As British citizens and world leaders mourn Queen Elizabeth II, who died Thursday at age 96, we look back on her life and record-setting reign. From her wartime service to meetings with celebs and heads of state, here is Queen Elizabeth II over the years.
Queen Elizabeth as a toddler in 1927.
July 1936: Elizabeth at age 10 with her parents, then the Duke and Duchess of York, the year before he became King George, replacing his brother Edward VIII.
The future Queen Elizabeth in 1940 (right) with sister Margaret and their parents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, who was later known as the Queen Mother.
June 12, 1947: Princess Elizabeth served as a Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, an infantry regiment of the British Army, from 1942 until she became queen in 1952.
Elizabeth was still a princess when she married Prince Philip in November 1947. She became queen on her father King George VI’s death in 1952.
Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh wave at the crowds from the balcony at Buckingham Palace after Elizabeth’s coronation, June 2, 1953.
October 1956: Queen Elizabeth II shaking hands with Marilyn Monroe, who stands next to Victor Mature at the Empire Theatre, Leicester Square, London.
June 5, 1961: Prince Philip, Jacqueline Kennedy, Queen Elizabeth, and President John Fitzgerald Kennedy at Buckingham Palace in London.
Queen Elizabeth II shakes hands with Barbra Streisand at the British premiere of “Funny Lady” in 1975. Also pictured: James Caan, James Stewart and Lee Remick.
May 17, 1980: Meryl Streep meets Queen Elizabeth II at a screening of “Kramer vs Kramer” at the Odeon, Leicester Square, London.
President Barack Obama and First lady Michelle Obama meet Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip at Buckingham Palace on April 1, 2009 in London.
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II meets Lady Gaga in Blackpool, England on December 7, 2009.
Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace during the Platinum Jubilee Pageant on June 05, 2022, celebrating her 70th anniversary year as monarch.
