Queen Elizabeth II was born on
April 21, 1926. Her Majesty was the first child of King George VI (The Duke of
York) and Queen Elizabeth.
Elizabeth becomes Queen
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is
Queen of Canada. She has dedicated her life to public service and continues to
serve Canada and Canadians. On her 21st birthday (April 21, 1947), she
addressed the Commonwealth and dedicated her life "whether it be long or
short" to the service of others. Ever since, she has been steadfast in
keeping her promise — a promise valued by Canada and the entire Commonwealth.
Early life and education
Princess Elizabeth was educated
at home with her younger sister, the late Princess Margaret. During that time,
the future queen learned French, which she speaks fluently. Princess Elizabeth
gave her first radio address at age 14 as bombs dropped on London during the
Second World War, in which she served.
Marriage and family
On November 20, 1947, Princess
Elizabeth married Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, now His Royal Highness The
Duke of Edinburgh. They have four children:
Prince Charles, The Prince of
Wales, Heir to the Throne
Princess Anne, The Princess Royal
Prince Andrew, The Duke of York
Prince Edward, The Earl of Wessex
Elizabeth becomes Queen
After her father's death, Her
Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was crowned in Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953.
Canadian guests at the coronation included the Prime Minister, Louis St.
Laurent, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario Louis Breithaupt and his premier,
Leslie Frost, as well as Premier of Saskatchewan Tommy Douglas, Quebec Cabinet
ministers Onésime Gagnon and John Samuel Bourque, Mayor of Toronto Allan A.
Lamport, and Chief of the Squamish Nation Joe Mathias.
In 1953, a Canadian law, the
Royal Style and Titles Act formally conferred upon Elizabeth II the title of
Queen of Canada.
Charitable work and military appointments
The Queen of Canada continues to
champion public and voluntary service around the world. Her Majesty is patron
of more than 600 charities and organizations, of which 36 are in Canada. These
include the Canadian Cancer Society and the Canadian Nurses Association. This
sense of service has been transmitted to all members of the Royal Family. The
Queen continues to highlight the critical role of the Canadian Forces by
serving as Colonel-in-Chief, Captain General and Air Commodore-in-Chief of the
following units across Canada:
Royal Canadian Air Force
Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
of Canada
The Calgary Highlanders
Canadian Military Engineers
The Canadian Grenadier Guards
Governor General's Foot Guards
Governor General's Horse Guards
The King's Own Calgary Regiment
Le Régiment de la Chaudière
The Royal New Brunswick Regiment
The Royal Regiment of Canadian
Artillery
Royal 22e Régiment
48th Highlanders of Canada
The Canadian Armed Forces Legal
Branch
The Stormont, Dundas and
Glengarry Highlanders
The North Shore (New Brunswick)
Regiment
The Canadian Forces School of
Military Engineering
In 2012, the Queen became
Commissioner-in-Chief of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Her Majesty
held the title of Honorary Commissioner since 1953.
Tours of Canada
The Queen (then Princess
Elizabeth) and The Duke of Edinburgh first toured Canada in the fall of 1951.
Since her accession to the Throne, Her Majesty has completed more royal tours
in Canada than to any other Commonwealth country.
The Queen's 2010 tour marked her
22nd official tour of Canada as our Queen. The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh
participated in many public events, including the Canada Day Noon Show on Parliament
Hill in Ottawa on July 1 and participated in the celebrations of the centennial
of the Royal Canadian Navy.
Special Anniversaries
In 2017, Her Majesty celebrated
the 150th anniversary of Confederation as well as her Sapphire Jubilee, 65
years of service to Canada. At an event
in Canada House, London, His Excellency The Right Honourable David Johnston
presented a Sapphire Jubilee Snowflake Brooch to Her Majesty, a gift of thanks
from the people of Canada.
The year 2012 marked Her
Majesty's Diamond Jubilee, her 60th anniversary as Queen of Canada.
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