5 facts about Queen Elizabeth II: From her armed forces service in WWII to her childhood nickname
Queen Elizabeth II spent most of her years in the spotlight after ascending to the throne at the age of 25. The monarch, who died on Thursday at the age of 96, had enjoyed relative privacy before becoming a global figure overnight when her father King George VI passed away unexpectedly in 1952. Though the queen was often under the scrutiny of the public eye, there are several lesser-known facts about her long life.