queen must have understood this as high treason.
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The Queen likes to spend time with her grandchildren William and Harry, like here playing polo.
Photo: Tim Graham / Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images
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On August 31, 1997, Diana died in a car accident in Paris at the age of 36.
Britain mourns her death.
Finally, on a mild late summer day in early September, the Queen steps in front of the camera and speaks live to her people, in what may be the most important speech of her life.
She addresses people as "Queen" and "Grandmother" and says: "Let's all be grateful for someone who has made many, many people happy." Read more about how the Queen overcame her worst crisis here.
Photo: John Stillwell / picture alliance / John Stillwell/PA/epa/dpa
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The Queen always maintains her composure in public.
Well, unless her husband Prince Philip puts on a uniform and a bearskin hat.
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If the Queen has been criticized, it's for perhaps taking too much care of her horses and corgis in the past.
The British like their queen, they value Elizabeth II above all for her solidity and her sense of duty, which she does not lose even in old age.
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It is a heavy blow for the Queen: husband Prince Philip dies on April 9, 2021 at Windsor Castle.
Elizabeth had always stressed how important he was to her.
"It's not easy for him to accept compliments," she once said of their long marriage, "but he was simply my strength and my anchor all these years.
I, my family, this country owe him more than he would ever call or we even know.”
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Jonathan Brady/Getty Images
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But the Queen does not lose her zest for life.
In July 2021 she will attend the Royal Windsor Horse Show.
Photo: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images
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In April 2022, the Queen will celebrate her 96th birthday, followed by the big party for the Queen's 70th jubilee at the beginning of June.
No monarch sat longer on the British throne.
The whole family comes together for the celebrations, and the kingdom celebrates its regent once again.
Photo: Aaron Chown/AP
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On September 8, 2022, the royal family reported that doctors were "concerned" about Queen Elizabeth II's health.
The family travels to Balmoral Castle in Scotland, where the Queen is staying.
Photo: WPA Pool/Getty Images
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