Preceded by: George VI	Queen of the United Kingdom 6 February 1952–present	Incumbent
Preceded by: George VI, as King of the United Kingdom	Queen of Australia 6 February 1952–present	Succeeded by: Incumbent
	Queen of Canada 6 February 1952–present
	Queen of New Zealand 6 February 1952–present
Preceded by: Herself, as Queen of the United Kingdom	Queen of Jamaica 6 August 1962–present
	Queen of Barbados 30 November 1966–present
	Queen of The Bahamas 10 July 1973–present
	Queen of Grenada 7 February 1974–present
	Queen of the Solomon Islands 7 July 1978–present
	Queen of Tuvalu 1 October 1978–present
	Queen of Saint Lucia 22 February 1979–present
	Queen of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 27 October 1979–present
	Queen of Belize 21 September 1981–present
	Queen of Antigua and Barbuda 1 November 1981–present
	Queen of Saint Christopher and Nevis 19 September 1983–present
Preceded by: Herself, as Queen of Australia	Queen of Papua New Guinea 16 September 1975–present
Preceded by: George VI, as King of the United Kingdom	Queen of Ceylon 6 February 1952–1972	Succeeded by: End of Title
	Queen of Pakistan 6 February 1952–1956
	Queen of South Africa 6 February 1952–1961
Preceded by: Herself, as Queen of the United Kingdom	Queen of Ghana 1957–1960
	Queen of Nigeria 1960–1963
	Queen of Sierra Leone 1961–1971
	Queen of Tanganyika 1961–1962
	Queen of Trinidad and Tobago 1962–1976
	Queen of Uganda 1962–1963
	Queen of Kenya 1963–1964
	Queen of Malawi 1964–1966
	Queen of Malta 1964–1974
	Queen of The Gambia 1965–1970
	Queen of Guyana 1966–1970
	Queen of Mauritius 1968–1992
	Queen of Fiji 1970–1987

Queen Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor), (born on 21 April 1926), is Queen of sixteen independent nations known as the Commonwealth Realms. These are the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, and Saint Kitts and Nevis. By the Statute of Westminster 1931 Queen Elizabeth II holds these positions equally; no one nation takes precedence over any other. Queen Elizabeth II became Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan and Ceylon on the death of her father, King George VI, on 6 February 1952. As other colonies of the British Commonwealth (now Commonwealth of Nations) attained independence from the UK during her reign she acceded to the newly created thrones as Queen of each respective realm so that throughout her 54 years on the throne she has been Monarch of 32 nations. Elizabeth II has seen a number of her former territories and realms leave this shared relationship and become kingdoms under a different dynasty, or republics. Today about 128 million people live in the 16 countries of which Queen Elizabeth II remains head of state. Queen Elizabeth II also holds the positions of Head of the Commonwealth, Supreme Governor of the Church of England, Lord of Mann and Duke of Lancaster. Queen Elizabeth II is currently the second-longest-serving head of state in the world, after King Bhumibol of Thailand. Her reign of over half a century has seen ten different Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom and numerous Prime Ministers in the other Commonwealth Realms of which she is or was Head of State.

