Queen Elizabeth II Biography

She is 38th in direct line of descent from Egbert (c. 775-839), King of Wessex from 802 and of England 827 to 839.

The Princess's early years were spent at 145 Piccadilly, the London house taken by her parents shortly after her birth, and at White Lodge in Richmond Park. She also spent time at the country homes of her paternal grandparents, King George V and Queen Mary, and her mother's parents, the Earl and Countess of Strathmore.

In 1930, Princess Elizabeth gained a sister, with the birth of Princess Margaret Rose. The family of four was very close.

However her quiet family life was shattered in 1936, when her grandfather, King George V, died. His eldest son came to the throne as King Edward VIII, but, before the end of the year, King Edward VIII had decided to relinquish the throne in order to marry the woman he loved, Mrs Wallis Simpson. Elizabeth was suddenly first in line to the throne.

In 1942, Princess Elizabeth was appointed Colonel-in-Chief of the Grenadier Guards, and on her sixteenth birthday she carried out her first public engagement, when she inspected the regiment. Her official duties would now increases as she began to accompany the King and Queen on many of their tours within Britain.

On 6th February 1952, Princess Elizabeth received the news of her father's death and her own accession to the throne, while visiting Kenya. Her coronation took place in Westminster Abbey on 2nd June 1953. She was 25.

She married Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark in November 1947 and had four children, Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward. The couple also have seven grandchildren. They include Peter and Zara Phillips (b.1977 and 1981); Prince William of Wales and Prince Harry of Wales (b.1982 and 1984); Princess Beatrice of York and Princess Eugenie of York (b.1988 and 1990); and The Lady Louise Windsor, daughter of The Earl and Countess of Wessex (b.2003). Though the Royal House is named Windsor, it was decreed that her decedents should have the personal surname Mountbatten-Windsor.

After the Coronation, Elizabeth and Philip moved to Buckingham Palace. It is reported, however, that, as with many of her predecessors, she dislikes the Palace as a residence and considers Windsor Castle to be her home.

The Queen is the most widely-traveled head of state in history. From 1953 to 1954 she and Philip made a six-month, around the world tour, becoming the first monarch to circumnavigate the globe. She also became the first reigning monarch of Australia, New Zealand and Fiji to visit those nations.

As a constitutional monarch, Elizabeth does not express her personal political opinions publicly. She has maintained this discipline throughout her reign, doing little in public to reveal what they might be, and thus her political views are not clearly known. She is believed to hold centre, even slightly left of centre views. She was seen as closer to Harold Wilson than Edward Heath and was certainly closer to Tony Blair than Margaret Thatcher. She also enjoys especially close relations with Ireland, having expressed support for the Good Friday Agreement which eventually brought peace to Northern Ireland.

Her personal relationships with a host of world leaders have been particularly warm and informal, developing friendships with Nelson Mandela, Mary Robinson, and George W. Bush - who was the first U.S. President in over 80 years to stay at Buckingham Palace.

Despite a succession of controversies surrounding the rest of the royal family, particularly throughout the 1980s and 1990s (including wide reportage of Prince Philip's propensity for verbal gaffes, and the marital difficulties of her children), Queen Elizabeth remains a remarkably uncontroversial and widely respected figure. However, this was tested in 1997, when she and the other royals were perceived to be unmoved by the public outpouring of grief following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.

The Golden Jubilee of 2002 marked the 50th anniversary of The Queen's Accession in 1952. However, it began with personal sadness for The Queen when her sister, Princess Margaret, died at the age of 71 following a stroke

Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, died only a few weeks later. She was 101. The Queen attended her funeral at Westminster Abbey before a private committal at St George's Chapel, Windsor

On Friday, 21st April 2006, the Queen turned 80, making her the third-oldest reigning monarch in British and Commonwealth history. Despite being in excellent health she has started to hand over some public duties to her children, as well as to other members of the Royal Family.