Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

(21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) held numerous titles and honours, both during and before her time as monarch of each of her

Commonwealth realm A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state in the Commonwealth of Nations whose monarch and head of state is shared among the other realms. Each realm functions as an independent state, equal with the other realms and nations of the Commonwealt ...

s. Each is listed below; where two dates are shown, the first indicates the date of receiving the title or award (the title as Princess Elizabeth of York being given as from her birth), and the second indicates the date of its loss or renunciation.

Royal titles and styles

* 21 April 192611 December 1936: ''Her Royal Highness'' Princess Elizabeth of York * 11 December 193620 November 1947: ''Her Royal Highness'' The Princess Elizabeth * 20 November 19476 February 1952: ''Her Royal Highness'' The Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh * 6 February 19528 September 2022: ''Her Majesty'' The Queen Upon Elizabeth's accession to the throne, she was asked by her Private Secretary what her

regnal name A regnal name, or regnant name or reign name, is the name used by monarchs and popes during their reigns and, subsequently, historically. Since ancient times, some monarchs have chosen to use a different name from their original name when they ac ...

would be, to which she responded, "My own, of coursewhat else?" Until 1953, her official style was ''by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas, Queen,

Defender of the Faith Defender of the Faith ( la, Fidei Defensor or, specifically feminine, '; french: Défenseur de la Foi) is a phrase that has been used as part of the full style of many English, Scottish, and later British monarchs since the early 16th century. It ...

''. She was proclaimed as queen using that title in Canada and South Africa, whereas, in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, she was proclaimed as ''Queen Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God Queen of this Realm and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith''. A decision was reached by Elizabeth's prime ministers at the

Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conferences were biennial meetings of Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom and the Dominion members of the British Commonwealth of Nations. Seventeen Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conferences were held betwee ...

of 1952, whereby the Queen would accord herself different styles and titles in each of her realms, reflecting that in each state she acted as monarch of that particular country, regardless of her other roles. Canada's preferred format was: ''Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen of Canada and of Her other realms and territories, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith''. However, as

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

wished to have the United Kingdom mentioned in all the Queen's titles, the resolution reached was a designation that included the United Kingdom as well as, for the first time, separate reference to the other Commonwealth realms. Thereafter, separate but parallel royal styles and titles acts were passed in each of the

s, granting Elizabeth a distinct but similarly constituted title in each state, meaning that when Elizabeth was crowned in the same year, she held seven separate titles. With further evolution of the Commonwealth since that time, Elizabeth held at the time of her death 15 different regnal titles, one for each of the current Commonwealth realms. In all realms other than Canada and Grenada, the reference to the United Kingdom has been removed; Australia doing so in 1973, in contrast to the Australian government's position 20 years earlier. Traditionally, the Queen's titles are listed in the order in which the realms other than the United Kingdom (the original realm) first became

Dominion The term ''Dominion'' is used to refer to one of several self-governing nations of the British Empire. "Dominion status" was first accorded to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland, South Africa, and the Irish Free State at the 1926 ...

s—namely, Canada (1867), Australia (1901), and New Zealand (1907)—followed by the rest in the order in which the former colony became an independent realm: Jamaica (1962), The Bahamas (1973), Grenada (1974), Papua New Guinea (1975), the Solomon Islands (1978), Tuvalu (1978), Saint Lucia (1979), Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (1979), Belize (1981), Antigua and Barbuda (1981) and Saint Kitts and Nevis (1983). Though the situation was the same in every one of the Queen's realms beyond the United Kingdom, only within Scotland did the title ''Elizabeth II'' cause controversy as there had never been an ''Elizabeth I'' in Scotland. In an act of sabotage, new

Royal Mail , kw, Postya Riel, ga, An Post Ríoga , logo = Royal Mail.svg , logo_size = 250px , type = Public limited company , traded_as = , foundation = , founder = Henry VIII , location = London, England, UK , key_people = * Keith Williams ...

post boxes in Scotland, bearing the royal cypher ''EIIR'', were vandalised, after which, to avoid further problems, post boxes and Royal Mail vehicles in Scotland bore only the

Crown of Scotland The Crown of Scotland ( gd, Crùn na h-Alba) is the crown that was used at the coronation of the monarchs of Scotland. It is the oldest surviving crown in the British Isles and dates from at least 1503, although it has been claimed that the cir ...