Elizabeth was born at 17 Bruton Street in Mayfair, London on 21 April 1926. Her father was The Prince Albert, Duke of York (later King George VI), the second eldest son of King George V and Queen Mary. Her mother was The Duchess of York (née Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon), the daughter of Claude George Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne and his wife, the Countess of Strathmore. Queen Elizabeth II was baptised in the Music Room of Buckingham Palace by Cosmo Lang, the then Archbishop of York and her godparents were King George and Queen Mary, the Princess Royal, the Duke of Connaught, the Earl of Strathmore and Lady Elphinstone. Elizabeth was named after her mother, while her two middle names are those of her paternal great-grandmother Queen Alexandra and grandmother Queen Mary respectively. As a child her close family knew her as ‘Lilibet’. As a granddaughter of the British sovereign in the male line, she held the title of a British princess with the style Her Royal Highness. Her full style was Her Royal Highness Princess Elizabeth of York. At the time of her birth, Queen Elizabeth II was third in the line of succession to the crown, behind her father and her uncle, the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII). Although her birth generated public interest, no one could have predicted that Queen Elizabeth II would become Queen. It was widely assumed that her uncle, the Prince of Wales, would marry and have children in due course. Had Edward stayed on the throne and produced no heirs (which would have been likely due to Wallis' reproductive issues), Elizabeth would still have become Queen. The young Princess Elizabeth was educated at home, as was her younger sister, Princess Margaret, under the supervision of her mother, then the Duchess of York. Her governess was Marion Crawford, better known as "Crawfie". Queen Elizabeth II studied history with C. H. K. Marten, Provost of Eton, and also learned modern languages. Queen Elizabeth II currently speaks fluent French, as she has shown on several occasions, most recently during her 2004 state visit to France to commemorate the centenary of the Entente Cordiale but also on numerous visits to Canada. Queen Elizabeth II was instructed in religion by the Archbishop of Canterbury and has always been a strong believer in the Church of England.

When her father became King in 1936 upon her uncle King Edward VIII's abdication, Queen Elizabeth II became heiress presumptive and was henceforth known as Her Royal Highness The Princess Elizabeth. There was some demand in Wales for her to be created The Princess of Wales but the King was advised that this was the title of the wife of the Prince of Wales and not a title in its own right. Some feel the King missed the opportunity to make an innovation in Royal practice, by re-adopting King Henry VIII's idea of proclaiming his daughter Lady Mary, Princess of Wales in her own right. Elizabeth was thirteen years old when World War II broke out. She and her younger sister Princess Margaret were evacuated to Windsor Castle, Berkshire. There was some suggestion that the princesses be sent to Canada, but their mother refused to consider this, saying, "The children could not possibly go without me, I wouldn't leave without the King, and the King won't leave under any circumstances". In 1940 Princess Elizabeth made her first broadcast, addressing other children who had been evacuated. In 1945 Princess Elizabeth convinced her father that she should be allowed to contribute directly to the war effort. She joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service (the ATS) where she was known as No 230873 Second Subaltern Elizabeth Windsor, and was trained as a driver. This training was the first time she had been taught together with other students. It is said that she greatly enjoyed this and that this experience led her to send her own children to school rather than have them educated at home. Queen Elizabeth II was the first and so far only female member of the royal family to actually serve in the military, though other royal women have been given honorary ranks. During the V-E Day celebrations in London, Queen Elizabeth II and her sister dressed in ordinary clothing and slipped into the crowd secretly in order to celebrate with everyone without being recognised. Elizabeth made her first official visit overseas in 1947, when she accompanied her parents to South Africa. During her visit to Cape Town she and her father were accompanied by Jan Smuts when they went to the top of Table Mountain by cable car. On her 21st birthday Queen Elizabeth II made a broadcast to the British Commonwealth and Empire, pledging to devote her life to the service of the people of the Commonwealth and Empire.

Elizabeth married The Duke of Edinburgh on 20 November 1947. The Duke is Queen Elizabeth II's third cousin; they share Queen Victoria as a great-great-grandmother. They are also both descended from Christian IX of Denmark (she being a great-great granddaughter through Alexandra of Denmark, and the Duke is a great-grandson through George I of Greece). Prince Philip had renounced his claim to the Greek throne and was simply referred to as Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten before being created Duke of Edinburgh before their marriage. This marriage, although not arranged as such, was eminently suitable for a female heir to the throne, as Philip had been trained for royal responsibilities. After their wedding Philip and Elizabeth took up residence at Clarence House, London. On 14 November 1948 Queen Elizabeth II gave birth to her first child Prince Charles of Edinburgh. Several weeks earlier, letters patent had been issued so that her children would enjoy a royal and prince status they would not otherwise have been entitled to. Otherwise they would have been styled merely as children of a duke. They had four children in all. Though the Royal House is named Windsor, it was decreed via a 1960 Order-in-Council that the descendants of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip should have the personal surname Mountbatten-Windsor.

