when did queen elizabeth 2 became queen

Queen Elizabeth II became queen on February 6, 1952, upon the death of her father, King George VI. She was proclaimed queen immediately after his death, and her accession was officially proclaimed in the days following. At that time, she was 25 years old and was in Kenya when she received the news. She returned to the United Kingdom shortly after to assume her position as queen. Her coronation ceremony took place later, on June 2, 1953, at Westminster Abbey in London, more than a year after she became queen, in keeping with the tradition of allowing a period of mourning and preparation for the ceremony.