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Queen Elizabeth II

80% of people living in the UK have only ever known one monarch – Queen Elizabeth II

As The Queen begins her 68th year on the throne next week, it is perhaps unsurprising that 80% of UK residents have only ever known one monarch – Elizabeth II.

The then Princess Elizabeth ascended the throne on February 6, 1952, upon the death of her father, King George VI.

According to the Office for National Statistics, 12 million British residents were alive when King George died and Elizabeth became Queen. This equates to around 20% of the UK population.

In the 67 years she has been Queen, Elizabeth has seen great changes and has broken many records.

In 2015, she became Britain’s longest reigning monarch, surpassing the record of Queen Victoria.

2016 saw her become the world’s oldest monarch following the death of the Thai King.

And, in November 2017, Queen Elizabeth became the world’s oldest head of state following the resignation of Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe.

During her reign, 13 Prime Ministers have been in office: Winston Churchill, Anthony Eden, Harold Macmillan, Alec Douglas-Holme, Harold Wilson, Ted Heath, James Callaghan, Margaret Thatcher, John Major, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Theresa May.

She has also seen 13 US Presidents in office: Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John F Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump.

As for Popes, there have been seven: Pius XII, John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul I, John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis.

There are no celebrations being held to mark the occasion of Ascension Day.

Instead, it will be a sombre occasion with Her Majesty reflecting privately on the death of her father.

The next big celebrations will come in 2022 when The Queen celebrates her Platinum Jubilee to mark 70 years on the throne.

Although it is four years away, we can confidently predict the celebrations will be even bigger and better than the ones we witnessed in 2012 for Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee.