Current Women (Female) Leaders of the World | Recommended Books

Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, President of Argentina

Date of birth: 19th February 1953.

Place of birth: La Plata, Buenos Aires.

Profession: Lawyer

Marital Status: Married to Néstor Carlos Kirchner

Children: Máximo Kirchner - Florencia Kirchner

Background, both professional and in the Public Administration

 · Previous position: Senator for the Province of Buenos Aires, Chairwoman of the Constitutional Affairs Committee of the Honourable Senate of the Nation.

 . 2001- 2005: National Senator for the Province of Santa Cruz.

 . 1998: Member of the Provincial Constituent Assembly, Province of Santa Cruz 

. 1997-2001: Congresswoman, representing the Province of Santa Cruz and Vice Chair of the Education Committee at the House of Representatives, Congress of the Nation.

 . 2000: Second Vice Chair of the House of Representatives (Congress of the Nation) Special Investigation Committee  concerning illegal acts related to money laundering 

. 1999: Chair of the Special Bicameral Committee  in charge of following up the investigation related to the attacks on the Israeli Embassy and the AMIA Building (September-December) 

. 1995-1997: Senator for the Province of Santa Cruz (resigns when she becomes a Congesswoman)  

. 1995: Re-elected provincial representative (resigns to take on office as Senator at the Congress of the Nation)

. 1994: Member of the National Constituent Convention for the Province of Santa Cruz.

 . 1993: Re-elected provincial House Representative.

. 1990: First Vice Chair of the House of Representatives of the Province of Santa Cruz.

. 1989: Provincial House Representative in the Province of Santa Cruz and Chair of the Constitutional Affairs, Authorities and Regulations Committee of the Honourable House of Representatives of the Province of Santa Cruz (up to 1995)

. Since she was a student at the Universidad Nacional de La Plata, she has been a staunch supporter of the Justicialista Movement and committed to defend Human Rights.

Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce,
Governor General of Australia

Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce, AC Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia BA. LLB (Qld). Hon LLD (Macquarie). Hon DLitt (Charles Sturt). Hon DUniv (Griffith). Hon DU (QUT). Hon LLD (Qld) Quentin Bryce was born in Brisbane in 1942 and spent her early years in Ilfracombe, a small town in Central Western Queensland. In 1965, she graduated with the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws from The University of Queensland and, in the same year, was admitted to the Queensland Bar. She has since enjoyed a rich and distinguished career as an academic, lawyer, community and human rights advocate, senior public officer, university college principal, and vice-regal representative in Queensland, and now Australia.

Ms Bryce’s former roles – some, among firsts for women in this country – include:

• Lecturer and Tutor in Law, The University of Queensland, 1968-1983 • Convenor, National Women’s Advisory Council, 1982-1984 • Inaugural Director, Queensland Women’s Information Service, Office of the Status of Women, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, 1984-1987 • Director, Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, Queensland, 1987-1988 • Federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, 1988-1993 • founding Chair and CEO, National Childcare Accreditation Council, 1993-1996 • Principal and CEO, The Women's College, University of Sydney, 1997-2003 • Governor of Queensland, 2003-2008

Quentin Bryce’s contribution to advancing human rights and equality, the rights of women and children, and the welfare of the family was recognised in her appointment as an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1988 and a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2003. Also in 2003, she was invested as a Dame of Grace of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem. Ms Bryce was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws by Macquarie University (New South Wales) in 1998, an Honorary Doctorate of Letters by Charles Sturt University (New South Wales) in 2002, and an Honorary Doctorate of Laws by The University of Queensland in 2006. She was conferred with the degrees of Honorary Doctor of the University by Griffith University (Queensland) in 2003, and Queensland University of Technology in 2004. In her civic role as Governor of Queensland, Ms Bryce continued her work with women, families and young people while extending her influence across the State’s broad and diverse spectrum, including the rural, regional, aged, indigenous, migrant, and disability sectors. As a mother and grandmother, Quentin is a role model and mentor to women at every stage of their lives. She values and encourages women’s capacity to form strong and enduring bonds of friendship, intellectual and emotional enrichment, and mutual support in their roles within the family, workplace and community.

On 5 September 2008 Quentin Bryce was sworn in as Australia’s twenty-fifth Governor-General. As the first woman to take up the office, she remains a pioneer in contemporary Australian society, and yet one who brings more than forty years of experience in reform, community building and leadership to the role.

Quentin Bryce and her husband, Michael, were married in 1964. They have two daughters and three sons, and five grandchildren.

Borjana Kristo, President of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina

According to the Article V of the Constitution, the Presidency consists of three members: one Bosniak and one Croat elected from the Federation and one Serb elected from the Republika Srpska. Together, they serve one four-year term, rotating every 8 months.

