QUEEN ELIZABETH II: A LIFE IN THE SPOTLIGHT Head of State of the United Kingdom and 15 Commonwealth realms During her reign, The Queen has conferred over 400,000 honours and awards She has made over 265 official visits to 116 countries She has received over 100 visiting Heads of State Her Majesty is patron of more than 600 charities Weekly audiences with 12 British Prime Ministers, from Churchill to Cameron 1926, Apr 21: Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary born at 17 Bruton Street, Mayfair, London, first child of Duke and Duchess of York. Younger sister Princess Margaret born four years later General strike brings Britain to a standstill. John Logie Baird invents television. British Commonwealth of Nations born 1929: Wall Street Crash triggers Great Depression of 1930s 1933: Rise to power of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. Suppression of Jews begins in Germany under Third Reich 1934: Mao Tse Tung leads thousands of Chinese on Long March, from which he emerges as undisputed Communist Party leader in China 1936: Abdication crisis in Britain. Elizabeth’s father becomes King George VI 1939: World War II begins when Hitler invades Poland – Britain and France declare war on Germany 1940: Winston Churchill becomes British Prime Minister. Nation suffers its darkest hours – Battle of Britain and Blitz on major cities 1945, May 8: German surrender ends war in Europe. Aug 14: Second World War ends with Japanese surrender following atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki 1946: Churchill’s Iron Curtain speech marks onset of Cold War 1947: British rule in India ends. Nov 20: Princess Elizabeth marries Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten at Westminster Abbey 1948: New state of Israel proclaimed in Palestine. London hosts Olympic Games for second time. First wave of Jamaican immigrants starts new life in UK. Prince Charles born 1950: Princess Anne born 1952, Feb 6: King George VI dies. Princess Elizabeth, on safari in Kenya, becomes Queen. World’s first commercial jet service flies from London to Johannesburg 1953: Hillary and Tenzing conquer Mount Everest. News reaches Britain one day before Queen Elizabeth II is crowned on June 2 1954: Elvis Presley releases his That’s All Right, signalling birth of rock ‘n’ roll. Roger Bannister becomes first man to run mile in under four minutes 1956: Suez Crisis UN forces Britain and France to withdraw troops from Egypt 1957: France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg sign Treaty of Rome to create European Common Market 1960: Prince Andrew born 1962: Cuban Missile Crisis. U.S. President John F. Kennedy imposes blockade until Soviets dismantle nuclear weapons on Cuba 1963: Kennedy assassinated in Dallas, Texas 1964: Prince Edward born. Black activist Nelson Mandela jailed for life in South Africa 1965: U.S. troops sent into combat in Vietnam 1966: At height of Swinging Sixties, England football team beats West Germany to win World Cup 1969: British Army deployed to keep peace in Northern Ireland. Concorde makes maiden test flight. Neil Armstrong walks on moon – Queen’s message of congratulations to Apollo 11 astronauts is micro-filmed and left on moon in metal container 1972: Britain joins European Economic Community. Eleven members of Israeli team killed by Arab terrorists at Munich Olympic Games 1973: Vietnam War ends 1977: Silver Jubilee celebrations mark Queen’s first 25 years on throne 1979: Margaret Thatcher becomes Britain’s first female Prime Minister. Queen’s cousin, Lord Mountbatten, killed in IRA bomb attack 1980: John Lennon shot dead outside his home in New York 1981: First cases of AIDS reported in America’s gay community. Jul 29: Marriage of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer watched by 700 million TV viewers worldwide 1982: Prime Minister Thatcher declares war on Argentina over Falkland Islands. Princess of Wales gives birth to Prince William 1985: Mikhail Gorbachev becomes leader of Soviet Union 1986: World’s worst nuclear accident takes place at Chernobyl 1988: Bomb on Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie kills 270 people 1989: Fall of Berlin Wall 1990: Nelson Mandela released after 27 years in prison 1991: Gulf War – allies evict Iraq from Kuwait. Collapse of Soviet Union 1992: “Annus horribilis” – marriage breakdowns of three of Queen’s children, and fire at Windsor Castle 1994: Channel Tunnel opens 1996: Charles and Diana divorce 1997: Dolly the sheep becomes world’s first cloned animal. Aug 31: Princess Diana killed in car crash in Paris 1998: Good Friday Agreement paves way for peace settlement in Northern Ireland 1999: Queen opens new Welsh National Assembly in Cardiff and Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh 2001, Sep 11: Terrorist attacks on United States. Oct 7: U.S. and Britain go to war in Afghanistan 2002: Euro becomes legal tender in 12 EU countries. Princess Margaret and Queen Mother die at start of Queen’s Golden Jubilee year 2003: U.S.-led invasion of Iraq 2005, Apr: Prince Charles marries Camilla Parker Bowles. Jul: Suicide attacks in London kill 56 people 2007: Queen and Prince Philip celebrate 60th wedding anniversary 2011, Apr 29: Prince William marries Catherine Middleton. May: Queen makes first state visit to Ireland by reigning British monarch since before independence 2012: Queen celebrates Diamond Jubilee. London hosts Olympic Games for third time 2015: Queen, now with three direct heirs, Princes Charles, William and George, becomes Britain’s longest reigning monarch 2016: Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her 90th birthday Pictures: Associated Press, Getty Images Research: Julie Mullins. Source: British Monarchy website © GRAPHIC NEWS