The longest-reigning monarch that Britain has ever known, Elizabeth died Thursday at 96 at Balmoral Castle, her beloved summer home in Scotland, after having steadied and modernized the royal institution through seven decades of huge social change.
Elizabeth often gave the impression of a serious demeanor, and many have noted her “poker face,” but those who knew her described her as having a mischievous sense of humor and a talent for mimicry in private company.
Queen Elizabeth II served as a constant, stabilizing force throughout her 70-year reign, and most people alive today don’t know a world without her in it. Here are ten things to know about her life.
For the succeeding years of the war, Queen Elizabeth II was conscripted multiple times to join in the war effort. This was not just a plaque to her name. She worked in the trenches, helping soldiers and victims of the war.