Queen Elizabeth II

On 21 April 1926, Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was born at 17 Bruton Street, Mayfair, London — the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York. Few imagined she would one day be Queen. Her father's older brother, Edward, was heir to the throne, and Elizabeth was simply expected to live the life of a minor royal. From her earliest days, she was said to have an extraordinary calm and a natural dignity far beyond her years.