By Marisa Laudadio
10:46am PDT, Apr 23, 2024
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To honor Queen Elizabeth II — on what would have been her 98th birthday on April 21, 2024 — and her 70 years of service on Britain's throne following her death at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on Sept. 8, 2022, join us as we look back at some of the milestone moments and memorable personal highs and lows in her life…
In June 1953, Britain's new Queen Elizabeth II posed for a portrait in St. Edward's Crown, which was crafted in 1661 for the coronation of King Charles II and is reputed to contain gold from the crown of Edward the Confessor. It is set with 444 precious stones.
Keep reading to see more milestone moments from the monarch's long life…
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On Sept. 18, 2022 — the eve of her funeral, 10 days after her passing — Buckingham Palace released this final portrait of Queen Elizabeth II that was taken at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England, in May 2022. She's seen wearing the aquamarine and diamond clip brooches that were a gift from her parents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, later known as the Queen Mother, on her 18th birthday.
MORE: The best photos from royal funerals over the decades
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Prince Albert, Duke of York (later King George VI) and wife Elizabeth, Duchess of York (later Queen Elizabeth, then Elizabeth the Queen Mother) posed for a portrait with baby daughter Princess Elizabeth — the future Queen Elizabeth II — at her christening in 1926.
MORE: The best photos from royal christenings through the decades
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King George VI and wife Queen Elizabeth appeared on the balcony at Buckingham Palace with his mother, Queen Mary, and daughters Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) and Princess Margaret as well as other members of the extended royal family after the king's coronation ceremony on May 12, 1937.
MORE: See the best photos from Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral
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Queen Elizabeth II (then Princess Elizabeth) is seen here during her days as a Junior Commander in the Auxiliary Territorial Service, the women's branch of the British army during World War II. She's pictured inspecting the Motor Transport Training Centre at Camberley in Surrey, England, in 1945 shortly before the war ended. She was the first female member of the royal family to join the armed services as a full-time active member.
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Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) and Lt. Philip Mountbatten (later Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh) posed for an engagement portrait — showing off her three-stone diamond ring — at Buckingham Palace upon announcing their betrothal on July 10, 1947.
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Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) posed with her new husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, on their wedding day — Nov. 20, 1947.
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Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) held her first child, Prince Charles, at his christening in 1948.
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Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) cradled her second child, daughter Princess Anne, as grandmother Queen Mary and mother Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother looked on at Anne's christening in October 1950.
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President Harry S. Truman and Britain's Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) were photographed as their motorcade got underway following a reception ceremony at Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 31, 1951. It marked the future monarch's first trip to America.
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Three queens in mourning — the new Queen Elizabeth II, her widowed mother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, and her paternal grandmother, Queen Mary — waited at London King's Cross railway station for the arrival of the special train bringing the coffin of King George VI from Sandringham on Feb. 11, 1952, ahead of his royal funeral.
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Queen Elizabeth II rode in the State Coach to Westminster in London on her way to the House of Lords to open Parliament in the first year of her reign on Nov. 5, 1952.
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Queen Elizabeth II was photographed during her official coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London on June 2, 1953 — a little more than a year after she ascended the throne and became queen upon her father's death.
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Queen Elizabeth II and husband Prince Philip waved from the balcony of Buckingham Palace on the day of her coronation ceremony — June 2, 1953.
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Queen Elizabeth II, wearing a gold lamé dress, was photographed in the Long Library at her Sandringham estate on Christmas Day in 1957 shortly after making the traditional Christmas Day broadcast to the nation, which was televised that year for the first time ever. It was also the 25th anniversary of the first radio message to the Commonwealth made by her grandfather, King George V. On her desk were portraits of Prince Charles and Princess Anne. The queen held a copy of "Pilgrim's Progress," from which she read a few lines during her message.
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Queen Elizabeth II crowned her eldest child Charles, Prince of Wales during his Prince of Wales investiture ceremony at Caernarvon Castle in Wales on July 1, 1969.
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Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip posed with their children — Prince Charles, Princes Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward — in the Belgian suite at Buckingham Palace for a silver wedding anniversary portrait marking 25 years of marriage on Nov. 20, 1972.
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Princess Anne and new husband Captain Mark Phillips were joined on the balcony at Buckingham Palace in London by family members including the bride's mother, Queen Elizabeth II, father Prince Philip, brothers Prince Charles, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward and cousin Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones following Anne's wedding on Nov. 14, 1973.
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Queen Elizabeth II attended a Royal Gala performance in Covent Garden during her Silver Jubilee celebrations on May 30, 1977 — marking 25 years since her accession to the throne.
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Queen Elizabeth II wore a veil and a diamond tiara as she and husband Prince Philip met and exchanged gifts with Pope John Paul II in the Vatican on Oct. 17, 1980. She made history that day as she became the first British monarch to make a state visit to the Vatican — the home of the Catholic Church.