. A legal case, ''

MacCormick v. Lord Advocate ''MacCormick v Lord Advocate'' 1953 SC 396 was a Scottish constitutional law case and Scots law, Scottish legal action on whether Queen Elizabeth II was entitled to use the numeral "II" as her regnal number in Scotland, as there had never been an ...

'' (1953 SC 396), was taken to contest the right of the Queen to title herself ''Elizabeth II'' within Scotland, arguing that to do so would be a breach of the Act of Union. The case, however, was lost on the grounds that the pursuers had not title to sue the Crown and the numbering of monarchs was part of the

Royal Prerogative The royal prerogative is a body of customary authority, privilege and immunity, recognized in common law and, sometimes, in civil law jurisdictions possessing a monarchy, as belonging to the sovereign and which have become widely vested in th ...

, and thus not governed by the Act of Union. It was suggested by

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

that future British monarchs should be numbered according to either their English or Scottish predecessors, whichever number is higher. At the opening ceremony of the

devolved Devolution is the statutory delegation of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to govern at a subnational level, such as a regional or local level. It is a form of administrative decentralization. Devolved territories h ...

Scottish Parliament The Scottish Parliament ( gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Pairlament) is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. Located in the Holyrood area of the capital city, Edinburgh, it is frequently referred to by the metonym Holyro ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

in 1999, attended by the Queen, the Presiding Officer

Lord Steel David Martin Scott Steel, Baron Steel of Aikwood, (born 31 March 1938) is a British politician. Elected as Member of Parliament for Roxburgh, Selkirk, and Peebles, followed by Tweeddale, Ettrick, and Lauderdale, he served as the final leade ...

said at the close of his opening address: "It is good that today, once again, we the elected representatives of the people are able to welcome your majesty, not only as Queen of the United Kingdom, but seated as you are among us, to greet you in the historic and constitutionally correct manner, with warmth and affection, as Queen of Scots." In 2002

Winnie Ewing Winifred Margaret Ewing (' Woodburn; born 10 July 1929) is a Scottish politician, lawyer and figure within the independence movement who served as President of the Scottish National Party from 1987 to 2005. Ewing was a Member of the Scottish P ...

, then president of the

Scottish National Party The Scottish National Party (SNP; sco, Scots National Pairty, gd, Pàrtaidh Nàiseanta na h-Alba ) is a Scottish nationalist and social democratic political party in Scotland. The SNP supports and campaigns for Scottish independence from ...

, wrote to the Queen asking her to adopt the title "Elizabeth I" in Scotland. The Queen's British styles and titles were read out at her funeral by David White,

Garter Principal King of Arms The Garter Principal King of Arms (also Garter King of Arms or simply Garter) is the senior King of Arms, and the senior Officer of Arms of the College of Arms, the heraldic authority with jurisdiction over England, Wales and Northern Ireland. ...

, as follows: The Queen's New Zealand styles and titles were read out at the State Memorial Service at the Wellington Cathedral on 26 September by Phillip O'Shea,

New Zealand Herald of Arms Extraordinary New Zealand Herald of Arms Extraordinary is the officer of arms responsible for the regulation of heraldry in New Zealand. Although affiliated with the College of Arms in London, the New Zealand Herald lives and works in New Zealand, and is not ...

, as follows:

Regnal titles

Other

Other titles

Military ranks

; * 24 February26 July 1945: Hon. Second

Subaltern Subaltern may refer to: *Subaltern (postcolonialism), colonial populations who are outside the hierarchy of power * Subaltern (military), a primarily British and Commonwealth military term for a junior officer * Subalternation, going from a univer ...

Auxiliary Territorial Service The Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS; often pronounced as an acronym) was the women's branch of the British Army during the Second World War. It was formed on 9 September 1938, initially as a women's voluntary service, and existed until 1 Februa ...

* 26 July 194524 July 1947: Hon. Junior Commander, Auxiliary Territorial Service * 24 July 19471 February 1949: Hon. Senior Controller, Auxiliary Territorial Service * 1 February 1949March 1950: Hon. Senior Controller,

Women's Royal Army Corps The Women's Royal Army Corps (WRAC; sometimes pronounced acronymically as , a term unpopular with its members) was the corps to which all women in the British Army belonged from 1949 to 1992, except medical, dental and veterinary officers and cha ...

