The countdown is now on to a centenary to remember. There is just one year to go until we reach the 100th anniversary of the birth of Queen Elizabeth II.
Queen Elizabeth II was born on April 21st 1926. Exactly one hundred years from then, events will take place to commemorate her remarkable life and a reign that broke more records than any other and which changed Britain and the Commonwealth forever.
Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was born as third in line to the throne but with no real expectation that she would ever reign. Her destiny, on that April day when she made her debut at her maternal grandparents' house in Mayfair, was that she would end up as a minor royal, a princess in part of the extended family of King Edward VIII. However, her uncle's decision to abdicate less than a year into his own reign in 1936 meant that the little princess became heir to the throne. When she ascended, she would be Monarch for 70 years, longer than any other person in British history.
It's quite a life and reign to mark. Statues are planned along with a large scale memorial in central London while celebratory events will line up as we head towards April 2026. It promises to be a centenary and an event to remeber.