Photographed in 1969, Clarence Palace in London, England, by Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip. In 1947 Elizabeth married Prince Philip of Greece. Philip was Elizabeth's third cousin, and their grandmothers were queen Victoria. Prince Philip vowed to renounce the Greek succession before his marriage, a marriage that was ideal for a woman who was about to succeed to the throne because her husband had been educated in the royal family but would not succeed to another throne.
Elizabeth II became Monarch of the United Kingdom on 6 February 1952 and was crowned on 2 June 1953 as the Head of state of the Commonwealth, the supreme head of Parliament, the longest reigning monarch in British history, and the longest reigning female monarch and head of state in world history. She was named the 29th most influential 100 women in the world by Forbes in 2016.