The member with the most votes becomes the chairman (the President of the Presidency) unless he or she was the incumbent chairman at the time of the election, but the chairmanship rotates every eight months, to ensure equality.

Michelle Bachelet Jeria, President of Chile

The President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet Jeria, was born on September 29, 1951. She is a trained pediatrician and public health specialist who also holds degrees in military science. A member of the Socialist Party and separated mother of three, Dr. Bachelet was the first woman in Chilean and Latin American history to hold the Health and Defense portfolios. On January 15, 2006 she became Chile's first-ever woman president.

Michelle Bachelet graduated from Santiago's Javiera Carrera Secondary School in 1969. A year later she enrolled at the University of Chile medical school and joined the Socialist Party.

Her father, Air Force General Alberto Bachelet, was arrested in the aftermath of the coup d'etat of September 1973 and died in prison in March 1974. In January 1975 both she and her mother, Ángela Jeria, were arrested and tortured. After their release they went into exile in Australia, then in Germany.

In 1979 Michelle Bachelet returned home. In 1982 she completed her medical training at the University of Chile. From 1983 through 1986 she completed a residency in Pediatric Medicine and Public Health. From 1986 through 1990 she headed the Medical Department of PIDEE, an NGO assisting the children of victims of the military regime.

In 1990 Michelle Bachelet joined the West Santiago Health Service and the National AIDS Commission, and was consultant on public health issues to several international organizations.

In March 1994 she became Senior Assistant to the Deputy Health Minister and a year later was named to the Socialist Party Central Committee. In 1996 she enrolled at Chile's National Academy for Strategic and Policy Studies. In 1997 she completed the Continental Defense Course at the Washington, D.C.-based Inter-American Defense College. From 1998 through 2000 she was Senior Assistant to the Defense Minister and became a member of the Socialist Party Executive Committee.

On March 11, 2000 President Ricardo Lagos appointed her as Health Minister. On January 7, 2002 she became the first woman in Chilean and Latin American history to hold the Defense portfolio.

On October 1, 2004, Dr. Bachelet stepped down as Defense Minister to stand as presidential candidate. Following a 438-day presidential campaign, she and her three contenders square off at the polls on December 12, 2005. She received a massive, but not yet decisive, 45.95% of the popular vote.

On January 15, 2006, a final election runoff vote was held, and Michelle Bachelet won with 53.5% percent of the vote. After 476 days on the stump, she became the first woman in Chilean history to hold the highest office in the land.

Margrethe Alexandrine Þorhildur Ingrid, Queen of Denmark

Margrethe Alexandrine Þorhildur Ingrid, Her Majesty The Queen, became Queen of Denmark in 1972. HM Queen Margrethe II was born on 16 April 1940 at Amalienborg Palace as the daughter of King Frederik IX (d. 1972) and Queen Ingrid, born Princess of Sweden (d. 2000). The Queen’s motto is "God’s help, the love of The People, Denmark’s strength".

Christened and confirmed

HM The Queen was christened on 14 May 1940 in Holmens Kirke (the naval church) and confirmed on 1 April 1955 at Fredensborg Palace.

The Act of Succession

The Act of Succession of 27 March 1953 gave women the right of succession to the Danish throne, but only secondarily. On the occasion of the accession to the throne on 14 January 1972, HM Queen Margrethe II became the first Danish Sovereign under the new Act of Succession.

A Seat on the State Council

On 16 April 1958, the Heir Apparent, Princess Margrethe, was given a seat on the State Council, and the Heir Apparent subsequently chaired the meetings of the State Council in the absence of King Frederik IX.

Halonen, Tarja Kaarina, President of the Republic of Finland

Born December 24, 1943
Married, one daughter, born 1978

Master of Laws, University of Helsinki, 1968
Member of the Finnish Social Democratic Party 1971-2000  
Minister for Foreign Affairs 1995-2000
Minister of Justice 1990-1991
Minister for Nordic Cooperation 1989-1991
Minister at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health 1987-1990
Member of Parliament 1979 - 2000
Chairman of the Parliamentary Grand Committee 1995 – 1995
Chairman of the Parliamentary Law Committee 1991 – 1994
Chairman of the Parliamentary Social Affairs Committee 1984 – 1986 
Member of the Helsinki City Council 1977-1996
Prime Minister's parliamentary secretary 1974-1975
Lawyer with the Central Organization of Finnish Trade Unions SAK 1970-1974 and 1975-1979
Social Affairs Secretary and General Secretary of the National Union of Finnish Students 1969-1970

Chancellor Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany

Angela Merkel was sworn in as Chancellor on November 22, 2005. She is the first woman and the first East German to hold this office. Her CV traces her rise from an academic to a political career.
Born on 17 July 1954 in Hamburg; Protestant, married

Since November 2005
Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany

2002 - 2005
Chairwoman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the German Bundestag

