Read CNN’s Fast Facts about Queen Elizabeth II and learn more about the Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms.
Personal Birth date: April 21, 1926 Birth place: London, England Birth name: Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Father: King George VI Mother: Queen Elizabeth Marriage: Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (November 20,1947-April 09,2021, his death) Children: Edward, Earl of Wessex (March 10, 1964); Andrew, Duke of York (February 19,1960); Anne, Princess Royal (August 15, 1950); Charles, Prince of Wales (November 14,1948) Grandchildren: By Prince Charles and Princess Diana: Prince William and Prince Henry (called Harry); By Princess Anne and Mark Phillips: Peter Phillips and Zara Phillips; By Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson: Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie; By Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones: Lady Louise Windsor and James Windsor, Viscount Severn Great-Grandchildren: By Zara Phillips Tindall: Mia Grace, Lena Elizabeth and Lucas Philip; By Prince William: George Alexander Louis, Charlotte Elizabeth Diana and Louis Arthur Charles; By Peter Phillips: Savannah and Isla; By Prince Harry: Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor; By Princess Eugenie: August Philip Hawke Brooksbank Other Facts She is named after her mother Queen Elizabeth, her paternal great-grandmother Queen Alexandra and her paternal grandmother Queen Mary. She was not declared the heir apparent when her uncle, King Edward VIII, abdicated because of the possibility of a male heir. When World War II began, she was a Girl Guide (British Girl Scouts) and went through the same training as the other Girl Guides her age. Official title after March 26,1953: Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith. She is the sixth female to ascend to the British throne and the longest-reigning monarch. In September 2015, she surpassed the record set by her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria, who ruled for 63 years, seven months. Timeline May 29,1926 – Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, third in line to the throne, is christened. She is the first royal child to be christened in the chapel at Buckingham Palace and wears a gown made of lace worn by Queen Elizabeth I. December 11,1936 – Elizabeth becomes heir presumptive when her father becomes King George VI, after the abdication of his brother King Edward VIII. May 12,1937 – Elizabeth attends the coronation of her parents, King George VI and Queen Consort Elizabeth. She is the first female heir presumptive to see her parents crowned. 1939 – World War II breaks out. Elizabeth moves, with her sister, to the Royal Lodge at Windsor Castle. This is thought to be the time period when Elizabeth meets Prince Philip of Greece. 1942 – King George VI makes Elizabeth an honorary colonel in the Grenadier Guards, a regiment of the British Army. April 21, 1942 – Elizabeth makes her official public debut with a review of 500 members of the Grenadier Guards at Windsor Palace. 1944 – Elizabeth is made a member of the Privy Council and the Council of State. She is now able to act for the king during his absence from the country. July 10, 1947 – King George VI and Queen Elizabeth announce Elizabeth’s engagement to Prince Philip of Greece, a lieutenant in the British Navy. November 20,1947 – Princess Elizabeth marries Philip. After becoming a British citizen and renouncing his Greek title, Philip becomes His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Elizabeth becomes the Duchess of Edinburgh. February 6,1952 – King George VI dies of lung cancer, and Elizabeth ascends to the throne. April 11,1952 – The Queen decrees that she and her descendants will continue to use the surname Windsor, first adopted by the British royal family during World War I. June 2,1953 – Coronation takes place at Westminster Abbey. October 16-22,1957 – Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip make their first state visit to the United States, and she addresses the General Assembly of the United Nations. May 14,1965 – Queen Elizabeth II dedicates a memorial and one acre of land at Runnymede to the United States as a memorial to President John F. Kennedy. June 13,1981 – A teenager, Marcus Simon Sarjeant, fires six blanks at the Queen while she is riding on horseback through London.
