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Queen
Elizabeth II became Queen of the United Kingdom and
Head of the Commonwealth on February 6, 1952. As of today
she has reigned for
, and she is celebrating the Diamond (60th) Jubilee of her
reign in 2012, including an official Jubilee Weekend on
2nd-5th June. She is head of the British Royal Family, has
4 children, 8 grandchildren and
2 great-grandchilden, and is
old.
She is the 32nd great-granddaughter of King
Alfred the Great who was the first effective King of
England 871-899. On 21st December 2007
she became the oldest reigning British
monarch having outlived her great-great-grandmother
Queen Victoria who died 22nd January 1901 aged 81 years,
7 months and 29 days.
On 12th May 2011 Queen Elizabeth II became the 2nd
longest reigning monarch in over 1,200 years of British
History. She will have to reign until 10th Sept 2015 when she will be
89 years old to reign longer than her great-great-grandmother Queen
Victoria who reigned for 63 years and 216 days from
1837-1901. See
British Kings & Queens by Length of Reign.
In 2012 Queen Elizabeth II celebrates the Diamond (60th)
Jubilee of her reign. Queens Diamond
Jubilee Celebrations.
Her eldest son Prince Charles
who was 63 years old on 14th November 2011 is currently
the longest waiting and 2nd oldest ever heir apparent, and
would by that time be the oldest heir apparent at 66 years
old. See British Kings & Queens
by Age of Ascent.
The Queen's husband Prince
Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, is
old, and celebrated his 90th birthday on 10th June 2011. He is the longest ever serving Royal Consort and oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch.
On 29th April 2011 the Queen's grandson Prince William, who is 2nd in line to the throne,
married Catherine (Kate) Middleton in Westminster Abbey. They are now the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Elizabeth II is Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland, and Head of the Commonwealth of Nations.
Great Britain was formed 304 years ago by the Act of Union
between England and Scotland on 1st April 1707. More
about Great Britain
As well as the United Kingdom, she is Queen
of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the
Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu,
Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Antigua and
Barbuda, Belize, and Saint Kitts and Nevis, where she is represented
by Governors-General. The sixteen countries of which she is
Queen are known as Commonwealth Realms, and their combined
population is 134 million.
She is Head of the Commonwealth of Nations comprising 54 member states in North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Oceania.
The aims of the Commonwealth include the promotion of democracy, human rights, good governance, the rule of law, individual liberty, egalitarianism, free trade,
multilateralism, and world peace. The 2.1 billion people in the member states account for almost a third of the current world population.
Her reign of over more than half a century has seen 12
Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom, and numerous
Prime Ministers in the Commonwealth Realms of which she
is (or was) also Head of State; between them she has had
a total of 140 Prime Ministers during her reign. There have
been 12 US Presidents during
her reign.
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