Queen Elizabeth II

HRH Queen Elizabeth II was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom, and Head of the Commonwealth, in Westminster Abbey on 2 June, 1953 at the age of 27, the 40th monarch since William the Conqueror, and the great-great granddaughter of Queen Victoria. She celebrated her Silver and Golden Jubilees in 1977 and 2002 respectively, her 80th birthday in 2006, and in 2012 celebrates a 60 years on the throne, equalling Victoria as the only British monarch to have celebrated a Diamond Jubilee. During Elizabeth's long reign the world has witnessed sweeping changes, not least of which was the dissolution of the British Empire. Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee is a special, updated edition that records the major events of her reign, during which she has carried out her duties with a huge programme of visits in the UK as well as many foreign tours, her world travel being unprecedented by any previous monarch. In an age when photography has become the ubiquitous medium, the Queen has been one of the most photographed women in the world, with strong media interest ever since the days of her childhood as a young princess. Revealed here in almost 250 unique pictures, taken by photographers of the Press Association over a period of more than 80 years, is a fascinating documentation of the life of an extraordinary woman.