Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne on 6 February 1952 at the age of 25, on the death of her father King George VI. Her coronation in Westminster Abbey on 2 June 1953 was the first to be televised. She reigned for 70 years and 214 days — the longest reign of any British monarch — until her death on 8 September 2022.
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Her reign witnessed the end of the British Empire and the rise of the modern Commonwealth, decimalisation of the currency in 1971, the UK's entry into and departure from the EU, fifteen Prime Ministers from Churchill to Truss, and four jubilees: Silver (1977), Golden (2002), Diamond (2012) and Platinum (2022). She was succeeded by her eldest son, King Charles III.
You may be asked when Elizabeth II became queen (1952), the year of her Diamond Jubilee (2012), or who succeeded her (Charles III).
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