Elizabeth II is Queen of the United Kingdom and 14 other Commonwealth realms. Elizabeth was born in Mayfair, London, as the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York. Her father acceded to the throne in 1936 upon the abdication of his brother, King Edward VIII, making Elizabeth the heir presumptive.
Some historians think she chose not to marry in order to protect England's security; she wanted to remain independent of any foreign influence which marrying a foreign prince would have brought. She kept everyone guessing on the subject of who she might marry but never did.