Queen Elizabeth II

Elizabeth II, or Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, was the longest-ruling monarch in the United Kingdom’s history and head of the Commonwealth, a collection of 54 sovereign nations. Elizabeth II, who ascended the throne in 1952 when her father died, reigned for seventy years until her death in 2022. Her reign oversaw the United Kingdom during a period when the monarchy, Commonwealth, and world changed considerably. Elizabeth II was a popular figure among her subjects, though she and the rest of the royal family faced harsh criticism for individual and institutional decisions.

Elizabeth II was born Princess Elizabeth on April 21, 1926, in Mayfair, London. She was the first child of Prince Albert, Duke of York, and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the Duchess...