Queen Elizabeth II: Life in Photos

Queen Elizabeth II of England died at Balmoral, her home in Scotland, on Thursday, September 8 at the age of 96. She is the longest-reigning monarch in English history, having been crowned queen at the age of 26 in the year 1952. She celebrated her Platinum Jubilee earlier in 2022 to mark 70 years on the throne. During her tenure, the queen worked alongside 15 prime ministers; the most recent of which, Liz Truss, was just elected this month. She also met with 13 of the last 14 U.S. presidents.

Her reign bore witness to much history, and over the years, the queen became known for—as well as her calm reserve and leadership—her gaggle of corgis, her signature wardrobe, and her headline-making family. She is survived by her sons Charles, Prince of Wales; Prince Andrew; and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex; by her daughter, Anne, princess royal; and their families. Her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, died in 2021 at the age of 99.

Here are 50 iconic images from the queen's tenure.

Queen Elizabeth II making her first ever Christmas broadcast to the nation from Sandringham House, Norfolk, 25th December 1952.

1st July 1969: Queen Elizabeth II crowns her son Charles, Prince of Wales, during his investiture ceremony at Caernarvon Castle.

1945: Princess Elizabeth, standing by an Auxiliary Territorial Service first aid truck wearing an officer's uniform.

Princess Elizabeth with Philip Mountbatten on their wedding day, 20th November 1947.

24th November 1947: Princess Elizabeth and The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh enjoying a walk during their honeymoon at Broadlands, Romsey, Hampshire.

28th September 1952: Princess Elizabeth watching her son Prince Charles playing in his toy car while at Balmoral.

1965: Queen Elizabeth II and The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh with their children (right to left); Charles Prince of Wales, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward and Princess Anne celebrating the Queen's 39th birthday at Windsor

2nd June 1953: Queen Elizabeth II at her coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey, London.

The Queen Talking With The Emir Of Bahrain (amir) During Horse Racing And Camel Racing In Bahrain in 1979.

Queen Elizabeth II At The Windsor Horse Show, May 16, 1982. She Is Taking Pictures Of Her Husband With Her Leica M3 Camera, Wearing Her Engagement Ring And The Cullinan V Diamond Heart Brooch.

Queen Elizabeth II Smiling As She Reviews Troops Mounted On Horses At The Royal Windsor Horse Show in 1997.

The Queen With Prince William And Prince Harry In The Royal Box At Guards Polo Club, Smiths Lawn, Windsor in 1987.

Queen Elizabeth II toasting her host with a glass of champagne in Warsaw during her visit to Poland in 1996.

The Queen And Prince Philip Chatting Together During The Royal Windsor Horse Show In The Grounds Of Windsor Castle, May 16, 1982.

The queen wiping a tear from her eye at the de-commissioning ceremony for Hmy Britannia in 1997.

Queen Elizabeth II in the Green Room at Windsor Castle in 1987.

Queen Elizabeth ll arrives at Aberdeen Airport with her corgis to start her holidays in Balmoral, Scotland in 1974.

Crowds hailing Queen Elizabeth II as she and Prince Philip ride past in the Gold State Coach during the Queen's Silver Jubilee procession from Buckingham Palace to St Paul's Cathedral, London, 7th June 1977.

The Prince and Princess of Wales pose on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on their wedding day, with the Queen and some of the bridesmaids, 29th July 1981.

Princess Elizabeth with two corgi dogs at her home at 145 Piccadilly, London, July 1936.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II (C), Carole Middleton (L) and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall come out of Westminster Abbey in London, following the wedding ceremony of Prince William and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, on April 29, 2011.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip on safari during their state visit to Zambia, 1979.

Queen Elizabeth II attends a service for the Order of the British Empire at St Paul's Cathedral on March 7, 2012 in London, England.

Queen Elizabeth II (R) and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (L) watch a fashion show at De Montfort University on March 8, 2012 in Leicester, England.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip visit a farm on the Balmoral estate in Scotland, during their Silver Wedding anniversary year, September 1972.

