Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning British monarch in history, died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland today. Born to the Duke and Duchess of York in 1926, Elizabeth lived a life in the public eye from a very young age, ascended to the throne at 25, and went on to serve as Queen for more than 70 years. Below, a collection of images of Elizabeth’s remarkable life, from age 5 to 96.
Photos: The Remarkable Life of Queen Elizabeth II
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![Queen Elizabeth, wearing a large pink hat, smiles.]()
Read moreQueen Elizabeth II attends the QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot Racecourse on October 21, 2017, in Ascot, England. #
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![A horse carriage carries young Princess Elizabeth and three adults.]()
Read moreOn June 2, 1931, Britain's Queen Mary (left) with 5-year-old Princess Elizabeth (later to become Queen Elizabeth II), accompanied by Lady Elizabeth Bowes Lyon, the Duchess of York (right), return to Buckingham Palace, London, after the Trooping of the Colour Ceremony. #
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![Young Elizabeth shakes the hand of a soldier in a courtyard.]()
Read moreBritain's Princess Elizabeth is introduced by her mother, the Duchess of York, to disabled soldiers at an exhibition of their work in London on May 16, 1933. #
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![Princess Elizabeth cuddles her pet dog while seated on a bench.]()
Read morePrincess Elizabeth, age 10, with her pet dog, London, in July 1936 #
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![Princess Elizabeth leans over the edge of a balcony seat in a theater.]()
Read morePrincess Elizabeth leans out of the Duchess's box at the “Dick Whittington” pantomime at the Lyceum Theatre on February 6, 1935. #
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![Members of the Royal Family, wearing crowns, gather on a balcony. Young Elizabeth smiles and waves.]()
Read moreThe little princess, age 11 (center), appears on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on the occasion of the coronation of her father, King George VI, on May 12, 1937, in London. #
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![Princess Elizabeth poses in riding gear, beside a horse.]()
Read morePrincess Elizabeth celebrates her 13th birthday on April 21, 1939. The Princess was allowed to plan her own day, and after opening her presents in the morning, she went riding in Windsor Great Park with the King and Princess Margaret, her younger sister. #
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![Princess Elizabeth and her younger sister speak into microphones, reading from a script.]()
Read morePerforming one of the many public duties she will be called on to perform as a member of the Royal House, Princess Elizabeth, heiress apparent to the British throne, broadcasts a three-minute speech to British girls and boys evacuated overseas on October 22, 1940, in London, England. She is joined in bidding good night to her listeners by her sister, Princess Margaret Rose. #
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![A woman in uniform shows two younger women how to tie a knot.]()
Read morePrincess Elizabeth (center) ties knots under the watchful eyes of an expert at Buckingham Palace, on January 9, 1943, in London. The white stripes on her pocket proclaim her to be a Girl Guides patrol leader. #
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![Princess Elizabeth kneels beside a car, wearing coveralls, using a wrench to remove lug nuts.]()
Read morePrincess Elizabeth learns basic car maintenance as a second subaltern in the Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service on April 12, 1945. #
Daily Mirror / Mirrorpix / Corbis / Getty -
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![A portrait of Princess Elizabeth]()
Read morePrincess Elizabeth, age 20, photographed in her sitting room at Buckingham Palace #
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![Princess Elizabeth smiles while running from a playful sailor during a game of tag.]()
Read moreAboard the HMS Vanguard, Crown Princess Elizabeth plays tag with midshipmen on February 28, 1947. #
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![Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh pose, arm in arm.]()
Read morePrincess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh arm in arm on November 28, 1947 #
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![Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip wave to crowds from a balcony on their wedding day.]()
Read morePrincess Elizabeth and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, wave to the crowds from the balcony of Buckingham Palace, in London, on November 20, 1947, their wedding day. #
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![A portrait of Princess Elizabeth with her one-month-old son in a crib]()
Read morePrincess Elizabeth with her one-month-old son Prince Charles of Edinburgh, on December 21, 1948 #
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![Young Queen Elizabeth stands in a garden with a dog.]()
Read moreQueen Elizabeth II, in a garden with a dog, in March 1953 #
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![Hundreds attend a coronation ceremony, with the new queen seated on a throne.]()
Read moreQueen Elizabeth, seen during her coronation ceremony, in London, on June 2, 1953 #
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![The Royal Family stands on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.]()
Read moreThe Royal Family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, on June 2, 1953 #
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![Thousands of spectators line a city street as the Queen passes by in a parade of cars.]()
Read moreQueen Elizabeth II waves to spectators along a parade route in New York City on October 21, 1957, as the royal motorcade moves up lower Broadway. #
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![The Queen and her husband stand and listen.]()
Read moreQueen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip are a study in concentration in Schefferville, Quebec, as they listen to an explanation of the workings of an iron-ore mine on a stop in their royal tour of Canada on June 20, 1959. #
