Elizabeth

Princess Elizabeth grew up in the Piccadilly home of her parents, the Duke and Duchess of York. The Abdication of her uncle, Edward VIII, in 1936 appeared to be a catastrophe to her family, catapulting her nervous father onto the throne as King George VI.

Planning the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, there was controversy about whether TV cameras would be permitted to cover the ceremony. At first, she resisted. A public outcry compelled a re-think and the whole ceremony was televised, except for the most sacred moment - the anointing of the Queen. Her beauty, dignity and calmness made the event a world-wide success.

At the end of the 1950s, Britain was transforming. The country was on the edge of a social revolution. But the Queen was criticised for being stuck in the past, she was seen as remote and inaccessible.

When her uncle, the Duke of Windsor, died in 1972, she fought to reconcile her divided family. His abdication in 1936 had forced her fragile father, George VI, to take on the heavy burden of Kingship, a responsibility which the Queen Mother blamed for his early death.

The wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana in 1981 marked the beginning of a golden age for the Queen and the monarchy. The Queen had rarely been more popular, but these years were not without challenges, especially in the political sphere. The Queen had a female Prime Minister for the very first time - Margaret Thatcher.

The 90s were the Queen's most challenging decade on the throne. Over the course of the decade she would face relentless public criticism, and painful private tragedy. In 1992, the year she dubbed her 'Annus Horribilis', she saw the collapse of 3 of her children's marriages, as well as the devastating destruction of her home Windsor Castle.

At the turn of the millennium, the Queen was battling negative public opinion. The break up of her children's' marriages and the death of Princess Diana had affected the monarchy's popularity. The millennium was an appropriate opportunity to move on from the negative 1990s. She was guest of honour at the Millennium Dome New Year's Eve Celebrations.

As the Queen moved into the 2010s there was a new confidence to her reign. 2012 marked her Diamond Jubilee year. She was only the second monarch to have ever achieved this milestone, the first had been Queen Victoria. Britain organised a jubilee pageant on the Thames to give thanks to the sovereign for an extraordinary 60 years of service to her country.

In the final episode, royal scandals and public family break ups would set the stage for huge personal tragedy for the Queen. In an era that saw members of her own family and the reputation of the monarchy itself come under fire, the Queen weathered personal grief and public scandal.