12 Facts About Queen Elizabeth II

1. Queen Elizabeth II has been England's monarch for more than six decades so it's hard to imagine a time when she will no longer be on the throne.

2. Queen Elizabeth II proved Duchess Meghan's home state of California is on the royal family's minds when she released a heartfelt statement addressing the wildfires in the area.

3. Queen Elizabeth II recently went horse riding with her youngest son Prince Edward.

4. Queen Elizabeth II has led a national act of remembrance on the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I This is the first time Prince Philip has missed the Remembrance Sunday service, after retiring from public duties aged 96 a year ago.

5. Queen Elizabeth II is a living legend for so many reasons.

6. The first official portrait of Queen Elizabeth II was taken by Marcus Adams in 1926.

7. On 3 March 2013, Queen Elizabeth II was admitted to King Edward VII's Hospital as a precaution after developing symptoms of gastroenteritis.

8. In Canada, Queen Elizabeth II publicly supported politically divisive constitutional amendments, prompting criticism from opponents of the proposed changes, including Pierre Trudeau.

9. Queen Elizabeth II gave birth to her first child, Prince Charles, on 14 November 1948.

10. Queen Elizabeth II met her future husband, Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, in 1934 and 1937.

11. In 1940, the 14-year-old Queen Elizabeth II made her first radio broadcast during the BBC's Children's Hour, addressing other children who had been evacuated from the cities.

12. Queen Elizabeth II has occasionally faced republican sentiments and press criticism of the royal family, in particular after the breakdown of her children's marriages, her annus horribilis in 1992 and the death in 1997 of her former daughter-in-law Diana, Princess of Wales.