Queen Elizabeth dies at age 96

Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace in 2011. (Julian Calder/Governor-General of New Zealand)

Queen Elizabeth, who was the Monarch for the Empire of Great Britain for over 70 years, died in Scotland on Sept. 8. She was 96. She was the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York and was considered the most influential representative of British royalty in the 20th century.

Elizabeth was born on April 21, 1926, the first child of Price Albert, Duke of York (later King George VI), and his wife, Elizabeth, Duchess of York (later Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother). As expected, she led a privleged life -- sharing her parents and Great Britain's attention with her younger sister, Princess Margaret.

But she would become a symbol of public service during World War Two, when she volunteered for the Auxiliary Territory Service.

Queen Elizabeth serving with the Auxiliary Territorial Service in April 1945. (Imperial War Museums)

Queen Elizabeth in 1959 (Donald McCague/Library Archives of Canada)