When Queen Elizabeth II was born, she was third in line to the throne — and considered highly unlikely to wear the crown. Elizabeth was born Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor on April 21, 1926, to then-Prince Albert, Duke of York, and his wife, Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. Albert, who later became King George VI, was the second-oldest son of King George V, meaning the heir-apparent was his older brother, the then-Prince Edward.