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Following their wedding on July 29, 1981, Prince Charles and Princess Diana posed on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in London with their bridesmaids and pageboys as well as family members including Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, Prince Edward and Prince Andrew.
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Queen Elizabeth II posed for a family photo alongside daughter-in-law Princess Diana — seen holding son Prince William after his christening — mother Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, son Prince Charles and husband Prince Philip at Buckingham Palace in London on Aug. 4, 1982.
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Queen Elizabeth II was among the members of the British royal family who joined her second son, Prince Andrew, and his new bride, Sarah, Duchess of York, on the balcony at Buckingham Palace in London after the couple's wedding on July 23, 1986.
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Queen Elizabeth II was the guest of honor at granddaughter Princess Eugenie's christening at St. Mary Magdalene Church on the monarch's Sandringham estate in England's Norfolk region on Dec. 23, 1990. Princess Margaret, Sarah, Duchess of York, Prince Andrew and Zara Phillips (now Zara Tindall) are also pictured.
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A somber Queen Elizabeth II was joined by husband Prince Philip and mother Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother as she arrived at Westminster Abbey in London for the funeral of Princess Diana on Sept. 6, 1997.
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Queen Elizabeth II was photographed with niece Sarah Chatto and nephew Viscount Linley (now David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon) at the funeral of their mother — the monarch's little sister, Princess Margaret — outside St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England, on Feb. 15, 2002.
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Queen Elizabeth II waved to the crowds with husband Prince Philip by her side as they rode in the Gold State Coach during a procession from Buckingham Palace to St. Paul's Cathedral in London to attend a thanksgiving service to mark her Golden Jubilee — 50 years on the throne — on June 4, 2002.
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Three generations of the British royal family — Queen Elizabeth II and husband Prince Philip and her heirs, Prince Charles and Prince William — posed for a photograph at Clarence House in London before a dinner to mark the 50th anniversary of the queen's coronation on June 2, 2003.
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Prince Charles and second wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall posed for their official wedding photograph with their children and parents — Prince Harry, Prince William, Laura Parker-Bowles and Tom Parker-Bowles, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip and Bruce Shand — in the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle following their marriage ceremony on April 9, 2005.
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Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip posed with their children — Prince Charles, Princes Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward — at Clarence House in London before a Nov. 18, 2007, dinner to celebrate their diamond wedding anniversary marking 60 years of marriage.
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Prince William and new bride Duchess Kate kissed on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in London following their wedding on April 29, 2011, alongside family members including his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.
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Queen Elizabeth kept an eye on rascally great-grandson and heir Prince George at his little sister Princess Charlotte's christening at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene on the queen's Sandringham Estate in King's Lynn, England, on July 5, 2015.
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Duchess Kate sat alongside Queen Elizabeth II during a visit to the city of Leicester in central England on March 8, 2012, as the monarch began her Diamond Jubilee tour of Britain to celebrate 60 years on the throne.
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Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the royal family looked on as grandson Prince Harry married Meghan Markle in St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England, on May 19, 2018.
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Queen Elizabeth II mourned in front of the coffin of husband Prince Philip — who died at 99 days earlier — during his funeral service at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England, on April 17, 2021.
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Buckingham Palace released this image of Queen Elizabeth II on Feb. 6, 2022 — her Accession Day marking 70 years on the throne and the start of her Platinum Jubilee year — showing her smiling as she worked on papers from her iconic red box inside Sandringham House in Norfolk, England, on Feb. 2, 2022. Accession Day, she wrote in a letter released on the eve of the anniversary, "is a day that, even after 70 years, I still remember as much for the death of my father, King George VI, as for the start of my reign."
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This portrait of Queen Elizabeth II holding her Fell ponies, Bybeck Katie (left) and Bybeck Nightingale, was released by The Royal Windsor Horse Show to mark the occasion of the monarch's 96th birthday on April 21, 2022.
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Queen Elizabeth II sat for an official Platinum Jubilee portrait at her Windsor Castle home in Windsor, England, on June 1, 2022, marking 70 years on the throne. The next day, the U.K. kicked off four days of Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
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In a royal first, Queen Elizabeth II welcomed Liz Truss to her home in the Scottish Highlands, Balmoral, where she invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative party to become prime minister, replacing Boris Johnson, and form a new government on Sept. 6, 2022. The meeting marked the first time in the monarch's 70-year reign that she did not appoint a new prime minister while in London but from her home in Scotland. The change was made because Her Majesty, who's long spent her summers in Scotland, was facing ongoing health issues so the decision was made to bring the politician — the 15th prime minister she's had during her long reign — to her. Just two days later, she was dead at 96.
