lizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; born 21 April 1926) is the constitutional monarch of 16 of the 53 member states in the Commonwealth of Nations.She is also Head of the Commonwealth and Supreme Governor of the Church of England.
Upon her accession on 6 February 1952,Elizabeth became Head of the Commonwealth and queen regnant of seven independent Commonwealth countries:the United Kingdom,Canada,Australia,New Zealand,South Africa,Pakistan and Ceylon.Her coronation the following year was the first to be televised.From 1956 to 1992,the number of her realms varied as territories gained independence and some realms became republics.Today,in addition to the first four of the aforementioned countries,Elizabeth is Queen of Jamaica,Barbados,the Bahamas,Grenada,Papua New Guinea,Solomon Islands,Tuvalu,Saint Lucia,Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,Belize,Antigua and Barbuda,and Saint Kitts and Nevis.She is the longest-lived and,after her great-great grandmother Queen Victoria,the second longest-reigning British monarch.
Elizabeth was born in London and educated privately at home.Her father acceded to the throne as George VI on the abdication of his brother Edward VIII in 1936,from which time she was the heir presumptive.She began to undertake public duties during theSecond World War,in which she served in the Auxiliary Territorial Service.In 1947,she married Prince Philip,Duke of Edinburgh,with whom she has four children:Charles,Anne,Andrew,and Edward.