Queen Elizabeth II steps off the royal barge at Farm Cove in Sydney, Australia, becoming the first reigning monarch of Australia to set foot in the country, 3rd February 1954.

Queen Elizabeth II filming the arrival of the escort ship HMNZS Black Prince, while in the South Pacific en route to Fiji, aboard the SS Gothic during the coronation world tour, 11th December 1953. On the left is Prince Philip.

Queen Elizabeth II meets cast members of the HBO TV series 'Game of Thrones' Lena Headey and Conleth Hill as she views some of the props including the Iron Throne on the set of Game of Thrones in Belfast's Titanic Quarter on June 24, 2014 in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (R) and Queen Elizabeth II depart a Service of Commemoration for troops who were stationed in Afghanistan, London, England, March 13, 2015.

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Prince George of Cambridge, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Harry and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (R) watch the fly-past from the balcony of Buckingham Palace following the Trooping The Colour ceremony on June 13, 2015 in London, England.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge chat to each other in the Royal Box at the Royal Albert Hall during the Annual Festival of Remembrance on November 7, 2015 in London, England.

President Reagan laughs following a joke by Queen Elizabeth II, who commented on the lousy California weather she has experienced since her arrival to the States. The British Queen is delivering a brief address during a state dinner held at the De Young Museum in San Francisco in 1983.

Baby Prince Andrew perches on Prince Philip's lap during a picnic on the grounds of Balmoral Castle. Also pictured are Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, and Princess Anne in 1960.

This portrait was made April 17th 1940, on the fourteenth birthday of Princess Elizabeth, who is heiress presumptive of the British Crown. Little Princess Margaret Rose is nine years old.

Princess Elizabeth, Britain's future queen, and Lt. Philip Mountbatten shown at Buckingham Palace in 1947.

Ghana: Queen Elizabeth II makes her way underneath a large, gaily colored umbrella, to a dais to watch the Durbar of the Ashanti Chiefs, at Kumasi Sports Stadium in 1960.

Queen Elizabeth II of England at Balmoral Castle with one of her Corgis, 28th September 1952.

Princess Elizabeth photographed on her arrival back at the Palace ceremonies in 1951.

Queen Elizabeth II of England photographed in 1952.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip fly back from a visit to Yorkshire in an Andover of the Queen's Flight, in a photo taken during the filming of the joint ITV-BBC film documentary The Royal Family in 1969.

The Queen turns towards the Duke of Edinburgh during the 1961 Trooping the Colour ceremony to mark her 35th birthday in 1961.

Queen Elizabeth II driving her children Prince Charles and Princess Anne at Windsor, watched by a group of onlookers, 1957.

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge arrive for the annual evening reception for members of the Diplomatic Corps at Buckingham Palace on December 8, 2016 in London, England.

Queen Elizabeth II with two of her sons, Prince Andrew (left) and the baby Prince Edward, London, 13th June 1964.

Queen Elizabeth II sitts and laughs with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex during a ceremony to open the new Mersey Gateway Bridge on June 14, 2018 in the town of Widnes in Halton, Cheshire, England.

Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Queen Elizabeth II, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge watch the RAF flypast on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, as members of the Royal Family attend events to mark the centenary of the RAF on July 10, 2018 in London, England.

Queen Elizabeth II visits an ancient pyramid during her state visit to Mexico, 1975.

President Harry S. Truman and Britain's Princess Elizabeth are shown as their motorcade got underway following the reception ceremony at Washington National Airport in 1951

Queen Elizabeth II is joined by one of her dogs, a Dorgi called Candy, as she views a display of memorabilia from her Golden and Platinum Jubilees in the Oak Room at Windsor Castle on February 4, 2022 in Windsor, England.

Queen Elizabeth II seen driving her Range Rover car as she attends day 2 of the Royal Windsor Horse Show in Home Park, Windsor Castle on July 2, 2021 in Windsor, England.

From: Esquire US