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1 of 16Elizabeth, Duchess of York (1900 - 2002), looking at her first child, future Queen, Princess Elizabeth. May 1926.Speaight/Hulton Archive—Getty Images -
2 of 16Elizabeth, Duchess of York (1900 - 2002), looking at her first child, future Queen, Princess Elizabeth. May 1926.Photo colorization by Sanna Dullaway for TIME / original image: Speaight/Hulton Archive—Getty Images -
3 of 16The Duchess of York took the children to see a daylight dress rehearsal of the Aldershot Tattoo. Here Princess Elizabeth greets the officer of the guard while Princess Margaret alights from the car at Rushmoor Arena. January 1935.Universal History Archive/UIG—Getty images -
4 of 16The Duchess of York took the children to see a daylight dress rehearsal of the Aldershot Tattoo. Here Princess Elizabeth greets the officer of the guard while Princess Margaret alights from the car at Rushmoor Arena. January 1935.Photo colorization by Sanna Dullaway for TIME / original image: Universal History Archive/UIG—Getty images -
5 of 16Princess Elizabeth sitting on a garden seat with two corgi dogs at her home on 145 Piccadilly, London. July 1936.Lisa Sheridan—Getty Images -
6 of 16Princess Elizabeth sitting on a garden seat with two corgi dogs at her home on 145 Piccadilly, London. July 1936.Photo colorization by Sanna Dullaway for TIME / original image: Lisa Sheridan—Getty Images -
7 of 16Queen Elizabeth talking to Lord Elphinstone during an inspection of the Royal Company of Archers at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh. Her husband King George VI is on the right; Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose are in the center. July 1937.Fox Photos—Getty Images -
8 of 16Queen Elizabeth talking to Lord Elphinstone during an inspection of the Royal Company of Archers at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh. Her husband King George VI is on the right; Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose are in the center. July 1937.Photo colorization by Sanna Dullaway for TIME / original image: Fox Photos/Getty Images -
9 of 16Princess Elizabeth working on her studies at a desk in Windsor Castle. June 1940.Lisa Sheridan—Getty Images -
10 of 16Princess Elizabeth working on her studies at a desk in Windsor Castle. June 1940.Photo colorization by Sanna Dullaway for TIME / original image: Lisa Sheridan—Getty Images -
11 of 16Princess Elizabeth out riding at the Royal Lodge, Windsor. April 1940.Lisa Sheridan—Getty Images -
12 of 16Princess Elizabeth out riding at the Royal Lodge, Windsor. April 1940.Photo colorization by Sanna Dullaway for TIME / original image: Lisa Sheridan—Getty Images -
13 of 16Princess Elizabeth poses in her girl guide uniform in Frogmore, Windsor, England on April 11, 1942.Lisa Sheridan—Getty Images -
14 of 16Princess Elizabeth poses in her girl guide uniform in Frogmore, Windsor, England on April 11, 1942.Photo colorization by Sanna Dullaway for TIME / original image: Lisa Sheridan—Getty Images -
15 of 16Princess Elizabeth holding Sue, a corgi pup, in the grounds of Windsor Castle, Berkshire, May 30, 1944.Lisa Sheridan—Getty Images -
16 of 16Princess Elizabeth holding Sue, a corgi pup, in the grounds of Windsor Castle, Berkshire, May 30, 1944.Photo colorization by Sanna Dullaway for TIME / original image: Lisa Sheridan—Getty Images
When Winston Churchill met a two-year-old princess, the future Queen Elizabeth II, in 1928, he observed in the child a remarkable quality. She had, the future Prime Minister said, an “air of authority and reflectiveness astonishing in an infant.” There is much about the Queen, who was born 90 years ago on April 21, 1926, that remains unchanged since her early days: She is and always has been sensible, serious in her duties and steadfast in her love of her Pembroke Welsh Corgis.
Long before she married Prince Philip in 1947 and ascended to the throne in 1952, the future queen was a child called “Lilibet” who played and studied alongside her younger sister Margaret, adored her grandfather, King George V, and loved to ride horses and spend time with her dogs. In honor of her birthday, TIME commissioned freelance photo editor Sanna Dullaway to colorize several photos of the little girl who would be queen.
Sanna Dullaway is a photo editor based in Sweden. See more of her work here.
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