Elizabeth Windsor – or, to use her official title, Queen Elizabeth II – had her 80th birthday in April this year, making her one of the oldest monarchs in British history. She has been on the throne since her coronation on 2nd June 1953, 53 years ago.
As you would probably expect, the Queen has had a very different life from most other people. As a girl she studied music and art and enjoyed drama and swimming, but she did not go to school with other children – instead she had special lessons at home.
She got married at the age of 21 to Prince Philip, the son of Prince Andrew of Greece. They have four children: Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward.
The Queen does not have much direct contact with the media, and has never given an interview. However, people know some of the things she does when she is not performing her public duties – for example she loves spending time with her corgis (a small, brown breed of dog – she has owned more than thirty of them in her lifetime), likes watching horse racing, and also enjoys photography.
Some interesting facts about the Queen were included in an official website celebrating her 80th birthday. Among them are the following: during her reign she has visited 129 countries and received more than 3 million letters and emails; she has received some very unusual presents, including a jaguar from Brazil; and according to a strange law from the fourteenth century, she is the owner of any dolphin or whale swimming in the sea around Britain.
The Queen will probably stay on the throne for the rest of her life. It is likely that the next monarch will be her oldest son, Prince Charles, but it could be her grandson Prince William, who is the son of Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana.
Although some British people would like their country to be a republic and not a monarchy, most would agree that the Queen has worked hard and tried to serve her country as well as she can – that is probably why she is more popular than any prime minister in British history.