Queen Elizabeth II has since 1952 served as reigning monarch of the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland) and numerous other realms and territories, as well as head of the Commonwealth, the group of 53 sovereign nations that includes many former British territories. Extremely popular for nearly all of her long reign, the queen is known for taking a serious interest in government and political affairs, apart from her ceremonial duties, and is credited with modernizing many aspects of the monarchy.

When Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, the elder daughter of Prince Albert, Duke of York, and his wife, Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, was born on April 21, 1926, she apparently had little chance of assuming the throne, as her father was a younger son of King George V.
But in late 1936, her uncle, King Edward VIII, abdicated to marry an American divorcée, Wallis Simpson. As a result, her father became King George VI, and 10-year-old “Lilibet” (as she was known within the family) became the heir presumptive to the throne.
Educated by private tutors, with an emphasis on British history and law, the princess also studied music and learned to speak fluent French. She trained as a Girl Guide (the British equivalent of the Girl Scouts) and developed a lifelong passion for horses.
In 1947, soon after the royal family returned from an official visit to South Africa and Rhodesia, they announced Elizabeth’s engagement to Prince Philip of Greece, her third cousin, and a lieutenant in the Royal Navy.
She and Philip wed was on November 20, 1947, at Westminster Abbey.
Their first son, Charles (Prince of Wales) was born in 1948; a daughter, Anne (Princess Royal) arrived two years later. Elizabeth and Philip had two more children, Andrew (born 1960) and Edward (born 1964).
Her formal coronation as Queen Elizabeth II took place on June 2, 1953, in Westminster Abbey.

Though rumors have swirled at various times that Queen Elizabeth would step aside and let Prince Charles take the throne - in 2017, she delegated some of her royal obligations, such as the official Remembrance Day ceremony, to her eldest son, fueling speculations that she was preparing to give him the throne.
Many royal experts doubt she will never abdicate, and she remains a consistent, stable presence at the head of Britain’s reigning family.