Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary) was the Queen of 16 of the 53 member states in the Commonwealth of Nations, Head of the Commonwealth, and Supreme Governor of the Church of England. Upon her accession on 6 February 1952, Elizabeth became Head of the Commonwealth and queen regnant of seven independent Commonwealth countries: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon. Her coronation service the following year was the first to be televised. From 1956 to 1992, the number of her realms varied as territories gained independence and some realms became republics. Today, in addition to the first four of the aforementioned countries, Elizabeth is Queen of Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Kitts and Nevis. She is the world's oldest reigning monarch as well as Britain's longest-lived. If still reigning on 10 September 2015, she will have become the longest-reigning British head of state and the longest-reigning female monarch in history, surpassing Queen Victoria. Elizabeth was born in London as the elder daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York, later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, and educated privately at home. Her father acceded to the throne on the abdication of his brother Edward VIII in 1936, from which time she was the heir presumptive. She began to undertake public duties during the Second World War, in which she served in the Auxiliary Territorial Service. In 1947, she married Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, with whom she had four children: Charles (who became King Charles III after her death), Anne, Andrew, and Edward. Elizabeth's many historic visits and meetings include a state visit to the Republic of Ireland, the first state visit of an Irish president to the United Kingdom, and reciprocal visits to and from the Pope. She saw major constitutional changes, such as devolution in the United Kingdom, Canadian patriation, and the decolonisation of Africa. She also reigned through various wars and conflicts involving many of her realms. In her capacity as queen of the United Kingdom, Elizabeth II was styled, "Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith". The title "Defender of the Faith" reflects the Sovereign's position as the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, who is thus formally superior to the Archbishop of Canterbury. The original Latin phrase - Fidei Defensor - is referred to on all current British (and some Commonwealth) coins by the abbreviations F D or FID DEF. This reference was first added to British coins in 1714, during the reign of King George I. The decision of the Royal Mint to omit reference to the phrase (and other parts of the monarch's style) from the pre-decimal British "Godless Florin" in 1849, caused such a scandal that the coin was replaced. |
Reigned as | In Country | From | To | Coins Issued | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Pakistan, Dominion of | 6 February 1952 | 23 March 1956 | |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Cyprus, British | 6 February 1952 | 16 August 1960 | |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
South Africa | 6 February 1952 | 31 May 1961 | |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Kenya Colony | 6 February 1952 | 12 December 1963 | |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
British West Africa | 6 February 1952 | 5 October 1965 | 7 |
Queen Elizabeth II | East African Currency Board | 6 February 1952 | 1966 | ||
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Ceylon, British | 6 February 1952 | 22 May 1972 | |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Bahamas, British Crown Colony | 6 February 1952 | 10 July 1973 | |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
New Guinea, Territory of | 6 February 1952 | 15 September 1975 | |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
British Honduras | 6 February 1952 | 21 September 1981 | 57 |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Fiji | 6 February 1952 | 6 October 1987 | 130 |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Hong Kong, British | 6 February 1952 | 30 June 1997 | |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Alderney | 6 February 1952 | 8 September 2022 | 45 |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Ascension Island | 6 February 1952 | 8 September 2022 | 4 |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Bermuda | 6 February 1952 | 8 September 2022 | 3 |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Canada | 6 February 1952 | 8 September 2022 | 284 |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Falkland Islands | 6 February 1952 | 8 September 2022 | 5 |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Gibraltar | 6 February 1952 | 8 September 2022 | 67 |
Queen Elizabeth II, Lord of Mann |
|
Isle of Man | 6 February 1952 | 8 September 2022 | 240 |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Saint Helena | 6 February 1952 | 8 September 2022 | 203 |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Tristan da Cunha | 6 February 1952 | 8 September 2022 | 1 |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
United Kingdom | 6 February 1952 | 8 September 2022 | 2,615 |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Australia | 6 February 1952 | 9 September 2022 | 2,685 |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
New Zealand | 6 February 1952 | 9 September 2022 | 554 |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Tokelau | 6 February 1952 | 9 September 2022 | 216 |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Ghana | 6 March 1957 | 1 July 1960 | |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Nigeria | 1 October 1960 | 1 October 1963 | 8 |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Sierra Leone | 27 April 1961 | 19 April 1971 | |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Tanganyika | 9 December 1961 | 9 December 1962 | |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Montserrat | 31 May 1962 | 8 September 2022 | 10 |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Cayman Islands | 6 August 1962 | 8 September 2022 | 11 |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Jamaica | 6 August 1962 | 8 September 2022 | 2 |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Trinidad and Tobago | 31 August 1962 | 1 August 1976 | |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Uganda | 9 October 1962 | 9 October 1963 | |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Kenya | 12 December 1963 | 12 December 1964 | |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Malawi | 6 July 1964 | 6 July 1966 | |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Malta | 21 September 1964 | 1 July 1974 | |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Gambia | 18 February 1965 | 24 April 1970 | |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Cook Islands | 4 August 1965 | 9 September 2022 | 968 |
Queen Elizabeth II (unrecognised) |
|
Rhodesia | 11 November 1965 | 2 March 1975 | |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Guyana | 26 May 1966 | 23 February 1970 | |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Barbados | 30 November 1966 | 30 November 2021 | 44 |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
British Virgin Islands | 23 March 1967 | 8 September 2022 | 25 |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Mauritius | 12 March 1968 | 12 March 1992 | 2 |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Anguilla | 18 March 1969 | 8 September 2022 | 11 |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Bahamas | 10 July 1973 | 8 September 2022 | 224 |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Grenada | 7 February 1974 | 8 September 2022 | 10 |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Niue | 19 October 1974 | 9 September 2022 | 3,018 |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Papua New Guinea | 16 September 1975 | 9 September 2022 | 11 |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Solomon Islands | 7 July 1978 | 9 September 2022 | 255 |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Tuvalu | 1 October 1978 | 9 September 2022 | 550 |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Saint Lucia | 22 February 1979 | 8 September 2022 | 10 |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 27 October 1979 | 8 September 2022 | 10 |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Belize | 21 September 1981 | 8 September 2022 | |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Antigua and Barbuda | 1 November 1981 | 8 September 2022 | 10 |
Queen Elizabeth II |
|
Saint Kitts and Nevis | 19 September 1983 | 8 September 2022 | 10 |
|