Children & Grandchildren of Queen Elizabeth II

Name	Birth	Marriage	Children
The Prince Charles, Prince of Wales	14 November 1948	married (29 July 1981) and divorced (28 August 1996) Lady Diana Spencer (1961–1997) married (9 April 2005) Camilla Parker-Bowles	Prince William of Wales (born 1982) Prince Harry of Wales (born 1984)
The Princess Anne, Princess Royal	15 August 1950	married (14 November 1973) and divorced (28 April 1992) Captain Mark Phillips (born 1948) married (12 December 1992) Commander (now Rear Admiral) Timothy Laurence	Peter Phillips (born 1977) Zara Phillips (born 1981)
The Prince Andrew, Duke of York	19 February 1960	married (23 July 1986) and divorced (30 May 1996) Sarah Ferguson (born 1959)	Princess Beatrice of York (born 1988) Princess Eugenie of York (born 1990)
The Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex	10 March 1964	married (19 June 1999) Sophie Rhys-Jones (born 1965)	The Lady Louise Windsor (born 2003)

King George's health declined during 1951 and Elizabeth frequently stood in for him at public events. Queen Elizabeth II visited Greece, Italy and Malta (where Philip was then stationed) during the year. In October she toured Canada and visited President Harry S. Truman in Washington, DC. In January 1952 Elizabeth and Philip set out for a tour of Australia and New Zealand. They had reached Kenya when word arrived of the death of her father, on 6 February 1952, from lung cancer. At the moment Queen Elizabeth II became aware she was now queen, she was in a treetop hotel; a unique circumstance for any such event. Queen Elizabeth II was the first British monarch since the Act of Union in 1801 to be out of the country at the moment of succession, and also the first in modern times not to know the exact time of her accession (because George VI had died in his sleep at an unknown time). The Treetops Hotel, where she "went up a princess and came down a queen", is now a very popular tourist retreat in Kenya. The following year, the Queen's grandmother, Queen Mary, died of lung cancer on March 24, 1953. Reportedly, the Dowager Queen's dying wish was that the coronation not be postponed. Elizabeth's coronation took place in Westminster Abbey on 2 June 1953.

After the Coronation, Elizabeth and Philip moved to Buckingham Palace in central London. It is believed, however, that like many of her predecessors she dislikes the Palace as a residence and considers Windsor Castle, west of London, to be her home. She also spends time at Balmoral Castle in Scotland and at Sandringham House in Norfolk. Queen Elizabeth II is the most widely travelled head of state in history. In 1953–54 Queen Elizabeth II and Philip made a six-month round-the-world tour, becoming the first reigning monarch to circumnavigate the globe, and also the first to visit Australia, New Zealand and Fiji (which she visited again during the 1977 jubilee). In October 1957, Queen Elizabeth II made a state visit to the United States and toured Canada, opening the first session of the 23rd parliament. In 1959 she made a tour of Canada, as well as undertaking a state visit to the United States as Queen of Canada, hosting the return dinner for then US President Dwight D. Eisenhower at the Canadian embassy in Washington. In February 1961, Queen Elizabeth II visited Ankara as the guest of Turkish President Cemal Gursel and later toured India and Pakistan for the first time. She has made state visits to most European countries and to many outside Europe. She regularly attends Commonwealth Heads of Government meetings. At the time of Elizabeth's accession there was much talk of a "new Elizabethan age". Elizabeth's role has been to preside over the United Kingdom as it has shared world economic and military power with a growing host of independent nations and principalities. As nations have developed economically and in literacy, Queen Elizabeth II has witnessed over the past 50 years a gradual transformation of the British Empire into its modern successor, the Commonwealth. She has worked hard to maintain links with former British possessions, and in some cases, such as South Africa, she has played an important role in retaining or restoring good relations. Despite a series of controversies about the rest of the royal family, particularly the marital difficulties of her children throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Queen Elizabeth II remains a remarkably uncontroversial figure and is generally well respected by the people of her Realms. However, her public persona remains formal, though more relaxed than it once was. Elizabeth remains a highly respected head of state. However, she and her family have come under increasing pressure from UK based newspapers. In 2002, Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her Golden Jubilee, marking the 50th anniversary of her accession to the Throne. The year saw an extensive tour of the Commonwealth Realms, including numerous parades and official concerts. The Jubilee year coincided with the deaths, within a few months, of Elizabeth's mother and sister. Elizabeth's relations with her children, while still somewhat distant, have become much warmer since these deaths. Queen Elizabeth II is particularly close to her daughter-in-law Sophie, Countess of Wessex. She is known to have disapproved of Prince Charles's long-standing relationship with Camilla Parker-Bowles, but with their recent marriage, has come to accept it. On the other hand, she is very close to her grandchildren, noticeably Prince William and Zara Phillips.

