Elizabeth II

British history · longest reign · royalty · Commonwealth

Record-breaking reign. Elizabeth II was queen for 70 years and 214 days, making her the longest-reigning British monarch in history. She ruled from 1952 until her death in 2022, longer than any queen in the world has ever ruled.

Queen of many nations. At different times during her life, Elizabeth was queen of 32 different countries. When she died, she was still the official monarch of 15 nations, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Jamaica.

Started very young. Elizabeth became queen when she was just 25 years old after her uncle gave up the throne and her father became king. She would go on to rule longer than anyone expected.

Shaped modern monarchy. Elizabeth's long reign saw huge changes in the world and in what it means to be a monarch. She helped the royal family connect with regular people through television and public appearances in ways that were new at the time.