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![A shot of the Queen from behind, as she addresses an enormous crowd standing before her]()
Read moreQueen Elizabeth II addresses a vast gathering of more than a quarter of a million people at the Ramlila Grounds, a huge public meeting place outside the walls of Old Delhi, India, on January 28, 1961. It was by far the largest audience ever directly addressed by the sovereign. #
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![The Duke of Edinburgh, Jackie Kennedy, Queen Elizabeth, and President Kennedy stand next to one another in a line, wearing evening clothes]()
Read moreThe Duke of Edinburgh, Jackie Kennedy, Queen Elizabeth, and President John F. Kennedy at Buckingham Palace on June 6, 1961 #
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![The Queen sits on a couch with her two young sons, looking at a photograph album.]()
Read moreQueen Elizabeth looks at a photograph album with her sons Prince Andrew (left) and Prince Edward, in December of 1971. #
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![The Queen hops from a floating platform to a dock in a harbor.]()
Read moreQueen Elizabeth is given a helping hand as she hops ashore from a floating platform on a visit to Turkey on October 23, 1971. Prince Philip and Princess Anne are with her. #
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![A portrait of the Queen with her son standing behind her]()
Read morePrince Charles with his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in 1969 #
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![The Queen, in uniform, on horseback]()
Read moreQueen Elizabeth on horseback during the trooping celebration ceremony on June 11, 1977 #
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![The Queen and her husband are surrounded by a large crowd of fans.]()
Read moreQueen Elizabeth laughs, alongside her husband, Prince Philip, as they drive through a crowd of athletes and officials during the Closing Ceremony of the 12th Commonwealth Games, in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Sports Centre, in Brisbane, Australia, on October 9, 1982. #
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![The Queen stands on a balcony beside Princess Diana, who wears a wedding gown, and her new husband, Prince Charles.]()
Read moreQueen Elizabeth joins the Prince and Princess of Wales on a Buckingham Palace balcony following their London wedding, on July 29, 1981. #
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![A parks-department worker speaks with the Queen in front of a beautiful valley in Yosemite National Park.]()
Read morePark superintendent Bob Binnewies points out highlights from Inspiration Point to Queen Elizabeth II during her visit to Yosemite National Park, in California, on March 5, 1983. #
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![The Queen, wearing a crown and a long cape carried by four boys, walks through a crowd after giving a speech.]()
Read moreQueen Elizabeth walks with her husband, Prince Philip, through the Royal Gallery after delivering her speech during the State Opening of Parliament at the Houses of Parliament in London on November 18, 2009. #
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![Queen Elizabeth walks with Prince Philip.]()
Read moreQueen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, walk at Broadlands in Romsey, southern England, in 2007. #
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![The Queen rides a horse through a garden area.]()
Read moreQueen Elizabeth rides her horse on the grounds of Windsor Castle on April 2, 2002. #
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![The Queen speaks beside U.S. President Barack Obama at a banquet.]()
Read moreQueen Elizabeth speaks beside U.S. President Barack Obama during a State Banquet in Buckingham Palace, in London, on May 24, 2011. #
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![The Queen, in a blue outfit, sits among rows of workers all wearing bright-orange uniforms.]()
Read moreQueen Elizabeth meets construction workers as she attends the official opening of the refurbished Reading Station, west of London, on July 17, 2014. #
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![The Queen leans down to speak to her young great-grandson.]()
Read morePrince George of Cambridge talks to his great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, outside the Church of St. Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham Estate at the christening of Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, on July 5, 2015, in King's Lynn, England. #
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![Angela Merkel and Queen Elizabeth smile as a little robot waves to the Queen.]()
Read moreGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel and Queen Elizabeth smile as a little robot waves to the Queen during a reception at the Technische Universitaet, or Technical University, in Berlin, Germany, on June 24, 2015. #
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![The Queen and her husband wave to onlookers while standing in an open-top car.]()
Read moreQueen Elizabeth is driven through Windsor in an open-top Range Rover with Prince Philip on her 90th birthday, on April 21, 2016. #
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![The back of the Queen's head; she wears a crown.]()
Read moreQueen Elizabeth attends the State Opening of Parliament in the Houses of Parliament in London on October 14, 2019. #
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![Queen Elizabeth and the Royal Family look toward the sky while standing on a balcony.]()
Read moreQueen Elizabeth and the Royal Family watch a flyby on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the Trooping of the Colour on June 9, 2018, in London, England. #
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![Queen Elizabeth smiles while seated in the driver's seat of a car.]()
Read moreQueen Elizabeth drives her Range Rover as she attends day two of the Royal Windsor Horse Show in Home Park, Windsor Castle, on July 2, 2021, in Windsor, England. #
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