2022 marks a very special year for the UK as the country is filled with joy celebrating the historic Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. Her Majesty went down in history the first British monarch ever to have reigned for more than 70 years. During her decades-long sovereignty, the Queen has witnessed and experienced every vicissitude of her country, from its rise to a powerful nation to its times of hardships, such as World War II and most recently, Brexit. In every way, Her Majesty remains a respectable figure for her people to count on. As the Queen's celebrating her Platinum Jubilee, let's take a look back at her incredible life.

On April 21, 1926, The Duke and Duchess of York gave birth to their first child - Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor at their private mansion in London. She was called 'Lilibet' for short by her doting parents. Four years later, Elizabeth's sister - Princess Margaret was born.

Princess Elizabeth grew up at White Lodge in Richmond Park, having all the privileges of a royal. She and Margaret received private tutoring at home under the supervision of their mother and governess Marion Crawford. At a very young age, Elizabeth soon developed an interest in horse riding, which she proved excellent at.

The Queen's affection for pets, especially corgis, dated back to when she was a 6-year-old girl. Her first corgi was Dookie, a Pembrokeshire Welsh corgi. The dog was a birthday gift from her father King George VI.

Little Elizabeth's first remarkable milestone came in 1936 when her father - Duke of York, became King George VI after King Edward abdicated the throne. Since King George VI had no sons, Elizabeth was automatically first in line to the British throne.

In this photo taken in 1939, the then 12-year-old Princess Elizabeth was all smiles after she won the Challenge Shield in the annual Children's Annual Swimming Meeting at the London Bath Club. The club was where she and her sister Princess Margaret received swimming lessons.

The ramifications of World War II were so widespread that they can be felt by Princess Elizabeth, who was only a teenager at the time. In 1941, Elizabeth and sister Margaret initiated their first ever radio broadcast during the BBC's Children's Hour, in which they gave inspirational messages to children who had been evacuated from the city and their parents. There's a famous line in her speech that says: 'We know, every one of us, that in the end all will be well.'

The young Future Queen embarked on her first public engagement in 1942 as inspector of the soldiers in the Grenadier Guards. In the previous year, the little Princess was already appointed as colonel of the infantry regiment.

Princess Elizabeth looked majestic in this uniform as she was appointed honorary second subaltern in the Auxiliary Territorial Service in World War II. There, she trained as a driver and mechanic before being promoted to the rank of junior commander five months later.

Princess Elizabeth met Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark in 1939 and immediately fell head over heels for him even though she was only 13 years old at the time. After years of romance, the couple walked down the aisle on 9 July 1947 in Westminster Abbey. After the marriage, Prince Philip received the title the Duke of Edinburg and was granted the style His Royal Highness.

Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip welcomed their first child - Prince Charles on November 14, 1948. Two years later, Buckingham Palace welcomed the arrival of Elizabeth's second child - Princess Anne. As the eldest son of the Queen, Prince Charles has remained the Heir Apparent to the throne since his mother became the Queen in 1952.

Princess Elizabeth officially became the Monarch of the UK and head of multiple independent states of the Commonwealth of Nations on June 2, 1953, following the death of King George VI in the previous year. Her coronation ceremony, which took place in Westminster Abbey, became the first event to be televised, attracting millions of watchers around the world.

On 10 March 1964, the Queen and Prince Philip gave birth to their youngest son, Prince Edward. Four years prior to that, Buckingham Palace already welcomed the birth of Her Majesty's third child - Prince Andrew - which marked the first birth to a reigning British monarch since 1857.

In 1965, the Queen and Prince Philip embarked on a 10-day state visit to the Federal Republic of Germany (or West Germany) - which historically marked the first time a British royal visited Germany since 1913. The Queen's visit not only marked the 20-year anniversary of the end of World War II but also helped strengthen the diplomatic ties between the two powerful nations.

In 1970, Queen Elizabeth II decided to take a break from long-standing royal traditions as she took a stroll in front of the crowds during her visit to Australia and New Zealand. Normally, royals would wave to the public from a protected distance. The Queen's bold initiative has now become a regular practice for British royals

In this snap taken in 1977, the Queen and Prince Philip were celebrating her Silver Jubilee. To mark the Queen's 25 years on the throne, the country was given a public holiday, with several street parties and commemorative events in the three-day celebration.

The Queen welcomed her third grandson in 1982 when Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales gave birth to their first child William - who is now second in line to the throne only after his father.

Princess Diana passed away on August 31, 1997, in a tragic car accident in Paris after years of suffering from Prince Charles' infidelity with Camila Parker-Bowles. The death of the Princess of Wales, who was a public favorite, caused the Queen and the Royal Family's public image to be tarnished. The Queen's emotional speech days after Diana's passing, however, helped relieve public dismay. It was also in 1997 that The Queen and Prince Philip celebrated their Golden Wedding anniversary.

2002 was definitely not a year for Her Majesty as she was faced with many heartbreaking deaths. On February 9, 2002, the Queen's sister - Princess Margaret, died from complications of a stroke at age 82. Shortly afterward, her beloved mother - the Queen Mother also left her on March 30, aged 101. In the same year, the Queen celebrated her Golden Jubilee by visiting the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and many other cities and towns in the UK.

On September 9, 2015, Queen Elizabeth II went down in history as the longest-serving monarch in British history, setting the record of a total of 63 years and 217 days on the throne. The previous record was held by her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria. Nearly one year later, the Queen celebrated her 90th milestone birthday. Previously in 2007, Queen Elizabeth II also surpassed Queen Victoria to be the longest-lived British monarch at age 81.

The Queen's husband of 73 years, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, died aged 99 on April 9, 2021. Three days later, the Queen celebrated her 95th birthday without Prince Philip for the first time in seven decades.

The year 2022 marked 70 years since little Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth II. On the eve of the historic event, the Queen declared that Prince Charles' wife - Camila Parker-Bowles would be the Queen in the future. In a public statement, Her Majesty said:

'When that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service.’

At age 96, Her Majesty is still dedicating her life to bettering the lives of her people. However, due to declining health, she has left Buckingham Palace for good and taken up permanent residence in Windsor Castle.