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Line 54: When [[Death and state funeral of George VI|her father died]] in February 1952, Elizabeth, then 25 years old, became queen of seven independent Commonwealth countries: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, [[Union of South Africa|South Africa]], [[Dominion of Pakistan|Pakistan]], and [[Dominion of Ceylon|Ceylon]] (known today as Sri Lanka), as well as [[head of the Commonwealth]]. Elizabeth reigned as a [[constitutional monarch]] through major political changes such as [[the Troubles]] in Northern Ireland, [[devolution in the United Kingdom]], the [[decolonisation of Africa]], and the [[United Kingdom's accession to the European Communities]] as well as its [[Brexit|subsequent withdrawal]]. The number of her realms varied over time as territories gained independence and some realms [[Republics in the Commonwealth of Nations|became republics]]. As queen, Elizabeth was served by [[List of prime ministers of Elizabeth II|more than 170 prime ministers]] across her realms. Her many historic visits and meetings included [[List of state visits made by Elizabeth II|state visits]] to China in 1986, [[State visit by Elizabeth II to Russia|to Russia]] in 1994, and [[State visit by Elizabeth II to the Republic of Ireland|to the Republic of Ireland]] in 2011, and meetings with five popes and fourteen US presidents. Significant events included [[Coronation of Elizabeth II| == Early life == | |||