Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and of Great Britain and Northern Ireland dies on Thursday at the age of 96.

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By Francesca Merlo

Née Elizabeth Alexandra Mary on 21 April 1926, and made queen in 1952 after the death of her father King George, Queen Elizabeth was the world’s longest reigning monarch–having served as Queen of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as well as of 14 other commonwealth realms.

The Queen died on Thursday afternoon at Balmoral Castle, her residence in Scotland in Aberdeenshire.

In her over 70 years of reign, besides meeting 15 British Prime Ministers, from Winston Churchill to, most recently, Liz Truss, who went to Balmoral Castle to meet with the Queen as she was already in poor health, the Queen personally met 4 popes—of the 5 pontificates in her lifetime.

The Queen and the Popes
The monarch first visited the Vatican in 1951 as Princess Elizabeth. The Pope at the time was Pius XII. Queen Elizabeth's first visit as Queen took place on 5 May 1961. She and Prince Philip were received in audience by Pope John XXIII.

In 1980, Queen Elizabeth made a state visit to the Vatican and was received in audience by Pope John Paul II. Just two years later, the Polish Pope made a pastoral visit to Great Britain.

With the dawn of the new millennium, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II visited the Vatican once again, in October 2000.

In September 2010, Pope Benedict XVI visited Great Britain on an Apostolic Journey on the occasion of the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman and met the Queen in Edinburgh.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, who died in May 2021, met with Pope Francis in the Vatican in 2014.

The meeting marked the 100th anniversary of the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the United Kingdom and the Holy See.

70 years of reign
Marking the Queen’s platinum jubilee, Pope Francis sent a message to the Queen on 2 June 2022:

“On this joyful occasion of your Majesty’s birthday, and as you celebrate this Platinum Jubilee year, I send cordial greetings and good wishes, together with the renewed assurance of my prayers that Almighty God will bestow upon you, the members of the Royal Family and all the people of the nation blessings of unity, prosperity and peace.”