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See the Most Iconic Moments from Queen Elizabeth's Historic Reign

See the Most Iconic Moments from Queen Elizabeth's Historic Reign

Look back at some of the most notable moments from Queen Elizabeth's life

By Maria Mercedes Lara

Updated November 02, 2020 06:03 PM

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WARTIME DUTY

Credit: Popperfoto/Getty

In 1945, a then-Princess Elizabeth did her part for the war effort when she served as an ambulance driver for the Auxiliary Territorial Service during World War II.

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QUICK WIT

Credit: Diana Walker/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty

Queen Elizabeth II made President Ronald Reagan laugh during a state dinner at Windsor Castle in 1982.

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ANNUS HORRIBILIS

Credit: Tim Graham Picture Library/Getty

In 1992, Queen Elizabeth II gave her now-famous "Annus Horribilis" speech on the 40th anniversary of her succession. During that year, Princess Anne and Prince Andrew ended their marriages, Prince Charles and Princess Diana's marriage imploded in the press and Windsor Castle was extensively damaged in a fire.

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A UNITED ROYAL FAMILY

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Prince Charles, Princess Kate, Princess Charlotte, Prince George, Prince William and Prince Harry joined Queen Elizabeth II on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in 2016 for the special Trooping the Colour flypast in honor of her 90th birthday.

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SCOTTISH DAYS

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Queen Elizabeth II posed with Prince Philip and their children at her favorite castle — Balmoral — in 1972.

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SAY CHEESE

Credit: Peter Macdiarmid/Pool/Getty

A cheeky young man snapped a selfie with Queen Elizabeth II when she visited Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 2014.

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THE WINDSOR WOMEN

Credit: Ken Goff/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty

(From left) Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and Queen Elizabeth II stepped out onto the balcony at Buckingham Palace to celebrate the Queen Mother's 100th birthday in 2000. Both Margaret and the Queen Mother would pass away two years later.

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WOMEN IN POWER

Credit: Anwar Hussein/Getty

Queen Elizabeth II was joined by Margaret Thatcher in Zambia for the Commonwealth conference in 1979.

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THE NEW QUEEN

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Queen Elizabeth II is greeted by (from left) Sir Winston Churchill, Clement Attlee, Anthony Eden and Frederick James Marquis, 1st Earl of Woolton and Lord President of the Council, as she arrived from Kenya, where she was on a royal tour when her father King George VI died in 1952.

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SISTER SISTER

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Princesses Elizabeth (left) and Margaret played with their dogs outside the Royal Lodge in Windsor Castle during a portrait session in 1942.

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DIANA YEARS

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Queen Elizabeth II posed with Prince Charles and his then-fiancée Lady Diana Spencer at Buckingham Palace in 1981. Several months later, Diana and Charles would be married.

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AT THE WHEEL

Credit: Bob Haswell/Express/Getty

In 1958, Queen Elizabeth II flashed a smile when she drove herself to a polo match in Windsor.

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LIL' LILYBET

Credit: Marcus Adams/Paul Popper/Popperfoto/Getty

A then-Princess Elizabeth posed for a portrait in 1928. One of the snaps from this sitting ended up on the cover of TIME that same year.

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TOUCH UPS

Credit: David Levenson/Getty

Queen Elizabeth II took a momeny during the Windsor Horse Show in 1985 to reapply her lipstick.

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QUEEN OF STYLE

Credit: Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty

Queen Elizabeth II looked chic in white when she attended a garden party in Sydney in 1954.

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ROYAL GRANDMA

Credit: Anwar Hussein/Getty

Queen Elizabeth attempted to calm her first grandchild, Peter Phillips, after her started to cry after his christening in 1977. Peter is being held by his mother Princess Anne.

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CRACKING UP

Credit: Phil Noble/WPA Pool/Getty

Queen Elizabeth II made Princess Kate laugh during an event in Nottingham, England, in 2012.

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MUST LOVE DOGS

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Queen Elizabeth II posed with two of her beloved corgis during her annual summer vacation at Balmoral Castle in 1971.

