One iconic picture from each year of Queen Elizabeth's record 69-year reign

• Queen Elizabeth II is celebrating the 68th anniversary of her coronation on June 2.
• She technically became Queen a year earlier, after the death of her father King George on February 6, 1952.
• Charles Clark contributed to an earlier version of this story.
• See more stories on Insider’s business page.

1953: Although she officially became Queen in 1952 after the passing of her father, King George, Her Majesty's coronation wasn't until a year later, in June 1953.

1954: Since coming to the throne, she has held regular audience with each prime minister. In this photo, the Queen and Winston Churchill wait at Waterloo Station in London for the Queen Mother to arrive back from a month in the US.

1955: The Queen plays a key role in maintaining diplomatic relationships with other countries. Here, she arrives by car at the Portuguese Embassy in London's Belgrave Square to attend a dinner party thrown in their honour by the visiting Portuguese president and Madame Craveiro Lopes.

1956: Travelling and representing Britain overseas is a key part of her job. She visited the Lagos City boundary in Nigeria on her way to the city from Ikeja Airport in 1956.

1957: In this photo, the Queen and her sister, Princess Margaret, enjoy a day out at the horse shows in Badminton, Gloucestershire. The Queen is holding an old-fashioned movie camera as she takes pictures of the cross-country competition.

1958: Queen Elizabeth II has met everyone who's anyone — from politicians to movie stars. In 1958, she met legendary actress and early Playboy Playmate Jayne Mansfield at London's Odeon Theatre during the annual royal film festival.

1959: Since taking to the throne, the Queen has met with every sitting US president but one, Lyndon B. Johnson. Here, she stands in the grounds of Balmoral Castle, Scotland, with President Eisenhower.

1960: Even the royals need family time. This family photo shows the Duke of Edinburgh and his wife, the Queen, entertaining the kids, including a baby Prince Andrew, as they relax in the grounds of Balmoral Castle.

1961: The royals were joined by President John F. Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline Kennedy at Buckingham Palace in 1961. The Queen was invited to Kennedy's funeral following his assassination in 1963, but was unable to attend due to being pregnant with Edward.

1962: The royals have always been avid race-goers. In 1962, the Queen attended the famous Ascot races with her mother. She wore a blue lace​ dress to Ladies Day while her mother opted for a floral print.

1963: While down under in 1963, the royal couple visited Adelaide, South Australia, where they were greeted by around 90,000 schoolchildren, some of whom had travelled hundreds of miles to catch a glimpse of the Queen and her husband.

1964: Queen Elizabeth II has made over 261 official overseas visits since coming to the throne. While visiting Canada, part of the British Commonwealth, she addressed the Provincial legislature of Quebec in both French and English in October, 1964.

1965: Winston Churchill died on January 24, 1965 — his funeral took place on February 1. World leaders and politicians from around the globe attended. A Guardian article from the day said: "By one o’clock the great State funeral was over, the Kings and Queens, Presidents and Prime Ministers, the generals and Politicians from the world over had paid their respects."

Source: The Guardian

1966: Queen Elizabeth II presents the World Cup, the Jules Rimet trophy, to England's team captain Bobby Moore, July 30, 1966. This was the first and only time England has ever won the World Cup.

1967: As part of a six-day visit to Canada, the monarch had the opportunity to shelter from the rain and ride the Expo 67 electric train, which at the time was revolutionary.

1968: To mark the 50th anniversary of the RAF, Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh toured the Royal Air Force Base in Abingdon​, England.

1969: Throughout her reign, the Queen has met some of the men and women who helped shape history. Astronauts, and first men on the moon, Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin were invited to meet with the monarch in Buckingham Palace.

1970: Her Majesty entertained US president Richard Nixon and his wife on many occasions. This photo shows them with Prime Minister Edward Heath at Chequers, the country retreat of Britain's prime ministers. She has only visited Chequers three times throughout her reign.

1971: Japanese Emperor Hirohito visited Britain for four days. The Emperor and Queen Elizabeth II rode in an open Landau through the gates of Buckingham Palace in a lavish procession after his arrival at Victoria Station.

1972: It was in 1972 that the Queen embarked on a tour of Asia. She paid a visit to Malaysia, where she stopped to speak to school children along the way.

1973: Queen Elizabeth II, with her husband Prince Philip, left, arrive at an "Old Canada" exhibition, in High Park, Toronto.

1974: The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh toast the King of Malaysia, seated between them in evening on Thursday, July 12, 1974, at Claridges in London. The dinner marked the third day of the King and Queen of Malaysia's visit to England.

