Elizabeth II: The British Queen dies at the age of 96

The first child of the Duke and Duchess of York, who would eventually become King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, Elizabeth was born in London and received a private home education. After her brother King Edward VIII abdicated the throne in 1936, her father assumed the throne, making her the presumed heir. During the Second World War, she started performing public tasks by participating in the Auxiliary Territorial Service. She had four children—Charles, Prince of Wales, Anne, Princess Royal, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex—with Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, a former prince of Greece and Denmark.

Elizabeth succeeded her father as head of the Commonwealth and queen regnant of seven independent Commonwealth nations, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon. Her father passed away in February 1952. She ruled as a constitutional queen during significant political transformations like devolution in the United Kingdom, Canadian patriation, and the abolition of African colonialism.

The number of her realms changed between 1956 and 1992 as nations attained independence and as realms, like as South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon (later renamed Sri Lanka), turned into republics. Among her several notable encounters and visits were a state visit to the Republic of Ireland and visits from or by five popes. She was crowned in 1953, and in 1977, 2002, and 2012, respectively, she celebrated her Silver, Golden, and Diamond Jubilees. She achieved her Sapphire Jubilee in 2017, becoming the first British queen to do so. She was the British monarch with the longest life expectancy and reign.

She was the oldest living queen, the longest-reigning monarch, the oldest and longest-serving head of state, and the longest-serving female head of state in history.