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Revision as of 10:04, 4 June 2008
Queen Elizabeth II meeting NASA staff at the Goddard Space Flight Center, Maryland, in 2007.
Elizabeth II (born 21st April[1] 1926) is the current Head of State and monarch of the United Kingdom and Supreme Governor of the Church of England.
She is also Head of State of 16 Commonwealth countries, including Canada, Australia and New Zealand, serving over 129 million people in these 'Commonwealth realms' as their sovereign and serving as titular Head of the Commonwealth for 37 other countries.[2] In none of these offices does she hold any real political power: as Head of State, the monarch's role is largely ceremonial as in all constitutional monarchies. Nevertheless, doubts remain in some quarters about specific residual discretions and crown prerogatives, such as choosing a prime minister, that are not always constrained by precedent or constitutional limitations.
The Queen married Philip Mountbatten, now Duke of Edinburgh, in 1947. Elizabeth ascended to the throne in 1952 while she was in Kenya, upon the death of George VI, her father. Charles, Prince of Wales, the eldest of the Queen's four children, is expected to succeed her. Elizabeth's hobbies include watching horse racing and breeding thoroughbreds, dog walking and country dancing.[3]
Early life
Her Royal Highness Princess Elizabeth of York was the firstborn child of the Duke and Duchess of York. Her baptismal name was Elizabeth Alexandra Mary and her nickname was Lilibet. Her only sibling was a younger sister, the late Princess Margaret Rose. Because her father was the second son of the reigning monarch, he was not expected to succeed to the throne and so no one envisioned Princess Elizabeth as the future queen.
Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose [4] are thought to have had a happy childhood. They were educated at home by a governess, Marion Crawford, and were close to their parents.
In 1936, following the abdication of Edward VIII, later the Duke of Windsor, Elizabeth’s father the Duke of York became King George VI. The princess was now HRH The Princess Elizabeth and heiress presumptive to the throne [5]
Accession to the throne
Reign of Elizabeth
The Queen is known to be a practising Christian, regularly attending Anglican church services, in addition to her titular role as head of the Church.
Footnotes
- ↑ April often being a poor month for good weather, the Queen's birthday is officially celebrated in June. See the British monarchy's official page: 'One Queen, Two Birthdays'.
- ↑ Commonwealth Secretariat: 'Head of the Commonwealth'.
- ↑ The Royal Family: 'Her Majesty the Queen'. Official website.
- ↑ The Queen's sister was known as Princess Margaret Rose when young, and was styled HRH The Princess Margaret upon her father's accession to the throne.
- ↑ Had the princess been a boy, her title would have been heir apparent, but as King George's consort HM Queen Elizabeth was young enough potentially to have additional children, Elizabeth was heiress presumptive, because a brother would have been placed ahead of her in the line of succession.
See also