Recipients of the Order of Vytautas the Great - Juan Carlos I of Spain, Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Margrethe II of Denmark, Harald V of Norway (Paperback)

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 63. Chapters: Juan Carlos I of Spain, Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Margrethe II of Denmark, Harald V of Norway, Albert II of Belgium, Aleksander Kwa niewski, Nursultan Nazarbayev, Henrik, Prince Consort of Denmark, Elizabeth II, Viktor Yushchenko, Lech Kaczy ski, Akihito, Valdas Adamkus, Dalia Grybauskait, Vaira V e-Freiberga, Arnold Ruutel, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, Jan Syrovy, Andrew Bertie, Algirdas Brazauskas, Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, Valdis Zatlers, Paulius Galaun . Excerpt: Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, born 21 April 1926) is the constitutional monarch of sixteen sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Kitts and Nevis. As Head of the Commonwealth, she is the figurehead of the 54-member Commonwealth of Nations; as the British monarch, she is the Supreme Governor of the Church of England. Elizabeth was educated privately at home. Her father ascended to the throne as George VI in 1936. Elizabeth began to undertake public duties during the Second World War, in which she served in the Auxiliary Territorial Service. When her father died in 1952, Elizabeth became Head of the Commonwealth and queen of seven independent Commonwealth countries: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon. Her coronation service in 1953 was the first to be televised. During her 59-year reign, currently the second-longest for a British monarch, she became queen of 25 other Commonwealth countries as they gained independence. Between 1956 and 1992, half of her realms, including South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon (renamed Sri Lanka), became republics. Her Silver and Golden Jub...