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00:29The last King of England and the United Kingdom was the much-loved George VI,
00:35who ruled from 1936 through to his death in 1952.
00:40In February of that year, after surgery for lung cancer,
00:43he died from a heart attack at the age of 56.
00:47He left behind his wife Elizabeth, who became the Queen Mother,
00:51and his two daughters Elizabeth, who was born in 1926,
00:54and Margaret, who was four years younger.
00:57On the 2nd of June 1953, at the age of 27, Elizabeth was crowned Queen.
01:03By this time, she'd already been married for five years to Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.
01:09Over half a century later, Elizabeth II still sits on the throne,
01:14having survived and thrived, while barely putting a foot wrong throughout her entire reign.
01:23As the head of state of 16 countries, the Queen's position is more symbolic than political,
01:28although she is famously well-informed about the intricacies of the political process.
01:35In contrast to centuries gone by,
01:37the role of a monarch in the United Kingdom is now very much that of a figurehead.
01:42Her duties include performing tasks like presiding over the opening of Gatwick Airport,
01:46which she did five years into her reign on the 9th of June 1958.
01:51I'm sure that this airport has a great future before it.
01:56I congratulate all those who, by their labour, their planning and their skill,
02:01have played a part in building it,
02:04and I wish good fortune to all those who will use it.
02:09I have great pleasure in declaring Gatwick Airport open.
02:14Out of all the members of the current royal family,
02:16it is the Queen who is most mindful of the notions of duty and protocol.
02:21Unlike her predecessor, Elizabeth I, who went to her grave childless,
02:25this Queen took care of the succession question early by marrying young
02:29and obligingly providing four heirs, three of whom were boys.
02:34The Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, who was born in 1948,
02:38is now first in line as heir to the throne, followed by his two sons, William and Harry.
02:47During her long reign, the Queen has met many of the most notable people of the last 50 years,
02:52including Marilyn Monroe, to whom she was introduced at a Royal Command performance
02:56of The Prince and the Showgirl in 1957.
03:02In the same year, she was a guest of President Eisenhower,
03:05who made an elaborate toast to her at a White House state dinner in her honour.
03:19Her reign has now encompassed the tenures of ten American presidents,
03:23including Richard Nixon, who visited her in England in 1970.
03:28In her own country, she has seen the coming and going of eleven Prime Ministers.
03:33Other world leaders she has met include Indira Gandhi, Nelson Mandela,
03:37and the Shah of Iran, who visited England in 1948.
03:44During her reign, she has also witnessed the dissolution of the former British Empire
03:48and the evolution of the modern Commonwealth of Nations,
03:51which includes countries like Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
03:56She remains Queen of all the Commonwealth realms, though holds almost no political power,
04:01and is represented in each by a Governor-General.
04:07In the United Kingdom, the monarchy and all of its trappings
04:10play a significant role in the tourism industry.
04:14Throughout her reign, the Queen has taken part in the annual Trooping of the Colour
04:18in front of large crowds,
04:21while spectators turn up at her London residence, Buckingham Palace,
04:24on a daily basis to watch the changing of the Guard.
04:31The Queen of England
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