(b.April 21, 1926), Elizabeth Alexandra Mary ascended to queen of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in February 6, 1952, upon the death of her father King George VI. In 1944, she served as a councillor of state during World War II; she married Philip, Duke of Edinburgh on November 20, 1947, and bore him four children: Prince Charles Philip Arthur George, November 14, 1948; Princess Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise, August 15, 1950; Prince Andrew Albert Christian Edward, February 19, 1960; and Prince Edward Anthony Richard Louis, March 10, 1964.
On February 16, 1954, in a speech from the throne opening a session of the Australian Parliament, Melbourne, Queen Elizabeth II stated:
It is my resolve that under God I shall not only rule but serve. That is not only the tradition of my family. It describes, I believe, the modern character of the British Crown.3847