In a changing world, few things have remained as constant as the British royal family.
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What the British royal family looked like the year you were born
Here is what everybody's favorite royals were doing every year from 1950 to the present.
The British royal family may be the most-watched in the world.
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People all over the world follow Queen Elizabeth II and her large family of kids and grandkids for their dose of inspiration, fashion, and even scandals throughout the years. Acting as a bellwether, the royal family is also a way of tracking the changing times.
Here is what everybody's favorite royals were doing on the year you were born:
1950: Queen Elizabeth II was a young princess in line to take over the throne after her father, King George VI.
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1951: Queen Elizabeth II had married Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark and given birth to two children, Charles and Anne.
Source: Britroyals.com
1952: After several years of ill health, King George VI died in February 1952. Princess Elizabeth was on a royal tour of Kenya when she found out.
Source: Britroyals.com
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1953: Although Elizabeth took on certain royal duties immediately, her coronation wasn't until June 2, 1953.
Source: Britroyals.com
1954: The Queen has attended thousands of official events over the years, including this Royal Ascot Race in 1954.
Source: Associated Press
1955: The Queen has had a keen interest in horses since she was a young girl. Here young Prince Charles and Princess Anne play with their ponies as their parents look on.
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Sources: Associated Press
1956: Queen Elizabeth II was still in her early years as Britain's monarch. Here she is seen attending the Badminton Horse Trials.
Source: Associated Press
1957: Some have characterized Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip's relationship toward their children as cold. Here, she's caught in a moment of tenderness with a young Prince Charles.
Source: Associated Press
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1958: The Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip have taken many royal tours. Here they are getting off a boat on a state visit to the Netherlands, greeted by Queen Juliana.
Source: Associated Press
1959: 10-year-old Charles and 8-year-old Anne welcome their parents as they return from an official visit to Canada.
Source: Associated Press
1960: Queen Elizabeth II gave birth to her third child, Prince Andrew, in February that year.
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1961: They attend many, many events. In this photo, some members of the royal family look over a horse race from a farm cart.
Source: Associated Press
1962: Princess Anne turned 12 that year, and the royal family posed for this portrait to mark the occasion.
Source: Associated Press
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1963: Here, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip visit science laboratories working on cancer research. Her father, King George VI, suffered from lung cancer caused by smoking.
Sources: Associated Press,
1964: Queen Elizabeth II's last child, Prince Edward, was born in 1964.
Source: Global News
1965: This shot of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip and their four children was used for the royal family's Christmas cards that year.
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Source: Associated Press
1966: Here, Queen Elizabeth poses in a tunic of the Irish Guards uniform as she waves with her husband and her young son. While Ireland declared its independence from the monarchy in 1937, Northern Ireland is still part of the UK today.
Source: Associated Press
1967: Throughout the 1960s, Queen Elizabeth II would surprise with her fashion choices on official visits, like this gown on a trip to Canada.
Source: Associated Press
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1968: In this photo, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward are seen standing at a London train station with their cousins, Princess Margaret's two kids.
Source: Associated Press
1969: This photo of children in the royal family was taken on Christmas morning.
Source: Associated Press
1970: Throughout her reign, Queen Elizabeth has seen 13 American presidents take office.
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Source: Associated Press
1971: In this photo, Queen Elizabeth II and her children wave as they are about to leave for their annual vacation to a country house on 20,000 acres in Sandringham.
Source: Associated Press
1972: Members of the royal family pose for an official portrait. The Queen turned 46 that year.
Source: Associated Press
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1973: At this point, Queen Elizabeth II had been ruling as monarch for 20 years.
Source: Associated Press
1974: Prince Charles chats with a young Barbara Streisand on one of his visits to the US.
Source: Associated Press
1975: On another tour of the commonwealth, Queen Elizabeth II went to Barbados that year.
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Source: Associated Press
1976: Here, an older Queen Elizabeth II takes a bumpy cable car ride with her two sons.
Source: Associated Press
1977: Queen Elizabeth celebrated her Silver Jubilee (25 years on the throne) in 1977.
Source:
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1978: Queen Elizabeth II shakes hands with Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau during the Commonwealth Games. His son Justin is PM of Canada today.
Source: Associated Press
1979: Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip celebrated 32 years of marriage in several official ceremonies that year.
Source: Associated Press
1980: Before he got married, Prince Charles had what newspapers then commonly referred to as his "bachelor years."
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1981: Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer married in 1981 in a highly public ceremony. An estimated 600,000 people filled the streets of London, and 750 million people watched on TV worldwide.
Sources: ,
1982: The couple's first child, Prince William Arthur Philip Louis, was born on June 21 that year at St. Mary's Hospital in London. Following Charles, William is next in line for the throne after the Queen.
Source: Associated Press
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1983: By 1983, all of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip's children were grown. Some were getting married while others began university and military service.
