Shropshire Star

The Queen at 90: Prime Ministers during her lifetime

As the Queen turns 90 today we take a quick look back at some of the Prime Ministers that have come and gone during here life time - and there have been a few.

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During her 64-year reign the monarch has been served by 12 prime ministers from Sir Winston Churchill to David Cameron, while Barack Obama, who will drop for lunch on Friday, is the 12th US president to hold office over the same period.

Over the decades Britain has undergone major transformations from technological advances like computers and supersonic flight to developments in society and the political landscape.

Her personal life has brought her happiness with the Queen, who acceded to the throne at the age of 25, now surrounded by her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

But she endured her ''annus horribilis'' in 1992, the year Charles separated from wife Diana, the Duke of York split from Sarah, and the Princess Royal divorced Captain Mark Phillips.

The woman who is seen by many as a stabilising force in national life was never expected to be Queen when she was born on April 21 1926 in a town house in London's Mayfair, the first child of the Duke of York, later King George VI.

Her destiny was changed with the abdication of her uncle, Edward VIII, for the woman he loved - American divorcee Wallis Simpson.

Famously the Queen dedicated her life to her future role as monarch on her 21st birthday - vowing to serve the Commonwealth: ''I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.''

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