Queen Elizabeth II

Age: 85
Occupation: Monarch

She wasn't born to be Queen — it took the abdication of her uncle Edward VIII to crown her stammering father George VI — but Elizabeth II has never been less than queenly since she ascended the throne in 1952. Despite occasional criticism that she is too remote, most notably after the 1997 death of Princess Diana, the Queen has commanded approval ratings throughout her 60-year reign that would turn politicians green with envy. God save the Queen? So say big majorities in the United Kingdom and across the Commonwealth.

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