Sovereign: Elizabeth Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (17 Bruton Street, London, Great Britain, April 21, 1926).
Daughter of George VI King of Great Britain (1895-1952) and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (1900-2002).
Succeeds her father George VI King of Great Britain (1895-February 6, 1952).
Coronation: Westminster Abbey, London, Great Britain, June 2, 1953.
Motto: "Dieu et mon droit" (God and my right).
Religion: Anglican. The Queen is head of the Anglican Church of England and the Presbyterian Church of Scotland.
Married (1947): Philip Prince of Greece and Denmark (until 1947), Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth, Baron Greenwich (since 1947), (1921).
Children:
Titles:
The Queen is Her Majesty, Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The eldest son of a monarch is from birth Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, Great Steward of Scotland. Later on he normally also gets the titles Prince of Wales, Earl of Chester. The children of a sovereign, the children of his/her sons and the oldest son of the oldest son of a Prince of Wales are Royal Highness, Prince/Princess of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The great-grandchildren of King George V are styled Lord/lady Windsor. In 1960 Queen Elizabeth II decided that her descendants in male line from the 3rd generation who are no Royal Highness and Prince/Princess will bear the name Mountbatten-Windsor. Further the eldest daughter of a monarch can be styled Princess Royal (which doesn't happen each generation), but there only can be one Princess Royal alive.
Succession:
The British throne is hereditary according to the right of the first born in the descendance of Sophia Princess of Hanover (1630-1714). Sons of a sovereign have priority over the daughters, who have the priority over the descendance of the brothers of a sovereign. Until they are 25 years old descendants of King George V must ask the permission of the sovereign when they want to get married. Princes and Princesses who married a catholic are ruled out of the succession.
Postal address:
Buckingham Palace
London SW1A 1AA
Great Britain
Residences:
Roughly there are three categories of royal residences. There are official royal residences that are still in use nowadays, furthermore there are private estates owned by the monarch, and there are unoccupied royal residences which once housed members of the British royal family and therefore are of historical interest.
The official royal residences are held in trust for future generations. they are homes and offices for members of the royal family and their staff, or they are used as location for events and ceremonies. Buckingham Palace in London has been the official residence of the sovereigns of Great Britain since 1837. It is also the administrative headquarters of the monarch. Another official residence of the monarch is Windsor Castle, where Queen Elizabeth II loves to spend her weekends. She takes up official residence at Windsor Castle for a month over Easter and for a week in June for the service of the Order of the Garter and Royal Ascot. The monarch's official residence in Scotland is the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. The Queen usually spends one week here at the end of June or the beginning of July.
Clarence House in London was the official residence of the late Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother from 1953 to her death in 2002. Nowadays it is the official London residence of the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, as well as of Prince William and Prince Harry. The family home of the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall is Highgrove House near Tetbury in Gloucestershire, which is owned by the Duchy of Cornwall. St. James's Palace in London is the home of several members of the royal family and their offices. Kensington Palace in London is the home of a number of members of the royal family and holds some offices.
The best known private residence is Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Queen Elizabeth II and her family usually spend August and September here. Sandringham House in Norfolk, England, is the place where Queen Elizabeth II and her family spend Christmas. They usually stay here until February.
Several royal residences are open the whole year, or a part of the year. More information: The Royal Residences and Historical Royal Palaces.
History
The history of the British monarchy begins with the Anglians and Saxons, who arrived in England in the 4th century. The first kings were tribal chiefs. King Alfred the Great (849-899) united the various kingdoms in England. The Anglo-Saxon kings were driven away by Danish kings. In 1066 William I the Conquerer became king of England, after he defeated King Harold II in the Battle of Hastings. The various dynasties who reigned afterwards are all related to eachother. In the 15th century the reign of the House of Plantagenet was over and the War of the Roses began between the Houses of Lancaster and York. The Tudors reigned after 1485. The last reigning Tudor was Queen Elizabeth I, who died in 1603 and gave the throne to King James VI of Scotland, who reigned over England and Scotland as King James I. His son King Charles I was beheaded in 1649, because he wished to reign without a parliament. In 1660 Great Britain became a monarchy again with King Charles II, who was followed by his brother James II. This catholic king was driven away by his son-in-law and his own daughter, who afterwards reigned as King William III and Queen Mary II. Mary II’s sister Anne, who died in 1714, followed William III.
The throne went to the closest protestant relative, which was George I, son of Sophia of Hannover -granddaughter of King James I. In 1817 no male member of the royal family had an heir, so that a few of the men were forced to marry. Finally the Duke of Kent got a daughter in 1819 that was named Victoria. In 1837 she followed her uncle King William IV. She married Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in 1840 and they got nine children. Queen Victoria in 1876 became Emress of India. She didn't die until 1901 and can be seen as the Grandmother of Europe as she now has over 1000 descendants. Her son King Edward VII died in 1910, and was followed by his son King GeorgeV. His oldest son David was very popular and became King Edward VIII after his father's death in 1936. At the end of the year he was forced to abdicate as he wanted to marry the American Wallis Simpson, who already had divorced twice. His younger brother suddenly became King George VI. He had married lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon and they had two daughters. During World War II the King and Queen were an inspiration for the government and the people. India became independent in 1947. King George VI died in 1952. Queen Elizabeth II married Philip Mountbatten in 1947 and they got four children.
The Kings and Queens of Great Britain since 1714
| George I (1660-1727) | 1714-1727 |
| George II (1683-1760) | 1727-1760 |
| George III (1738-1820) | 1760-1820 |
| George IV (1762-1830) | 1820-1830 |
| William IV (1765-1837) | 1830-1837 |
| Victoria (1819-1901) | 1837-1901 |
| Edward VII (1841-1910) | 1901-1910 |
| George V (1865-1936) | 1910-1936 |
| Edward VIII (1894-1972) | 1936-abd.1936 |
| George VI (1895-1952) | 1936-1952 |
| Elizabeth II (1926-) | 1952- |