Queen Elizabeth's life in pictures

Since taking the throne in 1952, Queen Elizabeth has served as the beloved ruler of the United Kingdom and with the 96-year-old monarch's doctors warning of her deteriorating health, the world's eyes are now on her Scottish home Balmoral Castle as the royal family gathers by her side to say their final goodbyes.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth views the interior of the refurbished East Wing of Somerset House at King's College in London, Britain, Feb. 29, 2012. The queen was celebrating her 60th anniversary as regent in 2012.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip pose for a portrait at Buckingham Palace in London, Britain in 1952. Picture taken in 1952.

Queen Elizabeth II (R), Prince Philip (C) and David Webster speak with ballerina Margot Fonteyn at CG Gala, Britain, June 10, 1958.

Queen Elizabeth II (2nd R) and Prince Philip (L) pose with U.S. President John F. Kennedy (R) and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy at Buckingham Palace in London, Britain, June 5, 1961.

A photograph taken in the 1970s showing Britain's Queen Elizabeth standing on a beach at an unknown location is seen in this undated handout photograph received in London on Nov. 21, 2008. The photograph is being sold by a private collector, along with other informal photographs of members of the royal family, from a variety of sources.

U.S. President Gerald Ford and Britain's Queen Elizabeth dance during a state dinner in honor of the Queen and Prince Philip at the White House in Washington, U.S., July 7, 1976.

U.S. President Ronald Reagan rides horses with Britain's Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle near London, Britain, June 8, 1982.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip attend the Beating the Retreat ceremony on Horseguards Parade, June 13, 1996. The Retreat, which was played by the massed bands of the Royal Marines, was in honor of Prince Philip's 75th birthday. Philip was the captain general of the Royal Marines.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II rides her horse on the grounds of Windsor Castle after the recent death of the Queen Mother, Britain, April 2, 2002.

The Queen (L) and Prince Charles walk behind the Queen Mother's coffin following her funeral at Westminster Abbey in central London, April 9, 2002. Royal dignitaries and politicians from around the world gathered at Westminster Abbey to pay their respects to the Queen Mother who died on March 30, 2002, aged 101.

British Queen Elizabeth II stands in silence inside the "Neue Wache" anti-war memorial in front of a sculpture "Mother with dead son" by German artist Kaethe Kollwitz in Berlin, Germany, Nov. 2, 2004. Queen Elizabeth II flew into Berlin for a state visit intended to focus on present-day ties with Germany but which has stirred up old controversies over World War II. However, worries over whether the queen should apologize for devastating British air raids on German cities did little to deter crowds of well-wishers who waited to see the 78-year-old monarch, wearing a mint-green ensemble and black gloves, on her fourth state visit to Germany.

A picture showing Britain's Queen Elizabeth (C) with her daughter Princess Anne (R) and her granddaughter Zara Phillips riding at Windsor Castle during Easter, was released by Buckingham Palace to mark the monarch's 78th birthday, April 21, 2004.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II smiles with Prince William (R) during the Sovereign's Parade at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst, southern England, Dec. 15, 2006. Prince William, eager to draw a line under a decade of conspiracy theories about the death of his mother Princess Diana, graduated as an army officer to launch his military career.

South African President Nelson Mandela is accompanied by Britain's Queen Elizabeth II in a carriage ride to a Buckingham Palace lunch on the first day of his state visit to Britain, July 9, 2008.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth (4th R) listens to a verse of the Quran at the Green Mosque in Bursa, Türkiye, May 14, 2008.

Britain's Prince Charles kisses the hand of his mother, Queen Elizabeth, after she presented him with a Royal Horticultural Society Victoria Medal of Honour, during a visit to the Chelsea Flower Show in London, Britain, May 18, 2009.

Britain's Prince William and his bride Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (C), pose for an official photograph, with their families, on the day of their wedding, in the throne room at Buckingham Palace, in central London, Britain, April 29, 2011. (Front row L-R) Grace van Cutsem, Eliza Lopes, Prince Philip, Britain's Queen Elizabeth, Margarita Armstrong-Jones, Louise Windsor, William Lowther-Pinkerton. (Back Row L-R) Tom Pettifer, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Charles, Prince Harry, Michael Middleton, Carole Middleton, James Middleton, Pippa Middleton. Photograph taken on April 29, 2011.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth attends a service for the Order of the British Empire, at St Paul's Cathedral in London, Britain, March 7, 2012.

Members of Britain's royal family (front L-R) Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles cheer as competitors participate in a sack race at the Braemar Gathering in Braemar, Scotland, Sept. 1, 2012.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth visits the National Memorial to the Few in Folkestone, Folkestone, southern England, March 26, 2015.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II is pictured through a gap in a floral exhibit by the New Covent Garden Flower Market, which features an image of the Queen, during a visit to the 2016 Chelsea Flower Show in central London, Britain, May 23, 2016.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth delivers the Queen's Speech during the State Opening of Parliament in central London, on May 18, 2016.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth reads the Queen's Speech during the State Opening of Parliament in the House of Lords in London, Britain, May 18, 2016.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth looks at products on the shelves at a Waitrose supermarket during a visit to the town of Poundbury, Britain, Oct. 27, 2016.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II greets Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a receiving line for the Queen's Dinner for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) at Buckingham Palace in London, Britain, April 19, 2018.

Frankie Dettori celebrates with the trophy after winning the 4.20 Gold Cup on Stradivarius as Britain's Queen Elizabeth looks, Ascot, Britain, June 20, 2019.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth is reflected in the mirror of a car, as she watches horses competing on the second day of the Royal Windsor Horse Show and Platinum Jubilee Celebration in Windsor, Britain, May 13, 2022.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, walk at Broadlands in Romsey, southern England in this undated photograph taken in 2007. The queen and Prince Philip will mark their diamond wedding anniversary with a special service of thanksgiving on Nov. 19, 2007.

The hand of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II (L) is held by her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, after her speech at the State Opening of Parliament in the House of Lords in London, Nov. 13, 2002.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II takes her seat for the funeral of Britain's Prince Philip, who died at the age of 99, at St. George's Chapel, in Windsor, Britain, April 17, 2021.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth proceeds through the Royal Gallery before the State Opening of Parliament in the House of Lords, at the Palace of Westminster in London, Britain May 27, 2015.