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Royal Family Timeline

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1910 - King George V ascends the throne on May 6.

1917 - At the height of World War One, the House of Windsor comes into being, when the name is adopted as the British Royal Family's official name by a proclamation of King George V, replacing the historic name of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.

January 20, 1936 - George V dies and is succeeded by his son Edward VIII.

December 11, 1936 - Edward VIII is in love with a divorced American woman, Wallis Simpson. Edward has to choose between the crown and Mrs Simpson who, being twice-divorced, would not have been acceptable as Queen.

-- Edward VIII abdicates, and his brother becomes King George VI and his wife Elizabeth queen.

November 20, 1947
- George VI's first-born Princess Elizabeth marries Philip Mountbatten, who becomes Duke of Edinburgh.

February 1952 - Princess Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip, set out on a tour of Africa and Asia in place of her ailing father King George VI. George dies on February 6.

June 2, 1953
- Queen Elizabeth is crowned at Westminster Abbey in the first televised coronation service.

1960 - The queen gives birth to her third child, Andrew. Her eldest son, Charles, was born in 1948 and Anne in 1950. The queen has her last child, Edward in 1964.

1973
- The queen's only daughter, Princess Anne, marries Captain Mark Phillips. They divorce in 1992.

1977 - The queen marks her Silver Jubilee with a tour of Commonwealth countries and lavish celebrations in Britain.

July 29, 1981 - Prince Charles marries Lady Diana Spencer in a glittering ceremony. They divorce in 1996.

June 21, 1982 - A son, Prince William, is born to Charles and Diana on June 21. Prince Harry is born two years later.

July 23, 1986 - Andrew marries high-spirited publishing executive Sarah Ferguson, known as "Fergie."

1992 - Queen Elizabeth's 40th year on the throne, which she calls her 'annus horribilis' (horrible year), is marked by marital upsets, a fire and public dissent.

-- Andrew and Sarah separate. Anne divorces Mark Phillips. Photos of a topless Sarah kissing her "financial adviser" cause a furor.

-- In November, Windsor Castle is badly damaged by fire. The queen agrees to pay income tax.

-- In December, Charles and Diana announce their separation.

August 28, 1996 - Charles and Diana are divorced.

August 31, 1997 - Diana and her millionaire companion Dodi Al Fayed are killed when their car crashes while being chased through Paris by photographers on motorcycles.

-- In November, large crowds greet the queen and Philip as they mark their golden wedding anniversary. In an unusually frank speech, the queen acknowledges that monarchies survive only through public support.

2002 - The queen marks the 50th anniversary of her accession on February 6.

February 9 - The queen's sister, Princess Margaret, dies at the age of 71 after a life of glamour and heartbreak.

March 30 - Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother dies at Windsor Castle aged 101.

April 30 - Addressing both houses of parliament in the first major public event of her Golden Jubilee year, the queen says she intends to remain on the throne to help Britain prosper.

June 1-4 - Four days of nationwide celebrations mark the queen's Golden Jubilee.

April 8, 2005 - Charles announces he will marry his long-time lover Camilla Parker Bowles in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.

May 3, 2007 - The Queen arrives in the U.S. to mark the 400th anniversary, on May 14, 1607, of Virginia Company explorers landing on Jamestown Island to establish the Virginia English colony on the banks of the James River.

November 19 - The queen and the Duke of Edinburgh mark their 60th wedding anniversary with a service at London's Westminster Abbey.

October 14, 2010 - The Queen cancels a planned Christmas party at Buckingham Palace after deciding it would be inappropriate to celebrate as Britons feel the pinch from the economic crisis.

March 4, 2011 - Britain and Ireland announce that the Queen is to travel to Ireland in 2011, the first official visit by a British monarch since before the Irish state gained independence from Britain in 1921.

April 29, 2011 - Prince William, the Queen's grandson and Kate Middleton are to marry in Westminster Abbey.
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