This timeline covers the key events and milestones in Queen Elizabeth II's early life, from her birth to her accession to the throne.
Birth
April 21, 1926
Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was born at 2:40 a.m. at the London home of her maternal grandparents, Claude and Cecilia Bowes-Lyon, the Earl and Countess of Strathmore.
Baptism
May 29, 1926
Elizabeth was baptized in the private chapel of Buckingham Palace.
Father's Accession
1936
Her father, Prince Albert, Duke of York, acceded to the throne as King George VI following the abdication of his brother Edward VIII, making the ten-year-old Princess Elizabeth the heir presumptive.
Public Duties
During World War II
Elizabeth began to undertake public duties during the Second World War, serving in the Auxiliary Territorial Service.
