Queen Elizabeth II

Queen of England•Her full name is Elizabeth Alexandra Mary•born 21 April 1926 at 17 Bruton Street in Mayfair, London. •The House of Windsor is the royal house of the Commonwealth realms. It’s the Queen’s Elizabeth Royal House.

Ancestors of Elizabeth II

George Vwas King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War (1914–1918) until his death in 1936. He’s Elizabeth’s II grandfather.

Mary of Teckwas the queen consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, as the wife of King-Emperor George V.

Ancestors of Elizabeth IIGeorge VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death. He was Queen Elizabeth’s father.

Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II.

Ancestors of Elizabeth IIQueen Victoria•(Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India.

Education

Princess Elizabeth was educated at home with Princess Margaret, her younger sister.

After her father succeeded to the throne in 1936 and she became heir presumptive, she started to study constitutional history and law as preparation for her future role.

Princess Elizabeth also learned French from a number of French and Belgian governesses.

Princess Elizabeth also studied art and music, learned to ride, and became a strong swimmer.

Marriage•Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark 10 June 1921) is the husband of Elizabeth II.•A member of the Danish-German House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg•in the summer of 1946, Philip asked the King for his daughter's hand in marriage. The King granted his request, provided that any formal engagement was delayed until Elizabeth's twenty-first birthday the following April. By March 1947, Philip had abandoned his Greek and Danish royal titles, had adopted the surname Mountbatten from his mother's family, and had become a naturalised British subject. The engagement was announced to the public on 10 July 1947.

Family

Queen’s coronation•The Coronation took place in Westminster Abbey on 2 June 1953. It was a solemn ceremony conducted by Dr Geoffrey Fisher, Archbishop of Canterbury.•Elizabeth's coronation gown was commissioned from Norman Hartnell and embroidered on her instructions with the floral emblems of Commonwealth countries: English Tudor rose, Scots thistle, Welsh leek, Irish shamrock, Australian wattle, Canadian maple leaf, New Zealand silver fern, South African protea, lotus flowers for India and Ceylon, and Pakistan's wheat, cotton, and jute.

Queen’s intrests

•The Queen takes a keen and highly knowledgeable interest in horses. She attends the Derby at Epsom, one of the classic flat races in Britain, and the Summer Race Meeting at Ascot, which has been a Royal occasion since 1911.

• Other interests include walking in the countryside and working her Labradors, which were bred at Sandringham.

•A lesser known interest is Scottish country dancing. Each year during her stay at Balmoral Castle, The Queen gives dances known as Gillies' Balls, for neighbours, estate and Castle staff and members of the local community.

Double birthday celebration

•The Queen celebrates two birthdays each year: her actual birthday on 21 April and her official birthday on a Saturday in June.

•Official celebrations to mark Sovereigns' birthday have often been held on a day other than the actual birthday, particularly when the actual birthday has not been in the summer.

•The Queen usually spends her actual birthday privately, but the occasion is marked publicly by gun salutes in central London at midday: a 41 gun salute in Hyde Park, a 21 gun salute in Windsor Great Park and a 62 gun salute at the Tower of London.

The duties of the Queen•As Head of State, the Queen goes on official State visits abroad. She also invites other world leaders to come to the United Kingdom. •The Queen is also the Head of the Armed Forces. She is the only person who can declare when the country is at war and when war is over, although she must take advice from her government first.

•The Queen is Head of the Church of England. The Queen appoints archbishops and bishops on the advice of the Prime Minister.

•Every day 'red boxes' are delivered to the Queen's desk full of documents and reports from the government ministers and Commonwealth officials. They must all be read and, if necessary, signed by the Queen.

The duties of the Queen•The Queen represents the nation at times of great celebration or sorrow. One example of this is Remembrance Day ceremony at the Cenotaph monument in Whitehall. The Queen lays a wreath there each year to honour the members of the armed forces who have died fighting for their country.

•At least three Royal Garden Parties are held at Buckingham Palace each year and about 8,000 guests attend each one.

•Alongside her other duties the Queen spends a huge amount of time travelling around the country visiting hospitals, schools, factories and other places and organisations.

Queen’s favourite residenceBalmoral Castle on the Balmoral Estate in Aberdeenshire,

Scotland is the private residence of The Queen. Beloved by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, Balmoral Castle has remained a favourite residence for The Queen and her family during the summer holiday period in August and September. The Castle is located on the large Balmoral Estate, a working estate which aims to protect the environment while contributing to the local economy.

SuccessorThe next person in the line to be the King of the United Kingdom is Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales (b. 1948). He’s the heir apparent and eldest child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales.

Titles and styles

In common parlance, she is The Queen or Her Majesty. Officially, she has a distinct title in each of her realms: Queen of Canada in Canada, Queen of Australia in Australia, etc. In the Channel Islands and Isle of Man she is known as Duke of Normandy and Lord of Mann respectively. Additional styles include Defender of the Faith and Duke of Lancaster.

When in conversation with the Queen, the practice is to initially address her as Your Majesty and thereafter as Ma'am.