10 Fast Facts About Queen Elizabeth II On Her 90th Birthday
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Queen Elizabeth II, the longest reigning monarch in British history, turns 90 on Thursday.
The queen is planning to celebrate with a stroll outside the grounds of Windsor Castle, the lighting of a beacon, and a night at home with family, the Associated Press reported.
PHOTOS: Queen Elizabeth II Through The Years
Learn more about the life of Queen Elizabeth II with the following facts as we wish her a happy birthday!
- Her Majesty was born in London, England on April 21, 1926 to parents King George VI and mother Queen Elizabeth.
- Her birth name is Elizabeth Alexandra Mary. She is named after her mother Queen Elizabeth, her paternal great-grandmother Queen Alexandra and her paternal grandmother Queen Mary.
- She married Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, on Nov. 20, 1947 and has four children, eight grandchildren, and five great grandchildren. She also has 30 godchildren.
- She ascended to the throne in February 1952 after her father died of lung cancer.
- Her coronation took place in Westminster Abbey in June 1953.
- The Queen, who does not need a passport to travel internationally, made her first state visit to the United States in October 1957.
- On June 13, 1981, a teenager fired six blanks at the Queen while she rode on horseback through London.
- In 1982, Queen Elizabeth II woke to find an intruder in her bedroom after the man managed to break into Buckingham Palace by scaling the perimeter wall and then shimmying up a drain pipe.
- Her Majesty has owned more than 30 corgis during her reign, and even created a new dog breed -- the "dorgi" -- when one of her corgis was mated with her sister's dachshund.
- On Sept. 9, 2015, Queen Elizabeth II became the longest-reigning monarch in British history, surpassing her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria, who ruled for 63 years and seven months.
