Queen Elizabeth II’s life in pictures

Princess Elizabeth and her sister Princess Margaret make a broadcast to children of the Commonwealth on 10 October 1940, more than a year into the Second World War. “When peace comes, remember it will be for us, the children of today, to make the world of tomorrow a better and happier place,” said Elizabeth, in what was her first public speech.

Princess Elizabeth makes her first public appearance following the announcement of her engagement to Philip Mountbatten at Buckingham Palace on 10 July 1947. The couple first met in 1934 when Elizabeth was eight and Philip 13, at the wedding of the Duke of Kent. They met again in 1939 when Elizabeth was smitten by the 18-year-old Philip.

The Queen at her coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey on 2 June 1953. She was just 27 years old when she was crowned Queen, following the death of her father at the age of 56 on 6 February 1952, a few months after having an operation for lung cancer.

The newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II waves to the crowd from the balcony at Buckingham Palace on 2 June 1953. Her two eldest children, Prince Charles and Princess Anne, stand with her.

The Queen has lunch with Prince Philip and two of their children, Princess Anne and Prince Charles, at Windsor Castle around 1969. They were being filmed as part of Richard Cawston’s BBC documentary Royal Family, which followed the royals for a year and was broadcast on 21 June 1969.

The Queen and Prince Philip visit a farm on the Balmoral estate in Scotland to mark their silver wedding anniversary in September 1972. “He has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years, and I, and his whole family, and this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim, or we shall ever know,” said the Queen about her husband in 1997.

The Queen and her then daughter-in-law Diana, the Princess of Wales, attend the opening of Parliament in November 1982. After Diana’s death in 1997, the Queen described her as “an exceptional and gifted human being” who “never lost her capacity to smile and laugh, nor to inspire others with her warmth and kindness”.

The Queen adjusts her tiara – which formerly belonged to Queen Mary – during a banquet served in her honour during a visit to Beijing, China, with her husband, Prince Philip, on 13 October 1986.

The Queen meets the Spice Girls at the Royal Variety Performance at the Victoria Palace Theatre on 1 December 1997.

The Queen and Prince Philip mark their diamond wedding anniversary at Broadlands, the former home of Prince Philip’s uncle, Earl Mountbatten, in Hampshire on 20 November 2007.

The Queen shares a giggle with her granddaughter-in-law Meghan Markle during a ceremony to open the new Mersey Gateway Bridge on 14 June 2018 in Cheshire, England. This was Markle’s first engagement with the Queen, which took place one month after the American actress married Prince Harry in Windsor.

The Queen is joined by Prince Charles, Prince Andrew, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Prince William and Kate Middleton to watch the RAF flypast on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, marking the centenary of the RAF on 10 July 2018.

The Queen watches as pallbearers carry the coffin of her late husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, into St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle for his funeral on 17 April 2021. Only 30 guests were able to attend the funeral due to coronavirus pandemic restrictions.

Queen Elizabeth visits the Chelsea Flower Show at the Royal Hospital Chelsea in London on 23 May 2022. She was escorted around the event in a buggy due to her ongoing mobility issues.