On this day in 1952, Princess Elizabeth was crowned as Queen Elizabeth II at 27 years old. Elizabeth was crowned because King George VI of Great Britain died in his sleep in his royal estate in Sandringham, Britain. Elizabeth was in Kenya when the news of King George’s death came out. She was the oldest of the king’s two daughters and was next in line to succeed him.

Queen Elizabeth was born on April 21, 1926, and was known to her family as ‘Lilibet’. At youth, she was put in place to succeed her father. She married her distant cousin, Philip Mountbatten, on November 20, 1947, in London’s Westminster Abbey. Elizabeth’s first child, Prince Charles, was born in 1948.

From the start of Elizabeth’s reign, she understood the value of public relations and allowed her 1953 coronation to be televised, despite objections from Prime Minister Winston Churchill and others, who felt it would disrupt the ceremony. Elizabeth, the 40th British monarch since William the Conqueror, has worked hard at her royal duties and is a popular figure around the world. In 2003, she celebrated 50 years on the throne, only the 5th British monarch to do so.

The Queen’s reign, however, has not all been extravagant. She was regarded as cold and distant following the 1996 divorce of her son, Prince Charles, and Princess Diana, and again after Diana’s 1997 fatal car crash. Additionally, the role of the monarchy today has been questioned as British taxpayers have complained about covering the royal family’s travel expenses and palace upkeep. Still, the Royals are powerful in the world in helping Great Britain and a huge tourism draw. Today, the queen—a passionate horsewoman and Corgi lover—is one of the world’s wealthiest women, with extensive real-estate holdings and art and jewelry collections.