Queen Elizabeth I ruled the Kingdom of England, the Kingdom of Ireland, and the Principality of Wales, reigning from 1558 to 1603 as the last Tudor monarch, overseeing England's rise as a major European power, a flourishing of arts, and maritime expansion.
Elizabeth I was Queen of England and Ireland from 17th November 1558 to 24th March 1603.
As of 2026, there are 15 Commonwealth realms: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and the United Kingdom.
While colonization did not take place under Queen Elizabeth II's reign, Britain still had a large empire at the time of her coronation in 1952.
Royal House: Tudor
She is perhaps more famous for her two nicknames; Gloriana, referring to her victories over Spain and the Virgin Queen, referring to her choice not to marry or have children.
At one point, Diana called Queen Elizabeth “sobbing,” as we learned in the 2017 documentary Diana: In Her Own Words. It's because of this close-knit bond that Queen Elizabeth allowed Princess Diana to call her “Mama.”
Elizabeth Woodville. Elizabeth Woodville (also spelt Wydville, Wydeville, or Widvile; c. 1437 – 8 June 1492), known as Dame Elizabeth Grey during her first marriage, was Queen of England from 1 May 1464 until 3 October 1470 and from 11 April 1471 until 9 April 1483 as the wife of King Edward IV.
British Empire – An empire made up of 56 countries, which at its peak contained one quarter of the world's land and population. colonisation – The movement of people to a country to establish control of a country from its indigenous population. colonies – Places controlled by a leading country.
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor; born 21 April 1926) is Queen of 16 sovereign states, holding each crown and title equally. However, she is more directly involved with the United Kingdom, where the Royal Family resides, and the Monarchy is historically indigenous.
In the 'Ritz' episode, The Crown recreates a little-known real event when the princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, then aged just 19 and 14, 'escaped' the palace on VE Day 1945. They were granted permission by their father, King George VI, to join the crowds in London to celebrate (with chaperones).
The Monarchy in Canada
The Prime Minister is the Head of Government, and the Monarch – currently His Majesty King Charles III – is the Head of State. The Monarch's powers and responsibilities are established and limited by the Canadian Constitution and several other laws.
The mother of Queen Elizabeth II was British, so she was only partly of German descent — even if she did display some stereotypical German virtues throughout her life, including discipline and a sense of duty. Her husband Philip, however, had predominantly German ancestors and spoke fluent German.
As of 2026, there are 43 sovereign states in the world with a monarch as head of state.
She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during her lifetime and was the monarch of 15 realms at her death. Her reign of 70 years and 214 days is the longest of any British monarch, the second-longest of any sovereign state, and the longest of any queen regnant in history.
Mary I (r. 1553-1558) Mary I was the first Queen Regnant (that is, a queen reigning in her own right rather than a queen through marriage to a king).
Five states (Maldives, South Africa, Pakistan, The Gambia, and Fiji) left the Commonwealth for a time before rejoining. Ireland is the only state to date that has withdrawn from the Commonwealth and has not rejoined.
It is a constitutional monarchy, modelled on the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy and responsible government, while incorporating features unique to the Constitution of Australia. The present monarch is King Charles III, who has reigned since 8 September 2022.
Queen Elizabeth II died with only her two eldest children, King Charles III (then Prince Charles) and Princess Anne, at her bedside at Balmoral Castle, though her daughter-in-law Camilla (now Queen Consort) also traveled there and saw her privately, while other family members arrived too late, with Prince Harry arriving after her passing.
The Season starts in 1964, when the Queen would have been 38, but they have her looking mid-40s in the first episode (I know Olivia Coleman was mid-40s at the time of filming but still).
But a small group of nations remain outside that history—countries Britain has never invaded: 🌍 Andorra, Belarus, Bolivia, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of Congo, Guatemala, Ivory Coast, Kyrgyzstan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Mali, Marshall Islands, Monaco, Mongolia, Paraguay, São Tomé and Príncipe, ...
The European countries which had the most colonies throughout history were: United Kingdom (130), France (90), Portugal (52), Spain (44), Netherlands (29), Germany (20), Russia (17), Denmark (9), Sweden (8), Italy (7), Norway (6), Knights of Malta (6), Belgium (3), and Courland (2).
Was China colonized by any country? Yes, China was colonized directly by Britain, Portugal, Russia, and China. Many other countries had control over trade in much of China.
Lord Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester
Early in her reign, her choice was the ambitious and dashing Lord Robert Dudley. Robert Dudley was one of Elizabeth's 'favourites', a long-term suitor and believed by many to have been her one true love.
According to Nick Barratt, the genealogy expert of the show which traces back the roots of famous names, Depp is a member of the British royal family. "Depp is likely 20th cousins with the Queen, the connection being a shared grandfather," said Barratt.
Wealthy Brits did not hesitate to indulge their sweet tooth, and it was no different for the monarch, Queen Elizabeth I. The queen was especially fond of sweets, but not so fond of the dentist. Her teeth rotted; they turned black and gave off a foul odor.