Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II, who served as ruler of the United Kingdom and its realms and territories for seven decades, has died at the age of 96. Crowned at Westminster Abbey in June 1953, Queen Elizabeth II was the nation’s longest-serving monarch, surpassing her great-grandmother ...read more

Queen Elizabeth II, who ruled the United Kingdom for seven decades, was such a longstanding institution that it’s easy to forget she wasn’t supposed to have become queen at all. Born in 1926, Elizabeth was the daughter of King George V’s second son, and had little expectation of ...read more

Philip Mountbatten married then-Princess Elizabeth in 1947 and the pair's marriage became the longest royal union in history. Just as his wife is the longest-serving British monarch, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, was the longest-serving royal consort in British history. ...read more

Queen Elizabeth II was one of the most famous and admired people on Earth. As nominal leader of the United Kingdom from 1952 to 2022—the country's longest-serving monarch—she exerted influence felt the world over. But despite such enormous impact, the Queen held no real power in ...read more

The crown can be a heavy burden to bear, and the 1960s and 70s were challenging decades for Queen Elizabeth. From tabloid coverage of Princess Margaret’s affair to Prince Charles’s affair with Camilla Parker Bowles, the royal family entered the spotlight like never before. When ...read more

A well-groomed, staid British family sit around the breakfast table. Two young adult children and their middle-aged parents are dressed formally, without a hair out of place. In a high-pitched voice, the mother tells a funny story about her great-great grandmother, while everyone ...read more