As Queen Elizabeth II becomes Britain’s longest-reigning monarch after beating Queen Victoria’s record of 63 years and 216 days on the throne, we take a look at her reign in pictures.
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Princess Elizabeth was born at 2.40am on 21 April 1926. She was the first child of the Duke and duch*ess of York, who became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. After King George VI died, his wife became Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.
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Princess Elizabeth with her parents in 1929, and, below, in 1930.
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Princess Elizabeth with her corgis at her home at 145 Piccadilly, London, July 1936.
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Princess Elizabeth (right) and her sister, Princess Margaret, in 1937.
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King George and Queen Elizabeth with Princesses Elizabeth (centre) and Margaret and members of the extended royal family in full coronation regalia on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the coronation ceremony of King George VI on 12 May 1937.
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Queen Elizabeth with Princess Elizabeth on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after George VI's coronation.
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A portrait of Princess Elizabeth taken at Windsor Castle, Berkshire, in 1940.
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Princess Elizabeth reading a book with her sister Margaret sitting by a window with a corgi called Jane in 1940 (left), and the two sisters acting together in a pantomime of Cinderella at Windsor Castle.
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Princess Elizabeth amid a syringa bush in the grounds of Windsor Castle in 1941.
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Princess Elizabeth writing at her desk in Windsor Castle in 1944 (left), and addressing an assembly of the Governors Court at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for Children as their president in her first solo engagement (right).
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King George VI and Queen Elizabeth with their two daughters in the royal box for the reopening of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, in 1946. They are watching a performance of Sleeping Beauty.
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Princess Elizabeth in her lounge at Buckingham Palace in 1946 (left), and standing by a window in the state apartments at the palace (right).
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Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, at Buckingham Palace in 1947 shortly before their wedding. The princess is wearing her engagement ring for the first time.
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Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip make their way down the aisle of Westminster Abbey, London, on their wedding day on 20 November 1947.
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Official photograph of Princess Elizabeth and her husband on honeymoon at Broadlands, Romsey, Hampshire, in 1947.
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Princess Elizabeth with her first child, Prince Charles, in 1948.
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Princess Elizabeth with Prince Charles in 1949 (left), and with her baby daughter Princess Anne in 1950 (right). Anne is wearing the royal christening robe, which is made of Honiton lace.
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The first colour photograph of Princess Anne, taken in 1951. Anne is in the arms of her mother, while the Duke of Edinburgh holds Prince Charles.
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Princess Elizabeth with her family in 1951.
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Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh doing Canadian folk dances during their trip in Ottawa in 1951.
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Queen Elizabeth II in the coronation coach on her way to be crowned at Westminster Abbey on 2 June 1953. She is dressed as a peeress of the realm and wears the diadem crown.
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The event was the first coronation to be televised.
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The cover of the second Picture Post Coronation Souvenir issue, featuring the newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II, 13 June 1953.
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The Queen inspects a horse in 1959.
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Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh at a civic ceremony in New Delhi during a royal tour of India in 1961.
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Queen Elizabeth II greets dancers at a state dinner during a visit to New Delhi, India. She is dressed in a tiara and lace gown, embroidered with diamonds and pearls, that had belonged to Queen Mary.
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Queen Elizabeth II is pictured taking an elephant ride in the town of Banares, India, in 1961.
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Queen Elizabeth II with Charles, Prince of Wales, at Windsor Castle in 1969.
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The Queen travels on a tube train after the official opening ceremony of London Underground's Victoria line in 1969.
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The Queen in 1970 (left), and crowning her son, Prince Charles, as Prince of Wales during the investiture ceremony at Caernarfon Castle (right).
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The Queen sitting on a grassy bank with her corgis. She was at Virginia Water to watch competitors, including Prince Philip, in the Marathon of the European Driving Championship, part of the Royal Windsor Horse Show, in 1973.
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Gerald Ford, the 38th president of the United States, dancing with Queen Elizabeth II at the ball at the White House, Washington, during the 1976 bicentennial celebrations of the Declaration of Independence.