1975: Film and music icon Barbra Streisand shakes hands with the monarch in London in 1975 at the Royal Film performance. After the presentations, the Queen saw the musical "Funny Lady," in which Streisand is the star.

1976: US President Gerald Ford leads Queen Elizabeth II in a dance following a State Dinner at The White House. The dinner party was thrown in honour of Her Majesty during her tour of the US.

1977: This year marked the Queen's silver jubilee — celebrating 25 years on the throne. As part of the festivities, she conducted a brief walkabout in London where she met and spoke to members of the public before attending​ a ceremony at St. Paul's Cathedral.

1978: Here, the royal reviews her Yeoman of the Guard, the world's oldest military corps, in the grounds of Buckingham Palace.

1979: The monarch has been a regular guest of Middle Eastern leaders throughout her reign. Here, she is escorted by King Khali of Saudi Arabia, far right, after her arrival at Riyadh Airport, Saudi Arabia.

1980: It was in 1980 that the Queen visited the Vatican for the first time. Here, she talks to Pope John Paul II while her husband looks on.

1981: The Queen looks over the crowd of 600,000 people who lined the streets of London on the day of Charles and Diana's wedding, while the bride and groom kiss.

1982: Pope John Paul II sought to overcome centuries of distrust when he became the first pope to visit British shores in 1982, preaching reconciliation between the Vatican and Anglicans even as British troops battled Catholic Argentines in the Falklands.

1983: Mother Teresa of Calcutta, one of modern history's most iconic religious figures, receives the Insignia of the Honorary Order of Merit from Queen Elizabeth II at the Rashtrapati Shavar in New Delhi.

1984: Queen Elizabeth II arrives through the avenues of guns during the second day of her review of the Royal Regiment of Artillery in East Germany at Dortmund on Wednesday, making for a dramatic picture.

1985: Proprietor of the Times of London Rupert Murdoch and Queen Elizabeth II look over printing operations as editions of Friday, March 1 issues of The Times newspaper go to press. The Queen's visit marked the newspaper's 200th anniversary.

1986: Queen Elizabeth II is followed by joyous Chinese children as she tours a children's center in Canton during her state visit to President Li Xiannian.

1987: King Fahd of Saudi Arabia, who carried out a four-day state visit to Britain, with Queen Elizabeth II, The Queen Mother, and the Duke of Edinburgh, before they attended a banquet in the King's honour at Buckingham Palace.

1988: The Queen visited the Netherlands in 1988 to celebrate 300 years of friendship between the two nations. As part of her visit, she and Dutch Queen Beatrix walked through the Arnhem-Oosterbeek War Cemetery, in Oosterbeek. Many British paratroopers who died in World War II are buried in the cemetery​.

1989: An attendant at the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque salutes as Britain's Queen Elizabeth II tours in Kuala Lumpur. The Queen wore a special cloak and slippers required inside the mosque.

1990: The British royal family, including the Queen, Prince Philip, the Prince and Princess of Wales, Princes William and Harry (center), watched a flypast​ which marked the Queen's 65th birthday, from the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

1991: During their 1991 trip to the US, President George H. Bush escorted the Queen and her husband onto the field at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. The royals saw the Orioles play the Oakland A's — it was the first baseball game they ever watched.

1992: Disaster struck in 1992 when Windsor Castle caught fire and was partly destroyed. The hall was completely destroyed along with eight other principal rooms and over 100 other rooms.

1993: The Queen Mother stands between her two daughters, Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret, while celebrating her 93rd birthday at Clarence House in London. 1993 was also the year Buckingham Palace was opened to the public for the first time.

1994: It was in 1994 that construction on the Channel Tunnel was completed. Queen Elizabeth II and French President Francois Mitterrand unveiled a plaque in front of the head of the drill used to bore through the underwater chalk, to mark the occasion in Coquelles, France.

1995: President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary arrived in London for a five-day European trip in November 1995.

1996: The Queen visited the scene of one of the greatest tragedies in recent British history — The Dunblane Massacre. Queen Elizabeth II and her daughter, Princess Anne, visited the small Scottish town to lay wreaths outside the school where 16 children and one teacher were shot and killed.

1997: Tragedy struck a year later also when Princess Diana was killed by injuries sustained in a car crash in Paris. This photo shows the monarch and Prince Philip observing the vast sea of flowers left outside Buckingham Palace in the wake of Diana's death.

1998: Britain's Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, celebrated her 98th birthday in 1998. In this photo, she waves as she poses with her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren outside her official residence, Clarence House.

