Special Report: Queen Elizabeth II

Monarch since age 25, she has been served by 14 British prime ministers and met with 13 U.S. presidents. She has presided over the shrinking of the British Empire and the rise of globalization. She has anchored the country through uncertainty — and the royal family’s own dramas, writes The Washington Post.

As Britain this week celebrates Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years on the throne, here are some key moments from her long reign and life.

See the visual timeline below:

Queen Elizabeth II: A visual timeline of her 70 years on the throne (The Washington Post)

She’s been photographed, painted and graffitied. She’s been struck on coins, cast in iron, silk-screened onto T-shirts and fired onto plates. There’s even a Barbie doll in her likeness, writes CNN.

Queen Elizabeth II’s reign has seen the proliferation of color photography, the commercialization of television and the pervasiveness of the internet on screens big and small. Over this time, her image has been widely circulated the world over, making the Queen one of the most recognizable faces in history.

See the iconic images below:

Queen Elizabeth II: The most recognizable person in the world (CNN)

And in a transcript from NPR's All Things Considered, "The United Kingdom is celebrating Queen Elizabeth's seven decades on the throne. The Platinum Jubilee runs through Sunday, and it may be the most that Britons see of their monarch in months. That's because at 96 years old, she's been retreating from public life and leaving more of her duties to her heir, Prince Charles."

Read the full transcript below:

70 years on the throne, Queen Elizabeth is still popular — unlike her heir, Charles (NPR)

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