Queen Elizabeth II
(1926-2022), Reigned 1952-2022Sitter associated with 972 portraits
Queen Elizabeth II was the longest-serving British monarch in history. Her devotion to the duty and public service was renowned and she ruled through a period of enormous social change and technological transformation. Her coronation in 1953 was the first to be televised and was broadcast internationally and she is the most portrayed person in the world.
Born in London, Princess Elizabeth became heir to the throne in 1936 on the accession of her father George VI. She married Philip Mountbatten in 1947 and their first children, the then Prince Charles and Princess Anne, were born in 1948 and 1950. Elizabeth became Queen in 1952, whilst on an official trip to Kenya, after the death of her father. Her coronation in 1953 was the first to be televised and was broadcast internationally. Her sons, Princes Andrew and Edward, were born in 1960 and 1964. As Queen of the United Kingdom and Head of the Commonwealth, her Silver, Golden, Diamond and Platinum Jubilees were celebrated in 1977, 2002, 2012 and 2022.
Queen Elizabeth II; Cecil Beaton
by Unknown photographer
10 x 8 inch colour film transparency, 1955
NPG x40655
by Dorothy Wilding
whole-plate film negative, 1956
NPG x37876
by Dorothy Wilding
whole-plate film negative, 1956
NPG x37877
by Dorothy Wilding
whole-plate film negative, 1956
NPG x37878
by Dorothy Wilding
whole-plate film negative, 1956
NPG x37879
by Dorothy Wilding
whole-plate film negative, 1956
NPG x37880
by Dorothy Wilding
whole-plate film negative, 1956
NPG x37881
by Dorothy Wilding
whole-plate film negative, 1956
NPG x37882
by Dorothy Wilding
whole-plate film negative, 1956
NPG x37883
by Dorothy Wilding
whole-plate film negative, 1956
NPG x37884
by Dorothy Wilding
whole-plate film negative, 1956
NPG x37885
by Dorothy Wilding
whole-plate film negative, 1956
NPG x37886
by Dorothy Wilding
whole-plate film negative, 1956
NPG x37887
by Dorothy Wilding
whole-plate film negative, 1956
NPG x37888
by Dorothy Wilding
whole-plate film negative, 1956
NPG x37889
by Baron (Sterling Henry Nahum)
glossy bromide print, 1956
NPG x132904
by Les Appleton, for International News Photos
vintage print, 31 May 1956
NPG x136393
by Stuart Heydinger, for Bippa
vintage print, 31 May 1956
NPG x136397
Queen Elizabeth II; Marilyn Monroe; Victor John Mature; Anthony Quayle
by Unknown photographer, for Daily Mirror
modern bromide print, 29 October 1956
NPG x136606
Related People
- Prince Andrew, Duke of York (son)
- Princess Anne (daughter)
- Sir David Bowes-Lyon (uncle)
- Hon. Michael Claude Hamilton Bowes-Lyon (uncle)
- King Charles III (son)
- Lady Sarah Frances Elizabeth Chatto (née Armstrong-Jones) (niece)
- Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (husband)
- Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor (King Edward VIII) (uncle)
- Prince Edward Antony Richard Louis, Earl of Wessex (son)
- Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother (mother)
- Lady Mary Frances Elphinstone (née Bowes-Lyon) (aunt)
- King George V (grandfather)
- King George VI (father)
- Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester (uncle)
- Prince Henry, Duke of Sussex (grandson)
- Princess Margaret (sister)
- Queen Mary (grandmother)
- Princess Mary, Countess of Harewood (aunt)
- David Albert Charles Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon (nephew)
- (Cecilia) Nina Bowes-Lyon (née Cavendish-Bentinck), Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne (grandmother)
- Claude George Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne (grandfather)
- Patrick Bowes-Lyon, 15th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne (uncle)
- William, Prince of Wales (grandson)
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