CHRONOLOGY: Key events in the life of the British queen

Feb 6, 2012, 12:13 GMT

London - Queen Elizabeth II is one of the world's longest-ruling monarchs, her reign spanning events ranging from the independence of Britain's African colonies to the signing of a peace agreement in Northern Ireland. A selection of some key events:

February 6, 1952 - Princess Elizabeth succeeds to the throne when her father George VI dies.

June 2, 1953 - Queen Elizabeth II is crowned in Westminster Abbey. It is the first time a British coronation is broadcast live on television.

1956 - The decolonization of Africa begins with the independence of Sudan.

1956 - Britain, France and Israel attack Egypt in a bid to gain control of the Suez Canal. The attempt fails and is a further blow to British power abroad, already waning after World War II.

1962 - The Beatles release their first single, Love Me Do.

1966 - England wins the football World Cup.

1977 - The queen celebrates her silver jubilee.

May 4, 1979 - Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher taken office, Britain's first female prime minister.

July 29, 1981 - Prince Charles marries Lady Diana Spencer at St Paul's Cathedral, watched by an audience of more than 700 million people around the world.

1982 - Britain goes to war with Argentina over the Falkand Islands. Britain regains control of the islands, but Argentina maintains its claim to them to the present day.

1992 - The queen's 'Annus horribilis,' as she called it, in which two of her four children divorced their partners and the separation of Charles and Diana was announced.

1994 - Apartheid ends in South Africa, Nelson Mandela becomes president.

August 31, 1997 - Diana, Princess of Wales, dies in a car crash in Paris. The queen is criticized for her alleged cool reaction, with the Express tabloid challenging her to 'Show Us You Care.'

September 11, 2001- Al-Qaeda launches terrorist attacks in the US.

2001 - US and British forces invade Afghanistan, in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks.

2003 - US and British forces invade Iraq, alleging that dictator Saddam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction.

July 7, 2005 - More than 50 people are killed in a series of coordinated suicide attacks on the London transport system.

April 29, 2011 - Prince William marries his long-term girlfriend Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey.