Queen Elizabeth II’s life in pictures: Marking what would have been her 100th birthday
We take a look back at the Monarch's extraordinary life.
Queen Elizabeth II became monarch in 1952, when she was just 25 years old, and went on to spend 70 years on the throne, making her Britain’s longest-reigning monarch. Across those decades, she worked with 15 prime ministers, travelled extensively on royal tours and carried out thousands of engagements, becoming a constant presence through periods of profound social and political change.
Today would have marked her 100th birthday, a milestone that has prompted reflection across the UK and beyond. In a speech delivered earlier, King Charles III paid tribute to his late mother’s “enduring sense of duty” and her ability to unite people through moments of both celebration and crisis, describing her legacy as one defined by quiet resilience and unwavering service. His words echo the sentiment shared by many: that Elizabeth II’s reign was not only historic in length, but in its steadiness.From her early years as a young princess navigating wartime Britain, to her role as a global figurehead in a rapidly modernising world, her life was documented in extraordinary detail. The images left behind capture not just the ceremonial weight of the Crown, but the more personal, human moments that defined her.
From intimate celebrations with her family to key public events, we look back at some of the most iconic and memorable moments from the monarch’s extraordinary life...
1926
The future Queen Elizabeth II as a baby in the arms of her mother, Elizabeth, Duchess of York.
1947
Princess Elizabeth and her fiancé Philip Mountbatten at Buckingham Palace, after their engagement was announced.
1947
With Philip Mountbatten on their wedding day, 20 November.
1948
Princess Elizabeth looks delighted as she holds her first child, Prince Charles.
1951
A touching family photo with Princess Elizabeth, Prince Philip and their first two children, Prince Charles and Princess Anne.
1953
Queen Elizabeth II at her coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey, London.
1952
Queen Elizabeth II on the way to open Parliament for the first time, aged just 26.
1952
Queen Elizabeth II in a garden at Balmoral Castle, wearing a sea-green suit. Pictured with one of her beloved corgis.
1954
Pictured in an emerald-green gown on the balcony of Government House, Melbourne, during a royal tour of Australia.
1961
Queen Elizabeth II visited a model village in Jaipur, India, during a royal tour.
1965
Queen Elizabeth II with Prince Philip and their children – Prince Charles, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward and Princess Anne – celebrating her 39th birthday at Windsor.
1972
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip celebrated their 25th silver wedding anniversary at Buckingham Palace.
1980
A lover of horses, Queen Elizabeth II is seen here talking to riders at the Windsor Horse Show.
1981
Queen Elizabeth II wore a blue and white dress and carried a bouquet of yellow flowers during a visit to the Royal Botanical Garden in Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.
1981
Posing alongside her son Prince Charles and his then-fiancée Lady Diana Spencer at Buckingham Palace.
1982
Pope John Paul II, the head of the Catholic church, paid a visit to Buckingham Palace to meet with Queen Elizabeth II, head of the Church of England.
1983
Queen Elizabeth II showed off her horse-riding skills while taking the salute during the Trooping the Colour ceremony in London.
1983
Toasting President Ronald Reagan at a banquet in San Francisco during Queen Elizabeth II's official visit to the United States.
1983
Presenting the Order of Merit to Mother Teresa at the Presidential Palace in Delhi, India.
1996
Queen Elizabeth II shared a carriage with Nelson Mandela, the President of South Africa, as they travelled down The Mall at the beginning of his state visit to Britain.
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