Life of DUTY

As the nation mourns a remarkable lady who gave her life to service, Woman takes a look back at the Queen’s most extraordinary moments

A future Queen is born

Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, the first child of the then Duke and Duchess of York, was born at her maternal grandfather's house in Mayfair, London. Becoming Queen wasn't always in Elizabeth's life trajectory, as it wasn't until her uncle, Edward VIII, abdicated in 1936 that her life changed forever.

Wearing more than one hat (or in this case, crown)

When Edward VIII chose to follow his heart and marry divorcee Wallis Simpson, the Queen's father George VI set about his new position as monarch. But his sudden death from lung cancer in 1952 meant that Elizabeth took over the huge role. At the tender age of 25 - and as a mother-of-two - she became the first female British monarch since her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, when she was officially crowned Queen Elizabeth II.