Diamond Jubilee: The Stamp of Queen Elizabeth's Influence

Diamond Jubilee: 60 Years of Queen Elizabeth II
Hulton-Deutsch Collection / CORBIS

Path to the Throne
The royal family on the balcony at Buckingham Palace after the coronation of King George VI on May 13, 1937. After George's older brother Edward abdicated the throne to marry a socialite divorcée named Wallis Simpson, Elizabeth's father became King. As the oldest child, 11-year-old Elizabeth became the heir presumptive to the throne.

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