A GLOBAL QUEEN HOW ELIZABETH II CONQUERED THE WORLD

Elizabeth II was the most widely travelled monarch in British overseas trips during her 70-year reign.

As Queen of 15 realms, as well as Head of the Commonwealth, she travelled to every corner of the globe and clocked up more than a million miles, until her advancing years prompted her to give up foreign travel in 2015.

Having begun her reign in Kenya, where she was on tour when George VI died, she went on to visit 51 Commonwealth nations, plus dozens of other countries including Libya, Iran, Nepal, Thailand, Chile, Mexico, Russia and China.

MEETING THE LEADERS

She also met 13 out of 14 US Presidents - the exception was Lyndon B Johnson; she was pregnant with Prince Edward when he took office and continued to host world leaders at home well into her 90s.

Her most visited country was Canada - 27 times - followed by Australia with 16 trips. Her longest stay overseas was her Commonwealth tour of 1953, during which she and the Duke of Edinburgh covered 44,000 miles over six months, accompanied by 12 tonnes of luggage.

Although she was famously politically neutral, Elizabeth played a vital diplomatic role and won the respect of leaders around the world – South African President Nelson Mandela called her by her first name when they spoke on the phone.

BREAKING BOUNDARIES

In 1961, she travelled to Ghana while President Kwame Nkrumah was under threat of assassination, leading to fears for her safety.