43 vintage photos of Queen Elizabeth II before she became Queen

In 1951, during the Royal Tour, which she went on in place of her ailing father, King George VI, Princess Elizabeth dances a traditional Canadian square dance at Government House, Ottowa.

On February 2, 1952, Colonel Mervyn Cowie opens the visitor’s book for Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh to sign upon their arrival at Nairobi National Park for a tour, during which they slept in a hotel built as a treehouse. Philip is chatting in the background with Cowie’s daughter, Mitzie. Four days later, King George VI would be dead, and the Princess would ascend the throne as Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

On February 7, 1952, Elizabeth, made her first appearance on English soil as Her Majesty, the Queen. She wore black because she was mourning the death of her father, King George VI. He had passed away two days earlier.

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Source: RD.com