* The Queen is a great-great-grandchild of Queen Victoria. She is also 38th in direct line of descent from Egbert, King of Wessex from 802 and King of England from 827 to 839. * She is the 40th monarch since William the Conqueror, who seized the crown in 1066.

* The Queen is the second-longest reigning monarch in 1,000 years of British history, with Queen Victoria the longest reigning. The world’s longest-reigning monarch is King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand. * Now 85, the Queen is the longest-living British monarch.

* The Queen was born at 2.40am on April 21, 1926, the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York.

* She arrived in the world at 17 Bruton Street, the Mayfair home of her mother’s parents, the Earl and Countess of Strathmore.

* She was christened Elizabeth Alexandra Mary in the chapel at Buckingham Palace.

* Her early years were spent at 145 Piccadilly, her parents’ London home, at the White Lodge in Richmond Park, and at the country homes of her grandparents, King George V and Queen Mary.

* She was born third in line to the throne after Edward, Prince of Wales, later Edward VIII, who was to abdicate, and her father, the Duke of York, who became King George VI.

* The family moved into Buckingham Palace on February 15, 1937, and Princess Elizabeth attended the Coronation of her parents as King George VI and Queen Elizabeth at Westminster Abbey on May 12.

* After her father succeeded to the throne, Elizabeth became heir-presumptive and started to study constitutional history and law.

* She spent most of the war years at Windsor Castle and made her first radio broadcast on October 13 1940, aged 14, on Children’s Hour.

* In April 1943, Princess Elizabeth carried out her first solo public engagement when she spent a day with a Grenadier Guards tank battalion in Southern Command.

* Shortly after her 18th birthday in 1944, she was appointed a Counsellor of State during the King’s absence on a tour of the Italian battlefields and, for the first time, carried out some of the duties of Head of State.

* By 1944, she had fallen in love with her third cousin, Prince Philip of Greece.

* She undertook National Service, joining the Auxiliary Transport Service on February 24 1945, and was registered as No 230873 Second Subaltern Elizabeth Windsor.

* She qualified as a driver on April 14, 1945, and was promoted to Junior Commander.

* On July 10, 1947, Princess Elizabeth’s engagement to Prince Philip was announced.

* She was made a Lady of the Garter by George VI shortly before her wedding at Westminster Abbey on November 20, 1947.

* The royal newly-weds lived at Buckingham Palace until renovation of their new London home, Clarence House, was completed by July 1949.

* Their first child, Charles, was born in 1948, followed by Anne in 1950, Andrew in 1960 and Edward in 1964.

* From 1948, George VI’s health had been deteriorating and Princess Elizabeth deputised for him on several occasions.

* In 1951, she took the salute at the Trooping the Colour ceremony and the following year set out on a Commonwealth tour in place of the King.

* Early in the morning of February 6 1952, the King died. The news was relayed to the new Queen who was staying at Sagana Lodge, Kenya. The tour was immediately cancelled and she arrived home on February 7.

* Elizabeth was formally proclaimed Queen on February 8 and was crowned at Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953.