*Includes pictures *Includes quotes by the Queen about her life and reign *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading *Includes a table of contents "When I was twenty-one I pledged my life to the service of our people and I asked for God's help to make good that vow. Although that vow was made in my salad days, when I was green in judgement, I do not regret nor retract one word of it." - Elizabeth II Until the implementation of new legislation on March 26, 2015, men were given preference to women in the British royal line. This system of male primogeniture meant that women seldom inherited the throne, and even when they did, they were often dominated by male councillors. Those women who married British kings gained the title of Queen, but they were queen consorts, holding the title with no power. This makes Elizabeth II one of a select few queens regnant - queens ruling in their own right - and one of even fewer to set her own course in the history of her family and its throne. This is ironic given that history and Elizabeth's relation to preceding monarchs made it highly unlikely that she would ever even inherit the throne. It was only the abdication of her uncle, in circumstances that shocked the world, that put the young Princess Elizabeth's father on the throne and made her the heir. In less tumultuous times, hers would not have been the head that wore the crown. Nonetheless, Queen Elizabeth II has become so much a part of British society and culture that her presence is taken almost for granted, setting the standard people now expect of a British monarch. The longest lived and second longest reigning monarch in British history, Elizabeth II has overseen her country during a time of incredible turmoil and ever-accelerating change, providing a stable figure at the heart of a nation going through seemingly endless upheavals. Her impact in this regard extends beyond the United Kingdom and all the way to those countries of the Commonwealth over which she is still monarch. In too many ways to count, hers has been an extraordinary reign, but even as she has been able to portray herself as a figure of tradition, she has been a modern queen in many respects, so even as she reaches old age and her subjects are forced to consider what life will be like without her, she has set the Royal Family on a path to modernity. Queen Elizabeth II: The Life and Legacy of Britain's Second Longest Reigning Monarch traces the life of Elizabeth II and