As The Queen approaches the 70th anniversary of her reign, 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 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, 14 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, Theresa May and Boris Johnson.
She has also seen 14 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, Donald Trump and Joe Biden.
As for Popes, there have been seven: Pius XII, John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul I, John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis.
The main celebrations for The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee will come in June 2022. On the actual anniversary of her accession, February 6, she will spend the day privately as this is a sombre occasion with Her Majesty reflecting on the death of her father.