In late February 2003, Queen Elizabeth II's reign, then just over 51 years, surpassed the reigns of all four of her immediate predecessors (King Edward VII, King George V, King Edward VIII and King George VI) combined. In 2003 Elizabeth, who is often described as robustly healthy, underwent three operations. She had two operations by the end of the year concerning each of her knees, and also had several lesions removed from her face. This had prompted some debate in the media about whether the evolving monarchy should have monarchs abdicating as in some other nations, or even enforce a retirement age for reigning monarchs. In June 2005 she was forced to cancel several engagements after contracting what the Palace described as a bad cold. Nonetheless the Queen has been described as being in excellent health and is rarely ill. She has begun to hand over some public duties to her children, as well as other members of the royal family. It was rumoured in 2005 that she and Prince Philip would be reducing their international travel; but the subsequent, perhaps pointed, announcements that they would be visiting Canada, Malta, Australia, Singapore, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in the space of the next year served to effectively deny these rumours. It is often made clear that she intends to do as much as she can until she is physically unable. In November 2005, she visited Malta as the Head of the Commonwealth, for the Commonwealth Head of Governments Meeting, and in March 2006 she visited Australia to, amongst other things, officially open the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, where she continued her trip to Singapore. As the Queen marks her 80th birthday, we are approaching, if not in, the final years of the Queen's reign. Many saw the wedding of the Prince of Wales to Camilla in 2005 as a message from the Queen to that effect--by allowing Charles to marry, she is attempting to ensure that Charles' succession to the throne will go as smoothly as possible. In 2004, a copy of the Queen's newly revised funeral plans were stolen, much to the Queen's anger. And for the first time in September 2005, a mock version of the Queen's funeral march was held in the middle of the night (this was also done once a year after the late Queen Mother turned 80). In early 2006, reports began to surface that the Queen plans to significantly reduce her official duties as she approaches her 80th birthday, though Queen Elizabeth II has made it clear that she has no intention of abdicating. It is believed by both the press and palace insiders that Prince Charles will start to perform many of the day-to-day duties of the Monarch, while the Queen will effectively go into retirement (but will fall short of abdicating.) It was later confirmed by the Palace that Prince Charles will begin to hold regular audiences with the Prime Minister and other Commonwealth leaders. It has been rumoured that her recent trip to Canada and Australia will be amongst her last visits to her Commonwealth Realms, though both the Canadian and Australian governments and the Palace have denied it. Buckingham Palace is considering giving the Prince more access to government papers, and is to allow him to preside over more investitures, meet more foreign dignitaries and take the place of the Queen in welcoming ambassadors at the Court of St. James's. If the Queen lives until 2008, Queen Elizabeth II will become the oldest reigning monarch in both British and the Commonwealth Realms' history, surpassing King George III and Queen Victoria, both of whom died before the age of 82. Should she still be reigning on September 9, 2015 at the age of 89, her reign will surpass that of Queen Victoria and she will become the longest reigning monarch in British history. If she lives that long, and the Prince of Wales does as well, he would be the oldest to succeed to the throne, passing William IV,who was 64.

