Editor’s note: Read Queen Elizabeth II’s obituary, where Vogue’s Hamish Bowles looks back at her extraordinary life and legacy.
Queen Elizabeth II was born on April 21, 1926. The beloved longest-reigning and longest-living monarch in British history passed away on September 8, 2022, leaving a lasting legacy of dedication, duty, and poise. Today would have been her 100th birthday.
This week, as people around the world mark a century since the birth of Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles and Queen Camilla visited a new exhibition, “Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style,” which is currently on view at The King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace. The exhibition invites visitors to “discover the remarkable style of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch through clothing worn in all ten decades of her life—from birth to adulthood, from princess to queen, and from off-duty style to dressing for the global stage for momentous occasions in Britain’s history,” according to the Royal Collection Trust.
Nearly four years after her death, Queen Elizabeth remains one of the most popular figures in the royal family. According to a recent survey of British people by YouGov, 81% of respondents had a positive opinion of her. As Charles’s wife, Queen Camilla, said in a BBC documentary broadcast on Sunday: “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anybody have a sense of duty like she had.”
“It must have been so difficult, being surrounded by much older men,” Camilla added, referring to Elizabeth becoming queen in 1952, at the age of 25. “There weren’t women prime ministers or women presidents. She was the only one, so I think she carved her own role.”
To mark her birthday, Vogue selected 37 of the most memorable photos of Queen Elizabeth that have ever been taken. Some show historic moments, like her coronation ceremony. Others show her carrying out her royal duties or traditions, such as recording her annual Christmas message. Some simply give a sense of who she was, whether it’s a picture with one of her many corgis, one where she flashes her signature smile, or highlights of her signature brightly colored ensembles. As she once said: “I have to be seen to be believed.”
Below, see all the most iconic photos of Queen Elizabeth II, in honor of her birthday.
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