Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; born 21 April 1926[a]) is the constitutional

monarch of 16 sovereign states, known as the Commonwealth realms, and their

territories and dependencies, and head of the 53-member Commonwealth of
Nations. She is Supreme Governor of the Church of England and, in some of her
realms, carries the title of Defender of the Faith as part of her full title. Elizabeth
was born in London and educated privately at home. Her father acceded to the
throne as George VI in 1936 on the abdication of his brotherEdward VIII, from which
time she was the heir presumptive. She began to undertake public duties during
the Second World War, in which she served in the Auxiliary Territorial Service. In
1947, she married Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, with whom she has four
children: Charles, Anne,Andrew, and Edward. Her coronation service took place in
1953 and was the first to be televised.

The order of succession to the British Throne 1. HRH The Prince Charles, The Prince
of Wales (1948) 2. HRH Prince William of Wales, eldest son of The Prince Charles
(1982) 3. HRH Prince Henry of Wales, younger son of The Prince Charles (1984) 4.
HRH The Prince Andrew, The Duke of York, second son of HM Queen Elizabeth II
(1960) 5. HRH Princess Beatrice of York, elder daughter of The Prince Andrew (1988)
6. HRH Princess Eugenie of York, younger daughter of The Prince Andrew (1990) 7.
HRH The Prince Edward, The Earl of Wessex, youngest son of HM Queen Elizabeth II
(1964) 8. James Alexander Philip Theo Mountbatten Windsor, Viscount Severn, son
of HRH The Prince Edward, The Earl of Wessex (2007) 9. Lady Louise Alice Elizabeth
Mary Mountbatten Windsor, daughter of HRH The Prince Edward, The Earl of Wessex
(2003) 10. HRH The Princess Anne, The Princess Royal, only daughter of HM Queen
Elizabeth II (1950) 11. Peter Phillips, son of The Princess Anne (1977) 12. Zara
Phillips, daughter of The Princess Anne (1981) HM Her (or His) Majesty HRH Her
(or His) Royal Highness

The British Royal Family is the family group of close relatives of the monarch of
the UnitedKingdom. There is no strict legal or formal definition in the UK of who is or
is not a member of the Royal Family, and different lists will include different people.
However, those carrying the style Her or His Majesty (HM), or Her or His Royal
Highness (HRH) are normally considered members. By this criterion, the Royal
Family will usually include the monarch, the consort of the monarch, the widows and
widowers of previous monarchs, the children of the monarch and of previous
monarchs, the male-line grandchildren of the monarch and previous monarchs, and
the wives or widows of a monarch's and previous monarch's sons and male-line
grandsons.

Different terms may be applied to the same or similar group of relatives of the
monarch in his or her role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms.
For example, for Canada the family is known as the Canadian Royal Family.Some
members of the Royal Family have official residences named as the places from
which announcements are made in the Court Circular about official engagements
they have carried out. The state duties and staff of some members of the Royal
Family are funded from a parliamentary annuity, the amount of which is fully
refunded by the Queen to the treasury. [1] After 1917, when King George V changed
the name of the royal house from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, members of the Royal
Family belong, either by birth or marriage, to the House of Windsor. Senior titled
members of the royal family do not usually use a surname, although since
1960 Mountbatten-Windsor (incorporating Prince Philip's adopted surname of
Mountbatten) has been prescribed as a surname for Queen Elizabeth II's direct
descendants who do not have royal styles and titles, and has also sometimes been
used when required for those who do have such titles.

The Queen is supported in her official duties by other working members of the Royal
Family who carry out a wide range of public engagements. In this section, you can
learn more about their working lives, involvement with charities and personal
interests.

Thousands of people meet members of the Royal Family each year. This section
includes guidance on greeting a member of the Royal Family as well as information
on how to contact the private offices of each individual.
You will also find an up-to-date Order of Succession and background on the Royal
family name.

The following list includes some of the persons who have been in the immediate
families of British monarchs from Queen Anne to George VI. Also listed are some
others who may have been related more distantly, by blood or by marriage, to one
or more of those monarchs but not necessarily in the same proximity or kinship as
the persons currently deemed to be members of the present Queen's Royal Family.

Queen Anne (1665-1714);King George I (16601727);King George II (1683

1760);

Queen Victoria (18191901);King Edward VII (18411910)

This is a list of current members of the Royal Family who bear the style
of Majesty or Royal Highness:

HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh (The Queen's husband)

TRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall[5] (The Queen's eldest son and
his second wife)

TRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (The Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess
of Wales' elder son and his wife)

HRH Prince George of Cambridge (The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's son)

HRH Prince Harry of Wales (The Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales'
younger son)

HRH The Duke of York (The Queen's second son)

HRH Princess Beatrice of York (The Duke of York and Sarah, Duchess of York's elder
daughter)

HRH Princess Eugenie of York (The Duke of York and Sarah, Duchess of York's
younger daughter)

TRH The Earl and Countess of Wessex (The Queen's youngest son and his wife)

Viscount Severn (The Earl and Countess of Wessex's son)

Lady Louise Windsor (The Earl and Countess of Wessex's daughter)

HRH The Princess Royal (The Queen's daughter)

TRH The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester (The Queen's cousin and his wife)

TRH The Duke and Duchess of Kent (The Queen's cousin and his wife)

TRH Prince and Princess Michael of Kent (The Queen's cousin and his wife)

HRH Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy (The Queen's cousin)