Elizabeth is a conservative in matters of religion, moral standards and family matters. She has a strong sense of religious duty and takes seriously her Coronation Oath. This is one reason (as well as the example set by her abdicated uncle) why it is considered highly unlikely that Queen Elizabeth II will ever abdicate. For years she refused to acknowledge Prince Charles's relationship with Camilla Parker-Bowles but since their marriage an appearance of acceptance has been established. Elizabeth's political views are supposed to be less clear-cut, as she has never said or done anything in public to reveal what they might be. However there is some evidence to suggest that in economic terms she leans toward the liberal point of view. During the Thatcher era it was rumoured that she criticised Prime Minster Margaret Thatcher for being "uncaring" toward the poor. Queen Elizabeth II preserves cordial relations with politicians of all parties. It is believed that her favourite Prime Ministers have been Winston Churchill, Harold Macmillan and Harold Wilson. She was thought to have very good relations with her current Prime Minister, Tony Blair, during the first years of his term in office; however, there has been mounting evidence in recent months that her relationship with Blair has hardened. Queen Elizabeth II reportedly feels that he does not keep her informed well enough on affairs of state. The only public issues on which Elizabeth makes her views known are those affecting the unity of each of her Realms. She has spoken in favour of the continued union of England and Scotland, angering some Scottish nationalists. Her statement of praise for the Northern Ireland Belfast Agreement raised some complaints among some Unionists in the Democratic Unionist Party who opposed the agreement, Ian Paisley calling her a parrot of Tony Blair. Also, while not speaking directly against Quebec Sovereignty in Canada, she has publicly praised Canada's unity and expressed her wish to see the continuation of a unified Canada. However, during a separatist referendum campaign she was tricked into speaking, in both French and English, for fourteen minutes with 29-year-old Pierre Brassard, a DJ for Radio CKOI-FM Montreal, pretending to be then Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. She pointedly refused to accept "Chrétien"'s advice that she intervene on the issue without first seeing a draft speech sent by him. (Her tactful handling of the call won plaudits from the DJ who made it.) Her personal relationships with world leaders are warm and informal. On a BBC documentary broadcast in 2002 she was shown teasing a former Prime Minister (Sir Edward Heath) about how he could travel to world trouble spots like Iraq because politicians saw him as "expendable". (He laughed at the comment.) Mary McAleese, now President of Ireland recounted how as Pro Vice-Chancellor of the Queen's University of Belfast she was, to her shock, invited to a lunch with the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, on the basis that the Queen wished to talk to her, as a leading Northern Ireland nationalist, and hear her views on Anglo–Irish relations. The two women struck up an instant rapport, with McAleese, during the 1997 Irish presidential election, calling the Queen "a dote" (a Hiberno-English term meaning a 'really lovely person') in an Irish Independent interview. Nelson Mandela in the BBC documentary repeatedly referred to her as "my friend, Elizabeth". She has a very friendly relationship with Jacques Chirac of France, who is the only Head of State allowed to drink his favoured Corona-brand beer at official dinners at Buckingham Palace instead of the fine French wines of the Palace's cellar. Queen Elizabeth II has never suffered from severe public disapproval. However, in 1997 she and other members of the Royal Family were perceived as cold and unfeeling when they were seen not to participate in the public outpouring of grief at the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. This brought sharp criticism from the normally royalist tabloid press. It is widely believed that Elizabeth held negative feelings towards Diana and thought that she had done immense damage to the monarchy. However, the sight of the entire Royal Family bowing to Diana's coffin as it passed Buckingham Palace, together with a rare live television broadcast by Queen Elizabeth II, readdressed the public grief. Queen Elizabeth II's change of attitude is believed to have resulted from strong advice from the Queen Mother and Tony Blair. Many biographers of both the Queen and Diana agree that there indeed was a fondness between the two women; however, the Queen did not always understand Diana's motivations. Elizabeth's public image has noticeably softened in recent years, particularly since the death of the Queen Mother. Although she remains reserved in public, she has been seen laughing and smiling much more than in years past, and to the shock of many she has been seen to shed tears during emotional occasions such as at Remembrance Day services, the memorial service at St. Paul's Cathedral for those killed in the September 11 terrorist attacks and in Normandy, France for the 60th anniversary of D-Day, where, for the first time, she addressed the Canadian troops.

