Guide Note

Elizabeth II is the Queen of United Kingdom and fifteen additional Commonwealth realms. She ascended the thrones of seven countries in February 1952 upon the death of her father King George VI. As 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, she is represented in each by a Governor-General. Theoretically, her powers are vast, however she rarely involves herself personally in political matters. In the United Kingdom, she takes an active behind-the-scenes role, meeting regularly with her government ministers.

In addition to her title as Queen, she is also titled as Head of the Commonwealth, Supreme Governor of the Church of England, Duke of Normandy, Lord of Mann, and Paramount Chief of Fiji. The most notable change during her reign has been the dissolution of the British Empire, which began in the latter years of her father's reign, and the evolution of the modern Commonwealth of Nations.

Fast Facts

1. Full name: Elizabeth Alexandra Mary
2. Born: April 21, 1926
3. Place of Birth: Mayfair, London, UK
4. Father: George VI of England
5. Mother: Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
6. Reign: February 6, 1952
7. Coronation: June 2, 1953
8. Predecessor: George VI of England
9. Heir Apparent: Charles, Prince of Wales
10. Consort: Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
11. Royal house: House of Windsor
12. Royal anthem: "God Save the Queen"
13. 40th monarch since William I, the Conqueror
14. Great-great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria

1. Charles, Prince of Wales
2. Anne, Princess Royal
3. Andrew, Duke of York
4. Edward, Earl of Wessex

1. HM The Queen
2. HRH The Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh
3. HRH The Princess Elizabeth
4. HRH Princess Elizabeth of York