We are not used to giving positive comments about our leaders and particularly the ones given the mandate to rule our respective nations. This is, however, not the case when it comes to Queen Elizabeth II. Her reign as monarch has been nothing less than outstanding.
She holds several records, with the most notable ones being: the longest-serving female head of state in the world’s history, longest-reigning British monarch, and the oldest living monarch in the world. The Queen was born on April 21, 1926, as Elizabeth Alexandra Mary. At the age of 25, she became Queen following the sudden death of her father, King George VI, in 1952.
1. 1952
News of Queen Elizabeth father’s passing met her while she and her husband, Prince Philip, were on official duty in Kenya. They immediately ended their trip and returned to England. At the time of her father’s passing, the Queen had two children, Charles and Anne, born in 1948 and 1950.
2. 1953
The official coronation of Queen Elizabeth occurred in June 1953, a little over a year following the passing of King George VI. It is the custom of the British monarchy to allow the family an appropriate amount of time for mourning before returning to celebrations that are synonymous with the monarchy.
3. 1954
In one of the pictures that capture the Queen’s history as the reigning monarch, she and her husband Philip can be seen exiting an event during one of their visits to Australia in 1954. Being a Commonwealth Realm, Australia is one of the many countries that acknowledge the Queen as their monarch.
4. 1955
Prince Philip was a downright sportsman. In one of his pictures with the Queen, he can be seen holding the Windsor Cup after his team defeated India in a polo march. Before marrying the Queen, Prince Philip was recognized as Prince of Greece and Denmark. His father was exiled from Greece and as such he spent a lot of time in France and England.
5. 1956
The British Colonial Office formed the West African Frontier Force in 1900 to militarize the West African colonies of the Gambia, Sierra Leone, Gold Coast, and Nigeria. In 1928 their identity changed to that of The Royal West African Frontier Force (WAFF). In one of her visits to West Africa, the Queen assigned the Queen’s Own Nigeria Regiment to the Nigeria RWAFF.
6. 1957
What could be more interesting than seeing the Queen in a somewhat casual dressing and smiling directly at an American female movie star? Jayne Mansfield was visiting London to promote her film Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? The Queen would later proceed to watch this movie at the Odeon Theatre.
7. 1958
The Queen and her family are huge fans of horse racing events. This has been in the family tradition for decades. In this particular set, the Queen can be seen standing right next to her mother (Elizabeth-Queen Mother) and Princess Margaret. Princess Margaret and the Queen Mother died in the same year, 2002, despite Margaret being 30 years younger.
8. 1959
The Queen was a well-known diplomat. She especially formed meaningful ties with the U.S. since her ascension to power. Her first meeting with an American head of state occurred in 1959 with President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The Queen met the President in her Balmoral Castle in Scotland. Dwight served as the President of the United States from 1953 to 1961.
9. 1960
The Queen’s corgis are almost just as famous and beloved as the Queen herself. The Queen’s love for corgis is well documented, with some records attesting that she has owned over 30 corgis since ascending to power. She loves her corgis so much that she choose to stop breeding them in 2015 so that she wouldn’t leave them behind in the event of her passing.
10. 1961
Her visit to Ghana was full of uncertainty and fear. Her role as the head of state had just been given to President Kwame Nkrumah. Despite his evident ability to steer the nation towards success, he constantly faced the threat of assassination. This was the same atmosphere that surrounded the Queen during her visit.
11. 1962
In this set, the Queen can be seen walking past a troop of Boy Scouts after watching their scripted gang show. It was also in 1962 that the Queen gave birth to her third child, Prince Andrew. The gang show was an annual theatrical performance purposed to honor England’s strong heritage of military success.
12. 1963
The Queen is suggested as the most widely traveled head of state. This resonates with the fact that before the other half of the 20th-century, transportation across states was a little more limited. But I guess this wasn’t a problem for a reigning monarch. Her travels have taken her to as far as Tokyo Japan and Ghana, Africa.
13. 1964
This year marked the birth of Prince Edward, who was born on March 10. In this particular set, the Queen and Prince Philip are pictured waving at a crowd during the Trooping the Color Celebration. This event is held in June every year, and it also marks the official birthday of the British sovereign.
14. 1965
This was an exciting year for the Queen especially given that she had the opportunity to meet with the famed and even worshiped Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopian royalty. The Queen can be seen petting a horse while the Emperor watches from behind. The Queen’s love for horses is almost as well-pronounced as that for her corgis, but the corgis still win.
15. 1966
The Queen’s relation to the Bahamas is a little more interesting than you could imagine. Whenever she sets foot there on official duty, she is addressed as the Queen of The Bahamas. She does not participate directly in the government affairs of this county. Instead, she is represented by a Governor-General who reports directly to her.
16. 1967
As mentioned before, the Queen and her husband are big fans of sports, particularly horse racing and polo. You can recall that time when she gave her husband a trophy after his team defeated India. In this set, she is seen doing the same while Philip watches, only that this time the trophy is going to her son, Prince Charles.
17. 1968
As a ruling monarch, the Queen has a strong religious background deeply ingrained within the church’s close relationship with the monarchy. The Queen barely ever misses mass. In this set, she can be seen in her state car with Philip on her right. It is not clear whether the picture was taken before or after attending a service for the order of St. George and St. Michael at the famed St. Paul’s Cathedral.
18. 1969
Prince Charles was officially crowned the Prince of Wales at his 1969 Investiture. The Queen is standing next to him while overlooking a crowd that had attended the formal and significant event. The event was similar to a miniature coronation where Prince Charles was invested with the emblem of his rank.
19. 1970
The Queen’s portrayal to the public in terms of her dressing is of critical importance. She has always maintained a reasonably similar style-as a royal, and there is only so much you can wear. In her visit to the Town Hall in Sydney, Australia, however, the Queen went a little bold with an outfit that was mildly symbolic of the passing of the ’50s.
