NEED TO KNOW
- Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8, 2022, at the age of 96, following a historic 70-year reign.
- The longest-serving British monarch was not expected to become Queen until her uncle, Edward, abdicated.
- The royal family has prepared a packed program of official events, tributes, and festivities to mark the occasion.
She arrived on a crisp April morning in 1926, a blue-eyed girl born to the then Duke and Duchess of York in their Mayfair townhouse.
And while Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, as she was named, was third in line to the throne at birth, few could have imagined she would ever wear the crown.
But thanks to a twist of fate following her uncle King Edward VIII’s abdication in 1936, and the death of her father King George VI in 1952, Elizabeth did indeed become monarch, ruling for a record-breaking and era-defining 70 years.
On April 21, 2026, Queen Elizabeth II would’ve turned 100.
Although she sadly passed away in 2022, aged 96, the occasion is being marked in the UK with a series of events led by her heir, King Charles, and his wife, Queen Camilla.
Royal author Phil Dampier exclusively tells New Idea that, in addition to the official events, “the family will reflect on the late Queen’s extraordinary life privately, and possibly at a weekend church gathering”.
He adds that the timing of her centenary could not be more important.
“After all the bad news involving Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and the rift with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as well as King Charles’ and the Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses, the Queen’s birthday is an opportunity for optimism,” he says.
“The whole institution needs a lift. The current royals want to emphasise the positives of the monarchy, using the popularity of the late Queen as a springboard.”
As our own tribute, New Idea is proud to share a collection of rare and candid photos of the woman who never once wavered from her personal credo, “I serve”.
What an incredible legacy.
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