Britain’s longest-reigning monarch and beloved head of state Queen Elizabeth II has died at the age of 96, just more than a year after the death of her husband of 73 years, Prince Philip.
While those in Britain, the Commonwealth and royal watchers around the world mourn the loss, we’re taking a closer look at her rich life in photos.
Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was born on April 21, 1926, daughter of the then-Duke and Duchess of York. She only had one sibling, sister Princess Margaret, who was four years younger than the queen-to-be.
By the time Princess Elizabeth turned 10, her father ascended to the throne, becoming King George VI.
Just three years after that, during a family trip in 1939, a 13-year-old Elizabeth got to know an 18-year-old Greek and Danish prince — and distant cousin — named Philip, whom she started a correspondence with during his service in the Royal Navy. Eventually, the pair fell in love.
On Nov. 20, 1947, a 21-year-old Elizabeth married Philip in a ceremony that took place at Westminster Abbey. One year later, the couple started their family.
Philip and Elizabeth welcomed their first child, son and heir Charles, in 1948, and in 1950, the princess gave birth to their only daughter, Anne.
But Elizabeth didn't remain a princess for much longer.
In February 1952, King George died, ending his 15-year reign and making his then-25-year-old daughter the new British monarch.
Her coronation was held the following summer. It was the ceremonial beginning of her own reign, which went on to last 70 years.
In 1956, the glamorous young queen met another woman the world seemed obsessed with — Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe. The occasion was the premiere of "The Battle of the River Plate" at the Empire Theatre in London.
Elizabeth and Philip welcomed the couple behind America's Camelot, President John F. Kennedy and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, to Buckingham Palace months after the president took office in 1961.
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By March 1964, the queen, having already given birth to son Andrew four years earlier, welcomed her and Philip's youngest child, Edward. But she continued to be surrounded by new little ones regularly — of the four-legged variety.
The queen is almost as well known for her love of corgis as she is for her love of crown and country. Over the course of her life, she raised more than 30 of the herding dogs — as well as several dorgis, corgi-dachshund mixes — and most of them were descended from Susan, a treasured corgi she was gifted as a teen.
In honor of 25 years on the throne, Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee was held in 1977. The monarch was presented with a silver bell to commemorate what was already a far longer reign than her father had before her.
Elizabeth saw her eldest son and the next in line to the throne, Charles, Prince of Wales, marry the Lady Diana Spencer on July 29, 1981.
Prince Charles and Princess Diana had two children, Princes William and Harry, who grew up close to their grandmother.
In 1997, tragedy struck the family, impacting those boys most of all, when the Princess of Wales died in a car crash in Paris.
As the world mourned the woman known as the People's Princess, many criticized the queen for being slow to address the loss. It was five days after Diana's death when Philip and Elizabeth made an appearance outside Buckingham Palace to look at the tributes amassed for Diana and finally shared in the public's grief.
Another royal wedding, as grand as the one Charles and Diana shared, was held on April 29, 2011, when their son William wed Kate Middleton, now Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge. In a photo on the balcony at Buckingham Palace, Elizabeth can be seen alongside other family members celebrating with the bride and groom.
One month after that, the queen invited President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama to their first British State Banquet, at which the royal sat next to the president.
Elizabeth beamed in this 2015 photo, as she rode alongside Philip in her horse-drawn Diamond Jubilee State Coach, which had been crafted for her years earlier. On this occasion, she was returning from her duties at the opening of parliament.
Wedding bells rang for the royal family once again in 2018, as the queen's grandson Prince Harry said "I do" to his bride, Meghan Markle. An official wedding portrait from that day captured Elizabeth as she sat next to the happy couple, while the bride's mother, Doria Ragland, stood to their other side. They were accompanied by other royals, as well as the children who served as bridesmaids and pageboys on the big day.
Some of those children were present in this earlier photo of Elizabeth taken by celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz. In it, she's seen surrounded by some of her great-grandchildren and youngest grandchildren. On her lap sits the daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte, and to the right, is their son and future king, Prince George.
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip celebrated their 73rd anniversary in November of 2020. He died less than four months later.