in full Elizabeth Alexandra Mary
born April 21, 1926, London, Eng.
Queen of the United Kingdom from 1952.
She became heir presumptive when her uncle, Edward VIII , abdicated and her father became king as George VI . In 1947 she married her distant cousin Philip, duke of Edinburgh , with whom she had four children, including Diana, princess of Wales . In 2002 the queen's mother and sister died within two months of each other.
Elizabeth II, 1985.
Karsh
Camera Press/Globe Photos