Timeline | Key milestones in Queen Elizabeth II’s life

Queen Elizabeth II served for more than 70 years on the Throne.

Since assuming the throne after the death of her father on February 6, 1952, Elizabeth has been a symbol of stability as Britain negotiated the end of the empire, the dawn of the information age, and the mass migration that transformed the country into a multicultural society.

Elizabeth, who famously dedicated her “whole life” to the service of Britain and the Commonwealth on her 21st birthday, had ruled out the idea of abdicating.

Here are highlights of her life

— April 21, 1926: Born Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary in Mayfair, London, the first child of the future King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, later called the Queen Mother.

— December 10, 1936: Elizabeth becomes heir-apparent to the throne after her uncle King Edward VIII abdicates and her father becomes king.

— October 13, 1940: Elizabeth makes her first public speech at the age of 14 on the BBC Children's Hour to reassure children who had been separated from their parents during the Blitz.

— November 20, 1947: Elizabeth marries Prince Philip Mountbatten of Greece and Denmark at Westminster Abbey.

— February  6, 1952: Elizabeth becomes queen upon the death of her father George VI.

— June 2, 1953: Crowned in a grand coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey. She sets out on a tour of the Commonwealth, visiting places including Bermuda, Fiji, Tonga, Australia, and Gibraltar.

— 1977: Elizabeth celebrates her Silver Jubilee, which marks 25 years on the throne.

— 1992: Elizabeth has what she describes as an “annus horribilis,” or a “horrible year.” The year sees marriages for three of her four children end. Also that year, a fire damages Windsor Castle. Public outcry over the cost of repairs amid a recession prompts the queen to volunteer to pay income taxes.

— August 31, 1997: Princess Diana dies in a car crash in Paris. Under public pressure to demonstrate her grief, Elizabeth makes an unprecedented television broadcast in tribute to Diana's memory.

— 2002: Elizabeth marks 50 years of reign with her Golden Jubilee. The year also sees the deaths of Elizabeth's mother and her sister, Margaret.

— December  20, 2007: Elizabeth becomes the longest-living British monarch, overtaking Victoria.

— 2012: Elizabeth marks 60 years of her reign with a Diamond Jubilee.

— September  9, 2015: Elizabeth surpasses Queen Victoria and becomes the longest-serving monarch in British history.

— June 11, 2016: Britain celebrates Elizabeth's official 90th birthday with three days of national festivities.

— April 9, 2021: Prince Philip, Elizabeth's husband of 73 years, dies at age 99.

— October 20, 2021: Elizabeth spends a night in a London hospital undergoing health tests. She cancels major engagements in subsequent months, on doctors' orders to only undertake light duties.

— February 6, 2022: Elizabeth becomes the first British monarch to reach a Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years as sovereign.

— September 6, 2022: Elizabeth meets Boris Johnson and Liz Truss at her summer holiday home in Scotland to oversee the handover of power from the outgoing prime minster to his successor. The ceremonies, traditionally held at Buckingham Palace in London, were moved to Balmoral for the first time in the queen's reign in light of her mobility problems.

— September  8, 2022: Elizabeth dies at Balmoral Castle in Scotland at age 96. Her eldest son becomes King Charles III.

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