Queen Elizabeth II was crowned on June 2, 1953, after becoming queen on February 6, 1952. She is the mother of the heir to the throne, Prince Charles, and the grandmother of Princes William and Harry.
As the longest-reigning queen in British history, Elizabeth has attempted to make her reign more contemporary and sympathetic to a changing public while upholding crown traditions.
Does Queen Elizabeth II have a brother?
Elizabeth became heir presumptive since she had no brothers. If her parents had a later son, he would have been heir apparent and would have come before her in the line of succession, which was decided at the time by male-preference primogeniture.
Elizabeth joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service in 1945 to aid with the war effort. She studied with other British women to become an outstanding driver and technician. While her voluntary job was just a few months long, it provided Elizabeth with a look into a different, non-royal world.
Outside of the monarchy, she had another dramatic experience when she and Margaret were permitted to mingle anonymously among the citizens on Victory in Europe Day.