Commonwealth of Nations honours

Commonwealth realms

Appointments

Decorations and medals

Other Commonwealth countries

Appointments

Decorations and medals

Foreign honours

Appointments

Dynastic orders

Decorations

Honorary military positions

; Australia * 19532022: Captain-General of the

Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery The Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery, normally referred to as the Royal Australian Artillery (RAA), is a Regiment of the Australian Army descended from the original colonial artillery units prior to Australia's federation. Australia's first ...

* 19532022: Colonel-in-Chief of the

Royal Australian Engineers The Royal Australian Engineers (RAE) is the military engineering corps of the Australian Army (although the word corps does not appear in their name or on their badge). The RAE is ranked fourth in seniority of the corps of the Australian Army, be ...

* 19532022: Colonel-in-Chief of the

Royal Australian Infantry Corps The Royal Australian Infantry Corps (RA Inf) is the parent corps for all infantry regiments of the Australian Army. It was established on 14 December 1948, with its Royal Corps status being conferred by His Majesty King George VI. At her corona ...

* 19532022: Colonel-in-Chief of the

Royal Australian Army Ordnance Corps The Royal Australian Army Ordnance Corps (RAAOC) is the Corps within the Australian Army concerned with supply and administration, as well as the demolition and disposal of explosives and salvage of battle-damaged equipment. The Corps contains ...

* 19532022: Colonel-in-Chief of the

Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps The Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps (RAANC) is a Corps of the Australian Army. It was formed in February 1951 from the Royal Australian Army Nursing Service. A Corps Badge was introduced in 1951 with the motto ''Pro Humanitate'' (for Humanity) ...

* 19532022: Air-Commodore-in-Chief of the Australian Citizen Air Force ; Canada * 19472022: Colonel-in-Chief of '' le Régiment de la Chaudière'' * 19472022: Colonel-in-Chief of the

48th Highlanders of Canada , colors = , march = " 48th Highlanders Slow March"; Quick – "Highland Laddie" , mascot = , battles = Second Boer WarFirst World WarSecond World ...

* 19502022: Colonel-in-Chief of

the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise's), or A & SH of C, is a Primary Reserve Scottish regiment, Highland infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces, based at John Weir Foote, John W. Foote VC Armoury in Hamilton, Ontario ...

(Princess Louise's) * 19522022: Captain-General of the

Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery , colors = The guns of the RCA themselves , colors_label = Colours , march = * Slow march: "Royal Artillery Slow March" * Quick march (dismounted parades): "British Grenadiers/ The ...

* 19532022: Colonel-in-Chief of

the Governor General's Horse Guards The Governor General's Horse Guards is an armoured reconnaissance regiment in the Primary Reserve of the Canadian Army. The regiment is part of 4th Canadian Division's 32 Canadian Brigade Group and is based in Toronto, Ontario. It is the most se ...

* 19532022: Colonel-in-Chief of the

King's Own Calgary Regiment The King's Own Calgary Regiment (RCAC), (''The King's Own'' or ''The KOCR''), is a Canadian Army armoured reconnaissance regiment of the Canadian Armed Forces Primary Reserve. Headquartered at the Mewata Armoury in Calgary, Alberta, the KOCR is ...

* 19531967: Colonel-in-Chief Corps of Royal Canadian Engineers * 19532022: Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal 22^e Régiment * 19532022: Colonel-in-Chief of the

Governor General's Foot Guards The Governor General's Foot Guards (GGFG) is the senior reserve infantry regiment in the Canadian Army. Located in Ottawa at the Cartier Square Drill Hall, the regiment is a Primary Reserve infantry unit, and the members are part-time soldiers. ...

* 19532022: Colonel-in-Chief of

the Canadian Grenadier Guards ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

* 19531956: Colonel-in-Chief of the Carleton and York Regiment * 19532022: Colonel-in-Chief of

the Canadian Guards The Canadian Guards (officially known as the Regiment of Canadian Guards) was an infantry regiment of the Canadian Army that served in the same role as the five regiments of foot guards in the British Army. The regiment was formed on 16 October 19 ...

* 19562022: Colonel-in-Chief of

the Royal New Brunswick Regiment The Royal New Brunswick Regiment (RNBR) is a reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army based in New Brunswick. The Royal New Brunswick Regiment is part of 37 Canadian Brigade Group, 5th Canadian Division. The RNBR holds 65 battle honours. C ...