Elizabeth has developed friendships with many foreign leaders, including Nelson Mandela, Mary Robinson and George H. W. Bush, whose son, George W. Bush, was the first American president in more than 80 years to stay at Buckingham Palace. On occasion such contacts have proved highly beneficial for the United Kingdom. For example, John Major as British Prime Minister once had difficulty working with Australian Prime Minister John Howard. The Queen informed Major that he and the leader shared a mutual sporting interest (Howard is, like Major, a cricket fan). Major then used that information to establish a personal relationship, which ultimately benefited both countries. Similarly she took the initiative when Irish President Mary Robinson began visiting Great Britain, by suggesting that she invite Robinson to visit her at the Palace. The Irish Government enthusiastically supported the idea. The result was the first ever visit by an Irish President to meet the British monarch. Elizabeth's reign has also seen an increase in republican movements in Commonwealth realms. The percentage support for republicanism in the United Kingdom, however, has remained relatively static, with an average of between 15% and 20% according to long-term tracker polls.

The Queen is the Sovereign "by Grace of God" and is the Supreme Governor of the Church of England. As with her predecessors, the coronation itself took place within the context of a church service (at Westminster Abbey) imbued with theological as well as constitutional meaning. The Queen retains the ancient title Fidei Defensor (Defender of the Faith) — a title first granted in 1521 by Pope Leo X to King Henry VIII prior to the Reformation. The Church of England remains the established church in England; archbishops and bishops are formally appointed by the Crown. The Queen takes a keen personal interest in the Church, but in practice delegates authority in the Church of England to the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Queen regularly worships at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle or at St Mary Magdalene Church when staying at Sandringham House, Norfolk. Certain churches have royal patronage and are outside the normal diocesan administrative structures; these are known as Royal Peculiars. The role of the Sovereign differs considerably in the other three countries of the United Kingdom. In Scotland the Church of Scotland (with a Presbyterian system of church government) is recognised in law as the "national church" in which the Queen is an ordinary member. The Royal Family regularly attend services at Crathie Kirk when holidaying at Balmoral Castle and attend at the Kirk of the Canongate when in residence at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. The Queen has attended the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland on several occasions, most recently in 1977 and 2002, although in most years she appoints a Lord High Commissioner to represent her. Unusually for the Church of Scotland, Glasgow Cathedral and Dunblane Cathedral are both owned by the Crown. In Wales, Northern Ireland and the other Realms, there is no official religion established by law. The Church in Wales and the Church of Ireland have both been disestablished. The Queen made particular reference to her Christian convictions in her Christmas Day television broadcast in 2000, in which she spoke about the theological significance of the Millennium as the marking the 2000th anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ. "To many of us our beliefs are of fundamental importance. For me the teachings of Christ and my own personal accountability before God provide a framework in which I try to lead my life. I, like so many of you, have drawn great comfort in difficult times from Christ's words and example." The United Kingdom has become an increasingly multiethnic society with considerable diversity in religious practice. The Queen often meets with leaders from a wide range of religions. Queen Elizabeth II is Patron of the Council of Christians & Jews (CCJ) in the UK.

