QUEEN ELIZABETH II
Queen Elizabeth II was born Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary on April 21st 1926 in London England.
She became Queen on February 6th 1952 upon the death of her father King George VI.
She is the United Kingdom's Head of State and is Queen of 16 former British Colonies including: Australia, Canada and New Zealand. She is also Head ofthe Commonwealth, a multi-national body created after the dissolution of the British Empire.
As Head of State, the Queen goes on official state visits abroad. She also invites other world leaders to come to the United Kingdom.
In addition to this, the Queen is also Head of the Armed Forces and is the only person who can decide when the country is at war.
Every day 'red boxes' are delivered to the Queen’s deskfull of documents and reports from Government Ministers and Commonwealth Officials. These must all be read and signed by the Queen if necessary.
The Queen spends a huge amount of time travelling around the country visiting hospitals, schools, factories and other places and organisations.
The Queen is married to HRH Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh. They married on the 20th of November 1947.
They have four children - Prince Charles, the Queen’s eldest son who is known as 'The Prince of Wales';Princess Anne, the Queen's daughter known as 'The Princess Royal'; Prince Andrew, the Queen's second son who is Known as 'The Duke of York' and Prince Edward, the Queen's youngest son also known as 'The Earl of Wessex'.
The Queen has many homes including Windsor Castle, which took 16 years to build; Balmoral Castle, which Prince Albert built; Sandringham House, which is the Royal Family’s private country retreat in Norfolk and Buckingham Palace, the Queen's official and main royal London Home. A flag flies high above Buckingham Palace when the Queen is in residence.
The Queen's favourite pets are Pembroke Welsh Corgis, she has owned more than 30 during her reign and was first given one for her 18th Birthday. Since then,Her Majesty has been inseparable from them.The Queen now only has two corgis remaining, Holly and Willow, the 12 year old pair are the 14th generation of Susan, the first corgi given to her for her 18th birthday. Susan even accompanied the royal couple on their Honeymoon in 1947.
Holly and Willow have also featured in the Olympic Games opening ceremony film. Her Majesty's pets accompany her everywhere, staying in palaces and castles, travelling in chauffeur driven limousines, by private plane or helicopter and are carried down aircraft steps by aides.