* 19581968: Colonel-in-Chief of the

Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps The Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps (RCOC; french: Corps royal canadien des munitions, ''CRCM'') was an administrative corps of the Canadian Army. The Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps RCOC can trace its roots back to the Canadian Stores Department. ...

* 19772022: Colonel-in-Chief of the Military Engineers Branch * 19812022: Colonel-in-Chief of

the Calgary Highlanders The Calgary Highlanders is a Canadian Army Primary Reserve infantry regiment, headquartered at Mewata Armouries in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The regiment is a part-time reserve unit, under the command of 41 Canadian Brigade Group, itself part of 3 ...

* 2013 - 2022: Colonel-in-Chief of

the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army. It is part of 33 Canadian Brigade Group, 4th Canadian Division and is headquartered in Cornwall, Ontario. Regimental badge Superimposed upon a ...

* 19531968: Air-Commodore-in-Chief of the Air Reserve Canada * 19532012: Honorary Commissioner of the

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal police, federal and national police service of ...

* 20122022: Commissioner-in-Chief of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police ; Fiji * 19701987: Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Fiji Military Forces ; Ghana * 19591960: Colonel-in-Chief of the

Ghana Regiment The Ghana Regiment is an infantry regiment that forms the main fighting element of the Ghanaian Army (GA). History The regiment was formed in 1879 as the Gold Coast Constabulary, from personnel of the Hausa Constabulary of Southern Nigeria, to pe ...

of Infantry ; New Zealand * 19532022: Captain-General of the

Royal Regiment of New Zealand Artillery The Royal Regiment of New Zealand Artillery is the artillery regiment of the New Zealand Army. It is effectively a military administrative corps, and can comprise multiple component regiments. This nomenclature stems from its heritage as an off ...

* 19532022: Captain-General of the

Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps The Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps (RNZAC) is the overall umbrella grouping of Regular Force and Territorial Force units equipped with armoured vehicles in the New Zealand Army. The corps was formed in 1942 as the New Zealand Armoured Corps, ...

* 19532022: Colonel-in-Chief of the

Corps of Royal New Zealand Engineers The Corps of Royal New Zealand Engineers is the administrative corps of the New Zealand Army responsible for military engineering. The role of the Engineers is to assist in maintaining friendly forces' mobility, deny freedom of movement to the ene ...

* 19531964: Colonel-in-Chief of

the Countess of Ranfurly's Own Auckland Regiment ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

* 19531964: Colonel-in-Chief of the

Wellington Regiment (City of Wellington's Own) The Wellington Regiment (City of Wellington's Own) was a territorial infantry regiment of the New Zealand Army. The regiment traced its origins to the Wellington Veteran Volunteer Corps, a volunteer corps formed in 1867 and which would later ama ...

* 19642022: Colonel-in-Chief of the

Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment The Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment is the parent administrative regiment and corps of regular and reserve infantry battalions in the New Zealand Army. It was originally formed in 1947 with a singular Regular regiment and multiple reserve r ...

* 19771996: Colonel-in-Chief Royal of the

New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps The New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps (NZAOC) was a Corps whose function was to provide, receive, store, repair, maintain, and issue: ordnance stores, vehicles, ammunition, foodstuffs, and ammunition. Ordnance Organisations had previously existed i ...

* 19532022: Air-Commodore-in-Chief of the Territorial Air Force of New Zealand ; South Africa * 19471961: Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Durban Light Infantry * 19471961: Colonel-in-Chief of the South African Railways and Harbours Brigade * 19521961: Colonel-in-Chief of the Imperial Light Horse * 19531961: Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Natal Carbineers * 19531961: Colonel-in-Chief of the Kaffrarian Rifles ; United Kingdom * 19421952:

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

of the

Grenadier Guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...

* 19472006: Colonel-in-Chief of the

Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise's) The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise's) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1881 until amalgamation into the Royal Regiment of Scotland on 28 March 2006. The regiment was created under the Child ...

* 19471994: Colonel-in-Chief of the 16th/5th Queen's Royal Lancers * 19492022: Honorary Brigadier of the

* 19522022: Colonel-in-Chief of The Life GuardsHM The Queen
, Debrett's, retrieved 23 January 2011 * 19521969: Colonel-in-Chief of the

Royal Horse Guards The Royal Regiment of Horse Guards (The Blues) (RHG) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry. Raised in August 1650 at Newcastle upon Tyne and County Durham by Sir Arthur Haselrigge on the orders of Oliver Cr ...