20. 1971
At the end of every year, the Queen is expected to make a Christmas broadcast that is usually cast on England’s radio stations. This is seen as a sign of togetherness. Besides, the Queen enjoys making these broadcasts because they allow her to participate in the Christmas celebrations with her subjects, though indirectly.
21. 1972
Few things are more adorable than seeing the Queen and her whole family in a single portrait. Apart from the stunning royals and an exquisite sense of fashion, one can always expect to see the fluffy corgis. The picture in this set was taken to celebrate Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s 25th wedding anniversary.
22. 1973
A royal wedding can be the stuff of fairy tales, especially when the British monarchy is conducting it. The Queen and her husband are well known for their love of perfection. During her wedding to Mark Philips, Princess Anne was dressed in a silk wedding gown tailored to suit her body perfectly.
23. 1974
Some things never change, no matter who you are or what your rank is. One of these things is our love for movies. In this set, Queen Elizabeth can be seen wearing a blue dress and holding flowers while attending the UK premiere of Murder on the Orient Express. Prince Philip is seen talking to a man next to the Queen.
24. 1975
As mentioned before, the Queen is a widely traveled head of state. In this picture, she can be seen waving at a crowd of onlookers while standing next to her husband in a car in Tokyo. That’s right! Tokyo. The film quality in this picture is just so much better.
25. 1976
I suppose as a royal, you always have to be ready to gulp down that glass of champagne because there will be many of them. Even after President Dwight, the Queen has always purposed to maintain strong relations with her allies, particularly the United States. In this picture, she can be seen clinging glasses with President Gerald Ford.
26. 1977
Not a lot of people get lucky enough to see their grandchildren. Well, the Queen is one of the lucky ones. Princess Anne gave birth to Peter Philips in 1977. Now siring offspring is of particular importance to the royal family because it keeps the royal flame burning and provides the assurance of continuity of the monarch.
27. 1978
As mentioned before, the Queen is a massive fan of everything horses from petting horses to watching polo games and even attending Horse shows. In this picture, we can see a happy queen sheltering under an umbrella while watching the Royal Windsor Horse Show. The Queen has lovely blue eyes!
28. 1979
I guess this is what we have all been waiting for, a picture of the Queen on the back of a horse. She seems to be so in control of the situation. One wonders if the horse is aware of who she is carrying. The Queen is dressed in military gear to symbolize her sovereign rule and command of the military.
29. 1980
You probably thought that monarchs only reside in palaces and other state-owned homes. This is not always the case and particularly when it comes to British monarchs. The Queen and her family have always maintained a private home at Sandringham. This home has been in the family for four generations.
30. 1981
Being a royal family member, you are expected to do everything straight; there are simply no shortcuts. But one sure thing is that we can never get enough of the charm and entertainment of royal weddings. In this picture, Prince Charles and Princess Diana can be seen waving at a crowd shortly after their wedding.
31. 1982
As mentioned before, the British monarch has always maintained a close relationship with the Roman Catholic Church. It is safe to contend that the Roman Catholic Church has consistently demonstrated a keen interest in the proceedings of monarchs from time immemorial. In this set, the Queen can be seen walking hand in hand with Pope John Paul at Buckingham Palace.
32. 1983
In most of her pictures, the Queen can be seen smiling, but who would have thought that she has such a great sense of humor to the point of making a sitting United States President laugh so hysterically. While visiting San Francisco, the Queen made a joke about the weather that caught the good President (Reagan) by surprise.
33. 1984
The Queen is a trendsetter too! While on her visit to Canada, the Queen wore a poppy top that was simply adorable. It sought of blends in with the laid-back Canadian way of life. After this image surfaced on the internet, a lot of people were seen wearing poppy tops.
34. 1985
The Queen is known to maintain a strong relationship with her family and especially her children. She plays her duty as a reigning monarch just as well as she does her role as a loving and caring mother. In this image, Prince Charles can be seen kissing her hand while looking into eyes in a manner that symbolizes his deep love for the Queen.
35. 1986
The Queen doesn’t just visit places for formal purposes. Just like everyone else, she loves to enjoy the beauty of nature and human creativity every once in a while. In this adorable picture, the Queen and her husband can be seen talking on the Great Wall of China. The picture appears to have been taken from a drone.
36. 1987
At this point, we should declare that the Queen’s favorite sport is polo. Once again, she can be seen in the company of her family enjoying a game of polo in what appears to have been a very beautiful day. She is standing on a porch with her two grandsons, Prince William and Prince Harry, who are both Charles and Diana’s sons.
37. 1988
Queen Elizabeth and her daughter, Princess Anne have a unique sense of fashion. In this set, they can both be seen wearing matching yellow dresses and matching huts while watching The Derby at Epsom Downs Racecourse. From the looks on their faces, someone at the field was not acting as expected.
38. 1989
Even at 63, the Queen still knows how to throw a party. On her 63rd birthday, she was made a special and delightful cake by men of the Royal Welch Fusiliers. I guess when you are a royal, everything personal becomes royal too. But then you can’t expect the Queen’s cake to be fetched from the local cake shop.
39. 1990
It is only fair that one would visit a cruise liner named after them. At least the Queen acknowledged this and paid the cruise liner named Queen Elizabeth 2 a visit in July 1990. It is not every day that someone gets named after a massive cruise liner, but I guess this is pretty normal to the Queen.
40. 1991
The Queen has always been a sports enthusiast. This was further demonstrated in 1991 when while on his visit to the United States, she shook hands with the Baltimore Orioles baseball team members. She was standing alongside the then-President George HW Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush. Must be a great honor to shake the hands of two heads of state in one day.