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The Queen reading newspapers during her flight home from Bridgetown, Barbados, in Concorde after her Silver Jubilee tour of Canada and the West Indies in 1977.
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Queen Elizabeth II laughing while taking shelter under an umbrella at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in 1977 (left), and having a cup of tea while in Northern Ireland on a royal visit (right).
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Queen Elizabeth II with the Duke of Edinburgh and their children, Prince Edward, Prince Charles, Princess Anne, and Prince Andrew, at Balmoral in 1979.
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Queen Elizabeth II with Prince Charles and his fiancé, Lady Diana Spencer, at Buckingham Palace, in 1981 (right), and the couple kissing on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in London after their marriage.
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The royal family at Buckingham Palace, London, on the day of Prince William's christening in 1982.
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Diana, Princess of Wales, joins the Queen on their way to the state opening of parliament in 1991.
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Queen Elizabeth II inspects the ruins of Windsor Castle with a firefighter following a fire in 1992.
Queen Elizabeth II keeps a close eye on a barn owl that landed close to her as she watched a flying display of birds of prey during a visit to the Royal Windsor Horse Show in 1995 (left), and watches proceedings at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in 1992 (right).
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The Queen and the Prince of Wales appear thoughtful as they watch the races at Epsom in 1993 on the 40th anniversary of her coronation.
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Following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997, the Queen receives floral tributes from well-wishers at Buckingham Palace.
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Julie Thompson, a vocalist with the first rock band to perform at Buckingham Palace, chats to the Queen in 1998.
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The Queen encounters an old acquaintance during a visit to the Roman site of Vindolanda near Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland in 1999: a corgi bred by the Queen and owned by Lady Beaumont.
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Queen Elizabeth II and he Duke of Edinburgh raise their glasses as midnight strikes during the opening celebrations at the Millennium Dome in Greenwich in 2000.
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US President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton meet the Queen in 2000.
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The Queen and Prince Philip are shown the control room during a visit to Strathclyde Fire Brigade's new Command and Control Centre in Johnstone, near Glasgow, in 2001.
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Queen Elizabeth II being shown the gardens being exhibited at the Chelsea Flower Show, London, in 2004 (left), and giving an audience at Buckingham Palace to Tony Blair, the then prime minister (right).
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Queen Elizabeth II meeting fishmonger Pat O'Connell at the English Market in Cork City during a state visit to Ireland in 2001.
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Queen Elizabeth II makes the Queen's Speech alongside the Duke of Edinburgh during the state opening of parliament in London in 2003.
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The Queen at the Royal Horticultural Society's Chelsea Flower Show, London, in 2003.
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The Queen peers round a corner during a visit to the Royal Albert Hall, London, in 2004.
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The Queen meets Bruce Lait, 32, a professional dancer from Ipswich, at the Royal London Hospital in London's East End in 2005.
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The Queen sits in the Regency Room at Buckingham Palace in London as she looks at some of the cards sent to her for her 80th birthday in 2006.
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Lady Gaga meets the Queen at the Royal Variety Performance in Blackpool in 2009.
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The Queen leaves after delivering her speech at the state opening of parliament in 2009.
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The duch*ess of Cambridge laughs as Queen Elizabeth II gestures while they watch part of a children's sports event during a visit to Vernon Park in Nottingham in 2012.
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Queen Elizabeth II arrives ahead of the state opening of parliament in London in 2013.
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Queen Elizabeth II watches a performance from the Royal Country Dance Society in the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh in 2013. She has been the society's patron since 1947.
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Members of the public take pictures as they greet Queen Elizabeth II upon her arrival at Manchester Piccadilly station for a visit to Manchester in 2013.
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Queen Elizabeth II waves to crowds at Waverley Station before boarding the steam locomotive Union of South Africa on 9 September, 2015, in Edinburgh, Scotland.
- Matthew TuckerBuzzFeed Picture Editor, UK
