Born in 1926, Queen Elizabeth II was crowned head of state, when she was just 25 years old - after the death of her father, George IV, in 1952. She is now the second longest serving British monarch and has presided over half a century of continual change both within the Royal Family, Britain and the Commonwealth. The Queen was the eldest child of Prince Albert, the Duke of York (later George VI) and his wife Elizabeth (later known as the Queen Mother). Elizabeth was educated at home. In 1947, she married Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark in a ceremony at Westminster; they had known each other for several years. They have been happily married for over 65 years, and their relationship is a source of mutual strength. Elizabeth gave birth to their first child in 1948 - the future Prince Charles. They had four children in total (Charles, Anne, Andrew, Edward) In 1952, her father, George VI passed away and Queen Elizabeth was crowned to widespread enthusiasm. Her coronation set TV records around the globe. Queen Elizabeth's role in English politics is purely symbolic . She takes no official stance on British policy of regarding any British political parties. One of the Queen's most important duties are the administration of charities and she presides over more than 600. The issue her charities address very widely from helping children to preserving the environment. The Queen placed great emphasis on her job as uniting the Commonwealth - a difficult job in the post war period as de-colonisation led to many differing problems. However, Elizabeth usually received widespread acclaim, and many say she was a real unifying presence at the Commonwealth meetings. 2012 year , was perhaps her annus mirabilis. Firstly, in April, Prince William married Kate Middleton to widespread public support. Then in summer, her golden jubilee was widely celebrated and popular despite the wet weather. Finally in July 2012, she took part in the opening ceremony of the London Olympics - which was a huge global success. Despite nearing the age of 90 she appears remarkably mobile, and shows no sign of passing the throne to Charles early.