Queen Elizabeth II through the years

Local tour: Queen Elizabeth II in Rochester in 1954.

Greetings: Queen Elizabeth II in Rochester in 1954. Photo by Contributed

Happy snaps: Queen Elizabeth II during the 2011 Royal Tour of Australia.

Historic: Queen Elizabeth II meets Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard at Government House in Canberra on Friday, October 21, 2011. The Queen was on her first visit to Australia since 2006. Photo: AAP Image/Lyndon Mechielsen

The Queen during a Royal Parade.

A portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.

Queen Elizabeth II.

Key moment: Queen Elizabeth II making a speech at the opening of the renovations to the Sydney Opera House, her first official engagement during her Australian tour, on Monday, March 13, 2006. Photo: MICK TSIKAS/AAP

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip after the Queen’s coronation.

Queen Elizabeth II waves to the public.

Riding: Then President Ronald Reagan, on Centennial, and Queen Elizabeth II, on Burmese, go horseback riding in the grounds of Windsor Castle, England, on June 8, 1982. Photo: AP /Bob Daugherty