-
Birth Place
Elizabeth was born in Mayfair, a city in London, and it was during the reign of her paternal grandfather, King George V. -
Birth date
Elizabeth Alexandra Mar, is her full name, she was born on 21st April 1926. -
First Speech
Elizabeth's first public speech at the age of 14 on the BBC Children’s Hour to reassure children who had been separated from their parents during the Blitz. -
Period: to
Auxiliary Territorial Service
Elizabeth became a Subaltern in the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS), she was serving for Britain during WW2 -
Marriage
Elizabeth marries Prince Philip Mountbatten of Greece and Denmark at Westminster Abbey. -
Period: to
Reign
She has been queen for over 70 years and 200 days, making it the longest of any British Monarch. -
Coronation
At the age of 27 year, Elisabeth was crowned during a coronation ceremony at London's Westminster Abbey. Her coronation was actually delayed for more than a year, because of the tradition of allowing an appropriate length of time to pass after a monarch dies. -
Royal tour of Australia
The royal barge pulled into Farm Cove, Sydney. The newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II stepped ashore, becoming the first reigning British monarch to visit Australia. -
Period: to
First State Visit to West Germany
This was a 10-day visit to the Federal Republic of Germany. It was the first official visit there by a British royal since 1913, her visit marked the 20-year anniversary of the World War II. -
Mining Disaster in Wales
An avalanche of mud buried an elementary school in the South Wales village of Aberfan, this disaster caused the death of 116 children and 26 adults. Queen Elizabeth delayed her visit for over a week fearing her presence would distract from rescue and recovery efforts. But after visiting the state, she regretted not visiting the state sooner. -
First 'Walkabout'
Elizabeth bucked centuries of royal tradition when she took a casual stroll to greet crowds of people in person, rather than wave to them from a protected distance. -
Silver Jubilee
To officially celebrate her 25th year on the throne Elizabeth and Philip rode in the Gold State Coach from Buckingham Palace to St. Paul’s Cathedral. She wore a bright pink outfit, including a hat decked out with 25 fabric bells. The queen repeated her long-ago pledge to devote her life to service, saying that "Although that vow was made in my salad days when I was green in judgement, I do not regret nor retract one word of it.” -
Prince Charles' Wedding to Lady Diana Spencer
Prince Charles, Elizabeth’s eldest son, married Lady Diana Spencer, at St. Paul’s Cathedral. 750 million people in 74 countries around the world tuned in to watch their marriage. It was considered "the wedding of the century". But the relationship was far from happy. Diana was paranoid that the Palace was trying to control her and that Charles was still seeing his former flame Camilla, which was really scandalous. -
Period: to
Visit to China
In 1986, Elizabeth became the first British monarch to visit the Chinese mainland, touring the terracotta warriors in Xi’an, the Great Wall in Beijing and other sites. -
Period: to
"Annus Horriblis"
Finally, in 1992 they announced their decision to separate. Prince Andrew, the queen’s second son, and his wife, Sarah Ferguson, also separated, while Anne divorced her husband, Mark Phillips. Late that year, a fire broke out in Windsor Castle, destroying more than 100 rooms. So Queen Elizabeth remarked that 1992 “has turned out to be an "Annus Horriblis" whichs means “a horrible year" in Latin. -
Response to Princess Diana’s death
Princess Diana died in a fatal car crash in Paris. The queen initially remained at her estate in Balmoral, Scotland, and refused to allow the flag to fly over Buckingham Palace.
She soon revised her stance on the flag, returned to London to greet crowds of mourners and delivered a rare televised address to the devastated nation. -
Golden Jubilee
Elizabeth marks 50 years of reign with her Golden Jubilee. This also marks Elizabeth’s mother and her sister's death. -
Longest-living British monarch
Elizabeth becomes the longest-living British monarch, overtaking Victoria. -
Diamond Jubilee
Elizabeth marks 60 years of her reign. -
Period: to
Elizabeth’s official 90th birthday
Britain celebrates Elizabeth’s official 90th birthday with three days of national festivities.