Ahead of the late Queen Elizabeth II's centenary, the British Royal Family is celebrating her legacy through a special tribute.
In the Royal Family's latest Instagram post on Monday, April 20, Buckingham Palace unveiled a heartwarming video showing the former Queen's "unexpected" rise to the throne and her decades-long reign on Britain.
Queen Elizabeth II was not supposed to become the reigning monarch of the UK until the age of 10, when her uncle, King Edward VIII, abdicated the throne, making her father, George VI, to become the King of the country.
The delightful montage began with Elizabeth's 1947 address, when she was 21 years old, in which she pledged, "I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service."
"On her 21st birthday in 1947, Queen Elizabeth II pledged to devote her life to the service of her people. She remained true to her word – undertaking official duties up until her final days," stated the palace in the post's caption.
They added, "Tomorrow would have been her 100th birthday. Ahead of events to mark the anniversary, we look back on Her late Majesty's life and work."
The clip also included several more milestone moments, including her wartime address to the nation at the age of 14, and her first solo engagement on her 16th birthday.
On June 2, 1953, Elizabeth II became the Queen of the United Kingdom.
In the video, the Royal Family proudly shared that throughout her reign, the late Queen carried out 21,000 official engagements, visited more than 100 countries, hosted 112 State Visits to the UK, was served by 15 Prime Ministers, and gave Royal Assent to more than 4,000 Acts of Parliament.
It was also shared that over the course of her reign, Her late Majesty conducted over 650 investitures, held more than 50 ranks and appointments in the British and Commonwealth Armed Services, and was patron of more than 500 organisations.
Queen Elizabeth II was born on April 21, 1926, and tomorrow, Tuesday, April 21, 2026, will mark what would have been her 100th birthday.