Queen Elizabeth II is the male-line great-granddaughter of Edward VII, who inherited the crown from his mother, Victoria. His father, Victoria's consort, was Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha; hence Queen Elizabeth II is a patrilineal descendant of the German princely house of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha). Other notable members of the princely house are Albert II of Belgium and Simeon II of Bulgaria. Through Victoria (as well as several other of her great-great-grandparents), she is descended from many English monarchs extending back to the House of Wessex in the 7th century, and from the Scottish royal house, the House of Stuart and its predecessors, which can be traced back to the 6th century. As a great-great granddaughter of Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth II is related to the heads of most other ruling European royal houses and the former Hohenzollern royal houses of Germany and Romania. Through her great-grandmother Queen Alexandra she is descended from the Danish royal house Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, a line of the North German house of Oldenburg, one of the oldest in Europe. Other members are the Duke of Edinburgh, Margrethe II of Denmark, Harald V of Norway, Queen Sofia of Spain, Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and Constantine II of Greece, who are also all descended from Queen Victoria. She is also a cousin of Albert II of Belgium. She is related to all ruling hereditary monarchs of Europe.

In the United Kingdom, her official title is Elizabeth the Second (Queen Elizabeth II), by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith. In common practice Queen Elizabeth II is referred to simply as "The Queen", "Her Majesty". When in conversation with The Queen, one initially uses "Your Majesty", and subsequently "Ma'am". At the moment of her succession, Elizabeth II also became the Queen of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Pakistan, Ceylon and the Union of South Africa, in addition to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. In the years that followed, many British colonies and territories gained independence; some opted to join the symmetrical relationship of nations under the Crown, known as the Commonwealth Realms, and recognise Elizabeth II distinctly as Sovereign of the newly independent nation. Traditionally, Elizabeth II's titles as Queen Regnant are listed by the order of accession as follows: Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, and Saint Kitts and Nevis (all of which listed after the existing four Realms). However in Scotland, the title Elizabeth II caused some controversy, where there has never been an Elizabeth I. In a rare act of sabotage in Scotland, new Royal Mail post boxes bearing the initials E. II R. were blown up. As a result, post boxes in Scotland now bear only a crown and no royal initials. A legal case, MacCormick v. Lord Advocate (1953 SC 396), was taken to contest the right of the Queen to style herself Elizabeth II within Scotland, arguing that to do so would be a breach of the Act of Union (1707). The case was lost on the grounds that the pursuers had no title to sue the Crown, and also that the numbering of monarchs was part of the royal prerogative and not governed by the Act of Union. There are also two other matters of controversy, which are much less publicised. Firstly, the argument that the monarch was addressed as Your Grace, rather than Majesty, in pre-Union Scotland and secondly, that the preferred title had been King/Queen of Scots rather than of Scotland (although this was by no means unknown). At the royal opening of the Scottish Parliament in 1999, the presiding officer David Steel referred to her as "not only the Queen of the United Kingdom but seated as you are among us in the historic and constitutionally correct manner as Queen of Scots". Future British monarchs will be numbered according to either English or Scottish predecessors, whichever number is higher. Applying this policy retroactively to monarchs since the Act of Union yields the same numbering. Following a decision by Commonwealth Prime Ministers at the Commonwealth conference of 1953, Queen Elizabeth II uses different styles and titles in each of her realms. In each state she acts as the monarch of that state regardless of her other roles. Properly styled as "Her Majesty The Queen" (and when the distinction is necessary e.g. "Her Britannic Majesty", "Her Australian Majesty", or "Her Canadian Majesty"), her previous styles were:

* Her Royal Highness Princess Elizabeth of York ( 21 April 1926 – 11 December 1936 )
* Her Royal Highness The Princess Elizabeth ( 11 December 1936 – 12 June 1947 )
* Her Royal Highness The Princess Elizabeth, CI ( 12 June 1947 – 11 November 1947 )
* Her Royal Highness The Princess Elizabeth, KG, CI ( 11–20 November 1947 )
* Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh, KG, CI ( 20 November 1947 – 5 March 1951 )
* Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh, KG, CI, CD ( 5 March – 4 December 1951 )
* Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh, KG, CI, CD, PC ( 4 December 1951 – 6 February 1952 )

Though Ladies of the Garter now use the post nominal letters “LG”, a Lady of the Garter was not a full member of the Order back then. Thus, the post nominal letters "LG" were not used, so Princess Elizabeth used “KG”.

