The Queen is turning 90 on April 21 (her actual birthday - not the other, official one in June) so to celebrate the amazing landmark, here's everything you need to know about Queen Elizabeth II.
The Queen's early life
Queen Elizabeth II was born on 21 April 1926, during the reign of her grandfather, King George V.
Elizabeth's sister, Princess Margaret, was born in 1930. The two princesses were schooled at home by their mother and their governess, Marion Crawford, who published a biography of Elizabeth and Margaret's childhood years entitled The Little Princesses in 1950 - much to the Royal Family's dismay.
According to the book Elizabeth loved horses and dogs and had an attitude of responsibility even at a young age. This was echoed by Winston Churchill who described Elizabeth when she was two as "a character."
"She has an air of authority and reflectiveness astonishing in an infant," he said.
Becoming Queen
Elizabeth was not expected to become queen - as the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York, Elizabeth stood third in line to the throne after her uncle, Edward, Prince of Wales, and her father.
However, when Elizabeth’s uncle, Edward VIII, abdicated in 1936 to marry a divorcee, Elizabeth’s father acceded to the throne and Elizabeth became first in line.
The Queen has surpassed the record held by her great-great grandmother, Queen Victoria, of ruling for 23,226 days, 16 hours and 23 minutes, hitting the landmark in September 2015.
The Queen and the Duke Of Edinburgh
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh married in November 1947 at Westminster Abbey, receiving 2500 gifts from across the world.The then-princess Elizabeth used ration coupons to buy the material for her wedding dress - designed by Norman Hartwell - and the cake was baked by McVitie & Price.
The Queen's family
Elizabeth gave birth to her first child, Prince Charles, on 14 November 1948. A second child, Princess Anne, was born in 1950. Prince Andrew and Prince Edward followed in 1960 and 1964 respectively.
The Queen has 8 grandchildren: William, Harry, Peter, Zara, Beatrice, Eugenie, Louise and James and 4 great grandchildren: Savannah, Isla, George and Charlotte.
The Queen’s love of dogs
The Queen has owned more than 30 corgis during her reign after her first, Susan, was given to her as an 18th-birthday present in 1944. It has been reported that Susan even accompanied the Queen on her honeymoon – to Broadlands, Hampshire, and Birkhall on the Balmoral Estate.
Surprising facts about The Queen
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She weights down her skirts to stop any Marilyn Monroe moments. According to The Mail, inside the lining of each of the Queen’s hand-made outfits are a couple of small lead curtain weights to avoid any embarassing faux-pas!
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The first football match The Queen attended was the 1953 FA Cup Final
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The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh have sent approximately 45,000 Christmas cards during The Queen’s reign
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She speaks fluent French and often uses the language for Audiences and State Visits
The Queen's 90th birthday celebrations
The day before the big event, Queen and Prince Philip will visit a Royal Mail delivery office to mark the 500th anniversary of the postal service and will also open a new bandstand at Alexandra Gardens in Windsor.
Then on April 21 the royal couple are set to unveil a plaque marking The Queen's Walkway at the foot of Castle Hill in Windsor and afterwards, the Queen and Prince Philip will go on a walkabout to greet members of the public. No days off for this Queen!
In the evening 1,000 beacons across the world will be lit up to celebrate the Queen's birthday. Members of the Army Cadet Force will also take beacons to the top of the four highest peaks in the UK - Ben Nevis in Scotland, Mount Snowdon in Wales, Scafell Pike in England and Slieve Donard in Northern Ireland.