Queen Elizabeth II (21 April 1926) has died aged 96 Buckingham Palace confirms.

The eldest daughter of King George VI and Elizabeth, became Britain’s longest reigning monarch in 2015, surpassing Queen Victoria.

Elizabeth II was not in line to become Queen until her uncle Edward VIII abdicated in 1936. However, she was heir presumptive as her uncle had no children.

During the Second World War the young princess trained as a mechanic and driver in the Auxiliary Territorial Service.

After the war the King and Queen accompanied the Princess on her first overseas tour to South Africa in 1947 and later in the year Elizabeth married Phillip Mountbatten on 20 November.

Her first child and heir apparent upon her succession Prince Charles was born 14 November 1948.

The Queen had a further three children, Princess Anne (15 August 1950), Prince Andrew (19 February 1960) and Prince Edward (10 March 1964).

While on a tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1952 with Prince Phillip news came through while the couple were in Kenya that the King had died.

Elizabeth was coronated Queen Elizabeth II on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey.

In 1961 she made the first royal tour of India in 50 years and was also the first reigning monarch to visit South America (1968) and Persian Gulf (1979).

The Queen brought the Royal family through its toughest period in the 1990s and described 1992 as annis horribilis after Prince Charles and Prince Andrew separated from their wives, Anne divorced her husband and a fire tore through Windsor Castle.

The Queen celebrated her Silver Jubilee in 1977, Golden Jubilee in 2002, Diamond Jubilee in 2012, Sapphire in 2017 and Platinum Jubilee in 2022.

In May 2011 she became the first monarch to visit the Irish Republic and first since 1911 to set foot in Ireland.

On 22 July 2013 the Queens’s great grandson Prince George was born meaning that there were potentially the next three monarchs of Great Britain alive at the same time.

The Queen passed away in her Balmoral home surrounded by her family, including the new monarch and King, Charles.