Picture gallery: The Queen at 75

When Princess Elizabeth was born in 1926, it was never expected that she would eventually become Queen.

The abdication of her uncle Edward VIII in 1936 saw her father George VI ascend to the throne and she in turn became monarch in 1952 following his death.

BBC News Online recalls a lifetime of public service.

The Queen Mother with the then Princess Elizabeth as a baby in 1926

Princess Elizabeth with the Queen Mother on the balcony of Buckingham Palace following the coronation of King George VI

Princess Elizabeth married Prince Phillip in November 1947, an event which cheered up gloomy post-war Britain

Prince Charles was born less than two years afterwards

The Queen's coronation in 1953 was then the biggest television event in British history

The Queen's silver jubilee in 1977 was an occasion of national celebration

The Queen described 1992 as her 'annus horribilis' following a bad year for the Royal family

The death of Princess Diana in 1997 left a nation overwhelmed with grief

The Queen following the Maundy Service this year