| 
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
.
She is head of the British Royal Family, has
4 children and 8 grandchildren, and is
old. Her first great-grandchild is expected in December 2010.
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 5th March 2008 Queen Elizabeth II became the 3rd
longest reigning monarch in over 1,200 years of British
History. She will have to reign until 12th May 2011 to reign longer
than George III, 59 years
from 1760-1820, and until 10th Sept 2015 when she will be
89 years old to better 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.
Her eldest son Prince Charles who
will be 62 years old on 14th November 2010 is currently the
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 became the longest ever serving Royal Consort
on 17 April 2009 bettering Queen Charlotte, wife of George
III, who was consort for 57 years 2 months and 9 days.
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 303 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
different 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.
|
|
Follow 