1999: Britain's Queen Elizabeth II joined Housing Manager Liz McGinniss, left rear, and Susan McCarron for tea in McCarron's housing association home in the Castlemilk area of Glasgow. The visit was an example of Britain's royal family experimenting with a more intimate, informal approach on meet-the-people tours, whereby they visited homes and spent time with families around the country.

2000: The Queen Mother celebrated her 100th birthday from the balcony of Buckingham Palace with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II. Cheering fans lined her procession route to Buckingham Palace shouting happy 100th birthday wishes.

2001: The following year, the world remembered those who lost their lives in the attacks of 9/11. In this picture, a distraught Queen Elizabeth II wipes a tear from her face as she's comforted by a member of the clergy in St Paul's Cathedral following a memorial service.

2002: This was a difficult year for the Queen. Both her sister, Princess Margaret, and her mother passed away within a month of each other. The picture below shows the Queen and other members of the family during the funeral of the Queen Mother.

2003: Putin landed in Britain for a historic state visit that was aimed at repairing diplomatic damage from the Iraq war. This was the last time the Russian President visited the UK.

2004:The Queen was joined by Princes Philip, Charles, William, and Harry as she officially opened a memorial fountain in London's Hyde Park for Princess Diana seven years after her death.

2005: The Queen and Prince Philip attended the National Service of Remembrance at St. Paul's Cathedral for the victims of the London Bombings. The service saw candles lit to represent the four sites bombed on July 7 that killed 52 people.

2006: The Queen celebrated her 80th birthday in 2006. A firework display, which she can be seen watching in the photo below, was put on at Kew Palace in her honour before she celebrated at a private family dinner.

2007: The Queen and Prince Philip visited the White House in 2007 to attend the annual State Dinner, hosted by George Bush and his wife, Laura Bush.

2008: The monarch stood as she delivered a speech at the start of a state banquet for France's President Nicolas Sarkozy at Windsor Castle, near London.

2009: This image had royalists up in arms as Michelle Obama broke royal protocol by touching the Queen. However, the Queen obviously found a friend as she returned the gesture and posed for photos with Michelle.

2010: This hilarious photo did the rounds in 2010. Something clearly amused the Queen and her son, Prince Charles, as they laugh uncontrollably at the Braemar Gathering. The sporting event is known colloquially as "The Games" and attracts visitors from around the world to the small village.

2011: It was the wedding that captivated the world. Prince William married Kate Middleton in front of an audience of hundreds of millions. Families around the world were glued to their TV sets. The couple even received a message of congratulations from the crew on the ISS.

2012: The Queen had a lot to celebrate in 2012. It was the year of the London Olympics and also the year of the diamond jubilee. 1 million people took to the streets of London (pictured below) to celebrate her 60 years on the throne.

Source: Daily Mail

2013: Malala Yousafzai attended a reception for youth, education, and the Commonwealth at Buckingham Palace. The Pakistani teenager, an advocate for education for girls, became the face of women's rights in the Middle East after she survived a Taliban assassination attempt in 2012 on her way home from school.

2014: Here, the Queen walks through a field of ceramic poppies at The Tower of London in October 2014. The poppies were part of a ceramic poppy installation called "Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red," which marked the centenary of the outbreak of World War I.

2015: A small dancing robot at Technische Universitaet (Technical University) in Berlin put a smile on the Queen's face earlier this year during her official visit to Germany.

2016: Following the resignation of David Cameron after the Brexit vote, Queen Elizabeth II welcomed Theresa May to Buckingham Palace where she invited her to form a new government.

2017: Her Majesty made friends with a horse during an official visit to the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment at Hyde Park, London in October.

2018: Her Majesty provided the perfect photo opp when she sat next to Vogue Editor in Chief Anna Wintour at London Fashion Week. Her first time at Fashion Week, the Queen attended Richard Quinn's runway show before presenting him with the inaugural Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design.

2019: Prince Philip was involved in a car crash near Sandringham estate in January. He was unhurt, though he visited the hospital for a checkup the next day. The incident, however, sparked press commentary on the safety practices of the Duke of Edinburgh and Queen Elizabeth II — including their tendency to not wear a seatbelt.

2020: The Queen spent most of last year at Windsor Castle with Prince Philip and a small team of staff due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She reunited with her family at the castle for the first time on December 8, as they gathered to thank key workers during the pandemic.

2021: The Queen attended the State Opening of Parliament on May 11, her first public engagement since Prince Philip's funeral on April 19. The duke's throne, which usually sits beside Her Majesty's, was removed.

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