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QUEENLY CALM

Credit: GAMMA/Gamma-Keystone/Getty

Queen Elizabeth II didn't break her stride when a guard fainted during the Trooping the Colour ceremony in 1970. The Queen showed similar calm when a man fired six blanks at her while she rode past during the Trooping the Colour ceremony in 1981.

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OPENING UP

Credit: Jim Bennett

Queen Elizabeth II made headlines when she was spotted driving Princess Kate's mother Carole Middleton during an outing at Balmoral in 2016. The moment signified that the royal family had opened up more to their in-laws after several high-profile divorces.

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A ROSE FOR ENGLAND

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Queen Elizabeth II recieved a rose from a young mourner outside Princess Diana's funeral in 1997.

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GRANNY'S PRIDE

Credit: Tim Graham/Getty

Queen Elizabeth II exchanged a smile with grandson Prince Harry while inspecting soldiers at the Sovereign's Parade at the Sandhurst Military Academy in 2006.

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HORSE GIRL

Credit: Lichfield/Getty

An avid horsewoman, Queen Elizabeth II rode on horseback during a family vacation at Balmoral Castle in 1971.

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STIFF UPPER LIP

Credit: LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty

Queen Elizabeth II kept a straight face during her hilarious entrance during the Opening Ceremony for the London 2012 Olympic Games. Her stern expression from this event would later become a meme.

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HAPPIER TIMES

Credit: Lichfield/Getty

Queen Elizabeth II appeared in high spirits onboard the HMY Britannia in 1972. The yacht, which was beloved by the Queen, was decommisioned by parliamnet in 1997.

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GLITTER QUEEN

Credit: ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty

Queen Elizabeth II sparkled in diamonds as attended the Opening of Parliament in 2000.

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A TIME FOR MOURNING

Credit: Tim Graham/Getty

Queen Elizabeth II laid a wreath outside the Dunblane Primary School in Scotland in 1996. The school was the site of one of the deadliest mass shootings in the United Kingdom's history when a gunman killed 16 children and their teacher before taking his own life.

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ROYAL WEDDING

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Queen Elizabeth II married Prince Philip in 1947.

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THE BRITISH BULLDOG

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Queen Elizabeth II chatted with Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1953. She was joined by a young Prince Charles and Princess Anne.

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SHARP SHOOTER

Credit: Tim Ockenden/PA

Queen Elizabeth II fired a SA 80 rifle when she attended the centenary of the Army Rifle Association at Bisley, England, in 1993.

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LETTING LOOSE

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A then-Princess Elizabeth played around with crewmembers aboard the HMS Vanguard during the royal family's trip to South Africa in 1947.

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FULL REGALIA

Credit: Bettmann/CORBIS

Queen Elizabeth II posed for a formal portrait after her coronation in 1953.

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GIRL POWER

Credit: Tim Graham Picture Library/Getty

Queen Elizabeth II met with the Spice Girls after a performance in London in 1997.

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MOTHER AND SON

Credit: Nick Knight

Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth II posed for a portrait together in 2016.

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See the Most Iconic Moments from Queen Elizabeth's Historic Reign

1 of 38

WARTIME DUTY

1 of 38

2 of 38

QUICK WIT

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3 of 38

ANNUS HORRIBILIS

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4 of 38

A UNITED ROYAL FAMILY

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5 of 38

SCOTTISH DAYS

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SAY CHEESE

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THE WINDSOR WOMEN

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WOMEN IN POWER

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THE NEW QUEEN

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SISTER SISTER

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DIANA YEARS

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AT THE WHEEL

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LIL' LILYBET

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TOUCH UPS

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QUEEN OF STYLE

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ROYAL GRANDMA

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CRACKING UP

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MUST LOVE DOGS

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QUEENLY CALM

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OPENING UP

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A ROSE FOR ENGLAND

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GRANNY'S PRIDE

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HORSE GIRL

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STIFF UPPER LIP

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HAPPIER TIMES

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GLITTER QUEEN