Elizabeth has never given press interviews, and her views on political issues are largely unknown except to those few heads of government who have private conversations with her. Queen Elizabeth II is also regarded privately as an excellent mimic. Rather conservative in dress, she is well known for her solid-colour overcoats and decorative hats, which allow her to be seen easily in a crowd. Although she attends many cultural events as part of her public role, in her private life Elizabeth is said to have little interest in culture or the arts. Her main leisure interests include horse racing, photography, and dogs, especially her Pembroke Welsh Corgis. Elizabeth has given an annual Christmas Message to the Commonwealth every year apart from 1969 since she became Queen. In diplomatic situations Elizabeth is extremely formal, and royal protocol is generally very strict. Though some of the traditional rules for dealing with the Monarch have been relaxed during her reign (bowing is no longer required, for example) other forms of close personal interaction, such as touching, are still discouraged by officials. At least three people are known to have broken this rule, the first being Paul Keating, Prime Minister of Australia, when he was photographed with his arm around the Queen in 1992 (and was afterwards dubbed the "Lizard of Oz" by the British tabloids). The second was Louis Garneau, who did the same ten years later. However the Queen took no offence at their actions, and Keating stayed as the Queen's guest in her private Balmoral home. The third was John Howard, the conservative Australian Prime Minister who succeeded Keating. It is noteworthy that on this occasion the tabloid press did not protest. Her former prime ministers speak highly of her. Since becoming Queen, she spends an average of three hours every day "doing the boxes" — reading state papers sent to her from her various departments, embassies, and government offices. Having done so since 1952, she has seen more of British public affairs from the inside than any other person, and is thus able to offer advice to Tony Blair based on things said to her by John Major, Harold Wilson, Margaret Thatcher, Harold Macmillan, Edward Heath, Winston Churchill and many other senior leaders. Queen Elizabeth II takes her responsibilities in this regard seriously, once mentioning an "interesting telegram" from the Foreign Office to then-Prime Minister Winston Churchill, only to find that her prime minister had not bothered to read it when it came in his box.

The Queen's coat of arms is known as the Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom. Every British monarch has used these arms since the reign of Queen Victoria. The shield is quartered, depicting in the first and fourth quarters the three lions passant guardant of England; in the second, the rampant lion and double tressure fleury-counter-fleury of Scotland; and in the third, a harp for Ireland. The crest is a lion statant guardant wearing the imperial crown, itself on another representation of that crown. The sinister supporter is a likewise crowned lion, symbolizing England; the dexter, a unicorn, symbolizing Scotland. The coat features both the motto of British monarchs Dieu et mon droit (God and my right) and the motto of the Order of the Garter, Honi soit qui mal y pense (Shame whomever thinks it evil) on a representation of the Garter behind the shield. A separate coat of arms exists for use in Scotland, which gives priority to the Scottish elements. The Scottish arms feature the Order of the Thistle and its motto Nemo me impune lacessit (No one provokes me with impunity). The Royal Standard is the Queen's flag and is a banner of the Royal Arms. In some of the Commonwealth Realms, the Queen has an official standard for use when acting as Queen of that realm. Australia, Barbados, Canada, Jamaica, and New Zealand each have their own Royal Standard which is a defaced banner of the country's coat of arms, including the Queen's personal badge of a crowned letter E inside a circle of roses on a blue disc. This badge was also used in the Queen's personal flags in former realms, and also forms the flag used by the Queen as Head of the Commonwealth.