queen elizabeth ll
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QUEEN ELIZABETH II
Her Majesty The Queen was born in London on April 21, 1926 and later christened Elizabeth Alexandra Mary. She was the first child of The Duke and Duchess of York, who later became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. The Princess Elizabeth, along with her sister the Princess Margaret (born four years later), had her early education at home and, after her father succeeded to the Throne in 1936, became heiress presumptive. Shortly after her eighteenth birthday, she was appointed Counsellor of State during the King's absence and, for the first time, exercised certain functions of the Crown.
After the Second World War, The Princess Elizabeth's public engagements grew in number and frequency. During her first official visit overseas in 1947, she celebrated her 21st birthday at which time she made an international radio address pronouncing: "I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service..."
Assuming the throne in 1952 after her father died, she has been a tireless and popular monarch. The Queen, making some 350 official engagements each year, entertains nearly 50,000 people at Buckingham Palace, and serves as patron or president of 700 organizations.
She also travels extensively, taking a particular interest in former colonies, which are now members of the British Commonwealth. As Great Britain's head of state, the Queen has weekly audiences with the Prime Minister and other cabinet ministers. She receives copies of all cabinet papers, the records of all cabinet committee meetings, a daily summary of events in Parliament, and important Foreign Office telegrams. She is also official head of the Church of England.
At 81, Her Majesty is still cutting ribbons, laying wreaths, greeting dignitaries and making speeches in a voice that has resisted the temptation to seek acceptance through reinvention. That's the secret of the Queen's success: she understands the need for reforms, such as slimming the costs of her family to the taxpayer and opening her accounts to public scrutiny, but she has never compromised her identity.
WHO IS YOUR HERO?
