Europe is home to several famous mega-cities, from London...
Key milestones in the life of Queen Elizabeth II, who died Thursday at Balmoral Castle in Scotland at age 96 after serving more than seven decades on the throne.
—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.
—Dec. 10, 1936: Elizabeth becomes heir-apparent to the throne after her uncle King Edward VIII abdicates and her father becomes king.
—Oct. 13, 1940: Elizabeth makes first public speech at age 14 on the BBC Children’s Hour to reassure children who had been separated from their parents during the Blitz.
—1945: Elizabeth is made a Subaltern in the Auxiliary Territorial Service, serving for Britain during World War II.
—Nov. 20, 1947: Elizabeth marries Prince Philip Mountbatten of Greece and Denmark at Westminster Abbey.
Britain’s Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh wave to the crowds from the balcony of Buckingham Palace in London, after their wedding, Nov. 20, 1947. (AP Photo, File)
—Nov. 14, 1948: Prince Charles, now Prince of Wales, heir-apparent to the throne, is born.
—Aug. 15, 1950: Elizabeth’s second child and only daughter, Anne, the Princess Royal, is born.
Britain’s Princess Elizabeth, holds her daughter Princess Anne after her christening, at Buckingham Palace, in London, Oct. 23, 1950. (AP Photo, File)
—Feb. 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.
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, carrying the orb and the scepter, enters Buckingham Palace after her Coronation ceremony in London’s Westminster Abbey, June 2, 1953. (AP Photo/Pool via AP, File)
—Feb. 19, 1960: Elizabeth’s third child, Prince Andrew, is born.
—March 10, 1964: Elizabeth’s fourth child, Prince Edward, is born.
—May 1965: Elizabeth makes a historic visit to West Germany, the first German visit by a British monarch in 52 years.
President Heinrich Lubke of West Germany, centre right, stands with Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, the first British monarch to visit Germany for 52 years, after her arrival at Villa Hammerschmidt, the presidential residence near Bonn, West Germany, May 18, 1965. (AP Photo, File)
—1977: Elizabeth celebrates her Silver Jubilee, which marks 25 years on the throne.
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh travel in a carriage during celebrations for the Silver Jubilee in London, June 7 1977. (AP Photo, File)
—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.
A view of Windsor Castle after a major fire, causing millions of pounds of damage, in Windsor, England. Nov. 20, 1992. (AP Photo/Denis Paquin, File)
—Aug. 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.
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip, ride in the State Gold Coach enroute to St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, June 4, 2022 for a service of thanksgiving to mark her Golden Jubilee. (AP Photo/Dave Caulkin/Pool, File)
—Dec. 20, 2007: Elizabeth becomes the longest-living British monarch, overtaking Victoria.
—May 2011: Elizabeth makes a historic visit to Ireland — the first visit by a British monarch since Irish independence.
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, centre right and Prince Philip, left, are greeted by Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny and his wife Fionnala, right, at Government Buildings in Dublin, Wednesday, May 18, 2011. (Pool via AP, File)
—2012: Elizabeth marks 60 years of her reign with a Diamond Jubilee.
Britain’s Prince Charles, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William stand on the balcony at Buckingham Palace during the Diamond Jubilee celebrations in central London, June 5, 2012. (AP Photo/Stefan Wermuth, Pool, File)
—Sept. 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.
In this Friday, June 10, 2016 file photo, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip arrive for a National Service of Thanksgiving to mark the 90th birthday of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II at St Paul’s Cathedral in London, June 10, 2016. (Toby Melville/Pool via AP, File)
—Feb. 6, 2017: Elizabeth becomes the first British monarch to celebrate a Sapphire Jubilee, marking 65 years on the throne.
— March 2020: Elizabeth and Philip move from Buckingham Palace in London to Windsor Castle at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
—April 9, 2021: Prince Philip, Elizabeth’s husband of 73 years, dies at age 99.
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II in St. George’s Chapel during the funeral of Prince Philip, the man who had been by her side for 73 years, at Windsor Castle, Windsor, England, April 17, 2021. (Yui Mok/Pool via AP, File)
–Oct. 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.
–Feb. 6, 2022: Elizabeth becomes first British monarch to reach a Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years as sovereign.
–June 2022: Elizabeth makes limited public appearances during a four-day holiday weekend celebrating her Platinum Jubilee.
–Sept. 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.
–Sept. 8, 2022: Elizabeth dies at Balmoral Castle in Scotland at age 96. Her eldest son becomes King Charles III.
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