Source: Associated Press
1984: Prince Henry Charles Albert David of Wales (Harry is his nickname) was born on September 15 that year.
Source: Associated Press
1985: Despite early signs of a rocky marriage, Prince Charles and Princess Diana were often photographed together with their kids.
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Source: Associated Press
1986: In 1986, Queen Elizabeth's third son Prince Andrew married Sarah Ferguson (later named the Duchess of York).
Source: BBC
1987: In this photo, Charles, Diana, and the two princes vacation with the royal family of Spain.
Source: Associated Press
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1988: Diana looks displeased as her youngest son sticks out his tongue on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
Source: Associated Press
1989: Prince Charles and Princess Diana were making plenty of headlines as a young, stylish family.
Source: Associated Press
1990: Seen here on the Buckingham Palace balcony, the royal family was about to go through a decade of dark events.
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Source: Associated Press
1991: Princess Diana was known for her warm relationship to her children. Here she is with Prince William at Wimbledon in 1991.
Source: Associated Press
1992: The Queen has frequently referred to 1992 as her 'annus horribilus.' That year, two of her children separated from their spouses and, later, a large part of her residence in Windsor Castle was damaged by a fire.
Source:
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1993: During the early 1990s, Princess Diana was frequently hounded by photographers. These photos were taken during a secluded vacation in 1993.
Source: Associated Press
1994: Here, the Queen Mother is seen celebrating her 94th birthday with Prince William.
Source: Associated Press
1995: By 1995, Charles and Diana had separated but were still appearing together at official events.
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Source: Associated Press
1996: Charles and Diana divorced in 1996, which brought even more media attention to the royal family.
Source:
1997: But the greatest tragedy was to come when, on August 31, 1997, Diana was killed in a high-speed car crash in Paris. In the days leading up to the funeral, the royal family isolated themselves from all media.
Source: Associated Press
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1998: The royal family was still recovering from the untimely death of the princess for months to come.
Source: Associated Press
1999: These photos of Prince Charles and Prince Harry skiing at an exclusive Swiss resort made all the headlines back in 1999. The prince conceded his son had bested him at the sport. "I suspect age — youth — has the advantage," Charles quipped.
Sources: Associated Press, BBC
2000: The new millennium brought changes to the royal family — and also marked the 100th birthday of the Queen Mother.
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Source: Associated Press
2001: Prince William started studying at the University of St. Andrews in 2001. It was there that he would eventually meet his future wife and princess, Kate Middleton.
Source:
2002: The Queen Mother died in 2002, the same year as Queen Elizabeth's Golden Jubilee.
Source: Global News
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2003: Here, Queen Elizabeth II poses with Prince Philip, and her two immediate male heirs to the throne, Prince Charles and Prince William.
Source: Associated Press
2004: This photo of Prince Charles with his two sons was printed in many a magazine that year.
Source: Associated Press
2005: Many were outraged when Prince Charles married his longtime mistress Camilla Parker Bowles, eight years after Diana's death.
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2006: Rather than going to university, Prince Harry enrolled in the military in 2005. Here he is seen smiling at his grandmother during a military ceremony in 2006.
Source: The Associated Press
2007: Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip visited the US to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown in Virginia that year.
Source: ,
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2008: Prince Harry had completed his military officer training and done active duty in Afghanistan by 2008.
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2009: Both princes have participated in numerous military ceremonies over the years. The Queen serves as the commander-in-chief of the British Armed Forces, so she often hosts events to thank the troops.
Source: Associated Press
2010: This year, Prince William officially announced his engagement to his college sweetheart, Kate Middleton. While her family is upper middle class, she was technically a "commoner" since she wasn't royal.
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Sources: ,
2011: William and Kate's royal wedding generated even more excitement and publicity than his parents' 30 years prior. Roughly 1 million people turned out to see the couple in London, and at least 162 million tuned in to watch it around the world.
Source: Associated Press,
2012: Queen Elizabeth II celebrated 60 years as Britain's monarch that year. Celebrations of the Diamond Jubilee were held all over the country.
Source:
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2013: William and Kate's first child, Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge, was born on July 22, 2013. He is third in line to the throne.
Source: Associated Press
2014: Prince William and Princess Kate have made numerous state visits with young Prince George in tow.
Source: Associated Press
2015: Princess Charlotte of Cambridge was born on May 2, 2015. This was also the year that Queen Elizabeth II became Britain's longest serving monarch.
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Source: Business Insider
2016: The Queen turned 90 years old and sent out her first Twitter message to those wishing her a happy birthday. She wrote, "I am most grateful for the many digital messages of goodwill I have received and would like to thank you all for your kindness. Elizabeth R."
Source: Twitter
2017: Today, Queen Elizabeth II has reigned 65 years, and she celebrated her 91st birthday in April.
Source:
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