Queen Elizabeth II was born on April 21, 1926.
From the moment of her birth, she was known as Princess Elizabeth, third in line for the throne of England.
No one thought she would ever sit on the throne, until her uncle, King Edward VIII, abdicated the throne in 1936.
Elizabeth's father became King George VI, and she suddenly became the heir to the throne, and the future recipient of impressive royal powers.
Still, despite the pressures of growing up royal, Elizabeth had a mostly normal childhood alongside her sister, Princess Margaret.
She even had an adorable childhood nickname, with an equally cute backstory.
When Elizabeth was a very little girl learning to talk, she struggled with one word in particular: her own lengthy name!
Because of that, she gave herself a cute nickname, which her family quickly picked up.
Elizabeth has been in the spotlight for so long that many people don't realize that, to this day, nobody in her family actually calls her by her real name.
Scroll through below to learn the Queen's sweet lifelong nickname!
As a toddler, Elizabeth struggled to pronounce her own complicated name.
Instead, she always called herself "Lilibet."
Her sister Margaret picked up the pronunciation, and Lilibet became the young princess' nickname.
Her parents and sister, as well as other close family members, would continue to call her by that nickname as she grew up.
Today, it's hard to reconcile the impressive Queen Elizabeth II with the adorable and girlish name Lilibet.
The Queen was born in 1926, and in 1952, when she was only 25 years old, she began her reign.
Now, she is 91 years old, and she is the longest currently reigning monarch in the world.
Even today, the Queen is called Lilibet by her husband, Prince Philip.
According to MSN, Elizabeth's father, King George VI, used to tell people, "Lilibet is my pride. Margaret is my joy."
Everyone who knew Elizabeth as a toddler and child remembers her by her sweet, understated nickname and equally humble personality.
As heir to the throne, young Elizabeth became known for her sense of authority and maturity.
Elizabeth appreciated order and knew she had a lot of responsibility as a member of the royal family.
Still, despite her weighty role, she once told her nanny that she would like to grow up to be a farmer's wife, according to the Mirror.
Instead, at the tender age of 13, Lilibet fell in love with Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark. Even though she was young, she and Philip started exchanging letters.
When she was 21, Philip and Elizabeth officially announced their engagement. The two got married in 1947.
In addition to using her nickname, Tatler writes that Prince Philip also calls her "Darling" and "Sausage."
You might not associate such cozy nicknames with the world's most famous monarch, but they still remain part of her character under the public persona she shares with the world.
On February 6, 1952, King George VI passed away and Elizabeth immediately became the Queen of England.
On June 2, 1953, Lilibet officially became Queen Elizabeth II when she was crowned at her coronation.
The girl called Lilibet is now the longest-reigning monarch in the world, and is still a humble country girl at heart.
It just goes to show that even the most powerful people start their lives just like the rest of us — as toddlers who can't pronounce their own names!
Even after assuming the throne, the Queen remains Lilibet deep down.
Did you know about Queen Elizabeth II and her secret nickname?
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