Queen Elizabeth II: Over the Years

Queen Elizabeth II, then Princess Elizabeth, poses for her 21st birthday release picture, during a three day rest in the Natal National Park in South Africa on April 11, 1947. (AP Photo)

Specially posed portrait of HRH Princess Elizabeth, later Queen Elizabeth II, before the microphone for her 21st Birthday speech, April 21, 1947, which she made from Cape Town, South Africa. (AP Photo)

Princess Elizabeth poses with her father, King George VI, her mother Queen Elizabeth and her sister Princess Magaret in February 1947 in Cape Town during her first official state visit to South Africa. 

Queen Elizabeth II receives from Oba Adeniji Adele II a message in Lagos during her trip in Nigeria in 1956. (Photo by INTERCONTINENTALE / AFP)

Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother accompanied by the guard commander Major R. Aikenhead, inspects a guard of honor of the Second Battalion the Kings African rifles at the great Indaba in the Matotos Hills, near then Bullawayo, Rhodesia on July 8, 1957.

Queen Elizabeth II and President of Ghana Kwame Nkrumah wave to the crowd as part of a state visit in Ghana on November 1961. (Photo by AFP)

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip were greeted by Liberian President William Tubman and his wife Antoinette Padmore Tubman, on their arrival in the capital city of Monrovia for a one-day visit, Nov. 23, 1961. The British monarch, who had just completed an extensive state tour of Ghana, headed for Freetown, Sierra Leone, on her West Africa trip. (AP Photo)

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, centre, looks on as local women draw water in a market place at Jowara, Gambia, on Dec. 5, 1961. Queen Elizabeth is on a three-day visit to Gambia, Britain's oldest African colony. It was the last port of call in the Royal tour of West Africa. (AP Photo/Leslie Priest)

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh meets people in Accra as part of a state visit in Ghana on November 17, 1961. (Photo by AFP)

Queen Elizabeth II and Emperor Haile Selassie, the British Monarch's host on her state visit to Ethiopia, watch the Tississat Falls, the second largest in Africa. The Queen took motion pictures on falls during her visit there on Feb. 5, 1965. (AP Photo)

Queen Elizabeth II meets Emperor of Ethiopia Haile Selassie in Addis Abeba during a state visit in Ethiopia on February 1965. (Photo by AFP)

Thousands of Malawian women cheer and wave their hands at Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Malawi's President Hastings Banda as they drive from the airport in Blantyre, Malawi on July 22, 1979.the Queen is on the second leg of her four-nation African tour. (AP Photo)

Queen Elizabeth II of England is escorted by Botswana President, Sir Seretse Khama, and his son Brig. Gen Ian Khama on her arrival in Gaberone, Botswana on July 25, 1979, the third stop on the Queen's four-nation Africa tour. (AP Photo)

Zambia's President Kenneth Kaunda greets Britain's Queen Elizabeth II upon her arrival in Lusaka, Zambia on the final leg of her four-nation African tour on July 29, 1979. Next to the Queen is her husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. (AP Photo)

In this file photo taken Oct. 10, 1991 Britain's Queen Elizabeth II is escorted by Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, right, after the Queen's arrival at Harare airport on a second visit to the country. 

Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh stand with President of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe (L) shortly before he reviewed a guard of honour May 17, 1994.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II presents the Order of Merit medal to President Nelson Mandela at the start of a brief meeting at Mandela's office, March 20, 1995. The Queen is in South Africa, her first to the country since 1947

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II chats with workers at the Landrover factory in the north-west of Pretoria March 24, 1995. The Queen is on a six-day state visit to South Africa

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by Port Elizabeth mayor Nceba Faku, in Xhosa traditional dress, smile at residents outside the Centenary hall in New Brighton township, March 22, 1995. The Queen is on a six-day official visit to South Africa, her first to the country since 1947.

Queen Elizabeth II is greeted by residents outside Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto township southwest of Johannesburg, South Africa, March 23, 1995. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II chats with an auid in the Natal Society for the Blind in Umbilo near Durban, March 25, 1995. Queen Elizabeth is on the last day of a six day visit to South Africa

South African President Nelson Mandela stands with Britain Queen Elizabeth II on his arrival at Buckingham Palace, in London for a state banquet in his honour following his arrival in Britain, July 9, 1996.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II meets Kenya's President Daniel Arap Moi during a private audience at Buckingham Palace in London, November 25, 1998. 

Queen Elizabeth II chats with Ghana's President Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings, November 8,1999 during the second day of her official state visit to the country.  Earlier in the day the Queen had stepped into controversy when she praised Jerry Rawlings in a speech to parliament.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II looks at a craft display presented by students at La Wireless school in Accra, on the second day of her state visit to Ghana November 8, 1999. The Queen accompanied by her husband [Prince Phillip] began a three nation African tour on Sunday.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth talks with young cricketers while on a visit to Alexander Township, north of Johannesburg, South Africa Thursday November 11 1999. The Queen is on a state visit ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting starting Friday in Durban. (Photo by THEMBA HADEBE / AP POOL / AFP)

Queen Elizabeth II, flanked by Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo (R), plants a banana tree 04 December 2003 as they visit the Millenium Park in Abuja, Nigeria.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II reviews the honor guard upon her arrival at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, Nigeria, 03 December 2003.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II watches a dance performance by school children with her husband Prince Philip (R) during her visit to the Kitante Primary School in Kampala, on the last day of her state visit to Uganda, 24 November 2007

Queen Elizabeth II meets Africa Regional Winner of the Commonwealth Youth Awards Achaleke Christian Leke (2nd L) and Caribbean Regional Winner Shamoy Hajare (3rd L) at the annual Commonwealth Day reception at Marlborough House in London, March 14, 2016. 

In this file photo taken on June 5, 2022 Britain's Queen Elizabeth II stands beside Britain's Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and waves to the public as she appears on Buckingham Palace balcony at the end of the Platinum Pageant in London. - Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-serving monarch in British history and an icon instantly recognisable to billions of people around the world, has died aged 96, Buckingham Palace said on Thursday, September 8, 2022.