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| Elizabeth II | |
|---|---|
| Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and the other Commonwealth realms | |
 | |
| Elizabeth II in 2007 | |
| Reign | 6 February 1952 – present |
| Coronation | 2 June 1953 |
| Predecessor | George VI |
| Heir apparent | Charles, Prince of Wales |
| Consort | Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh |
Detail Issue | |
| Charles, Prince of Wales Anne, Princess Royal Prince Andrew, Duke of York Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex | |
| Full name | |
| Elizabeth Alexandra Mary | |
Detail Titles and styles | |
| HM The Queen HRH The Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh HRH The Princess Elizabeth HRH Princess Elizabeth of York | |
| House | House of Windsor |
| Anthem | God Save the Queen |
| Father | George VI |
| Mother | Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon |
| Born | 21 April 1926 (1926-04-21) (age 82) Mayfair, London |
| Baptised | 29 May 1926 Buckingham Palace, London |
| Signature |  |
| Religion | Anglican |
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; born 21 April 1926) is the queen regnant of sixteen independent states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Kitts and Nevis. All together, these countries have a combined population, including dependencies, of over 129 million. She holds each crown separately and equally in a shared monarchy, and carries out duties in and on behalf of all the states of which she is sovereign. She is also Head of the Commonwealth, Supreme Governor of the Church of England, Duke of Normandy, Lord of Mann, and Paramount Chief of Fiji. In theory her powers are vast; however, in practice, and in accordance with convention, she rarely intervenes in political matters.
Her long reign has seen sweeping changes with the dissolution of the British Empire (a process that began before her accession) and the consequent evolution of the modern Commonwealth of Nations. Elizabeth became Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) upon the death of her father, George VI, on 6 February 1952. As other British colonies gained independence from the United Kingdom, she became queen of several newly independent countries. During her 57 years on the throne, she has been the sovereign of 32 individual nations, but half of them subsequently became republics.
Elizabeth married Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in 1947. The couple have four children and eight grandchildren. She is one of the longest-reigning British monarchs, after Victoria (who reigned over the United Kingdom for 63 years), George III (who reigned over Great Britain for 59 years), and James VI (who reigned over Scotland for over 57 years).