Since 2000
Chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union Germany (CDU)

1998 - 2000
General Secretary of the CDU Germany

1994 - 1998
Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety

1991 - 1994
Federal Minister for Women and Youth

1993 - 2000
Chairwoman of the CDU Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania

1991 - 1998
Deputy Chairwoman of the CDU

Since 1990
Member of the German Bundestag

1990
Deputy Government Spokeswoman of the de Maizière Government

Since 1990
Joined the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU)

1989
Member of "Demokratischer Aufbruch" (Democratic Awakening)

1986
Awarded a doctorate

1978 - 1990
Member of the academic staff at the Central Institute of Physical Chemistry at the Academy of Sciences

1973 - 1978
Studied Physics at Leipzig University

1973
Abitur (higher education entrance qualification) in Templin

LINK: http://www.bundeskanzlerin.de

Pratibha Patil, President of India

Name : Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil

Father's Name : Shri Narayan Rao

Date of Birth : 19th December, 1934

Place of Birth : Distt. Jalgaon (Maharashtra)

Marital Status : Married on 7th July, 1965

Spouse's Name : Sh. Devisingh Ransingh Shekhawat

Children : One son & one daughter

Educational Qualifications : M.A., LL.B.Educated at M.J. College, Jalgaon (Maharashtra) & Govt. Law College, Bombay.

Profession : Social worker, practiced as Advocate at Jalgaon.

Permanent Address :

(a) 57, New Congress Nagar, Opp. Govt. Milk Scheme, Amravati (Maharashtra)

(b) 1701, Wainganga, Worli Sagar Cooperative Housing Society, Pochkhanwala Road, Worli, Bombay - 400 018.

Present Address :

Raj Bhawan, Civil Lines, Jaipur. Tel. (0141) 2228792 (Secretary), 2228716 (PBX) Fax (0141) 2228737 (ADC)

Political Career

• Governor of Rajasthan: November 8, 2004 – present
  
  
• Member of Parliament(Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha): 1985 – 1996
  Constituency: Amravati
  
  
• Member of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly: 1962 – 1985
  
  
• Deputy Minister, Public Health, Prohibition, Tourism, Housing and Parliamentary Affairs, Govt. of Maharasthra: 1967-72
  
  
• Cabinet Minister, Social Welfare, Govt. of Maharashtra: 1972-74
  
  
• Cabinet Minister, Public Health and Social Welfare, Maharasthra: 1974-75
  
  
• Cabinet Minister, Prohibition, Rehabilitation and Cultural Affairs, Govt. of Maharashtra: 1975-76
  
  
• Cabinet Minister, Education, Govt. of Maharashtra: 1977-78
  
  
• Leader of Opposition, CLP(I), Govt. of Maharashtra: 1979-1980
  
  
• Cabinet Minister, Urban Development and Housing,
  Govt. of Maharashtra: 1982-85
  
  
• Cabinet Minister, Civil Supplies and Social Welfare,
  Govt. of Maharashtra : 1983-85
  
  
• Elected to Rajya Sabha: June, 1985-90
  
  
• Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha: 1986-1988
  
  
• Chairman, Committee on Privileges, Rajya Sabha Member, Business Advisory Committee, Rajya Sabha: 1986-88
  
  
• Elected to 10th Lok Sabha Chairperson, House Committee, Lok Sabha: 1991
  
  
• Governor of Rajasthan: 8 November 2004

Pratibha patil's Family Life

Mary McAleese, President of Ireland

On 11th November, 1997, Mary McAleese was inaugurated as the eighth President of Ireland. Mary McAleese was re-elected on Friday 1st October 2004 being the only validly-nominated candidate. She is a barrister and former Professor of Law. Born on June 27th 1951 in Belfast, she is the first President to come from Northern Ireland. She is married, since 1976, to Dr. Martin McAleese, an accountant and dentist. They have three children, Emma, born 1982 and twins Justin and SaraMai, born 1985.

The eldest of nine children, President McAleese grew up in Northern Ireland through the violent times that have come to be known as 'The Troubles'. Her family was one of many adversely affected by the conflict. She graduated in Law from the Queen's University of Belfast in 1973 and was called to the Northern Ireland Bar in 1974. In 1975, she was appointed Reid Professor of Criminal Law, Criminology and Penology at Trinity College Dublin and in 1987, she returned to her Alma Mater, Queen's, to become Director of the Institute of Professional Legal Studies. In 1994, she became the first female Pro-Vice Chancellor of the Queen's University of Belfast.

President McAleese is an experienced broadcaster, having worked as a current affairs journalist and presenter in radio and television with Radio Telefís Éireann. She has a longstanding interest in many issues concerned with justice, equality, social inclusion, anti-sectarianism and reconciliation. The theme of her Presidency is 'Building Bridges'

Among the other appointments she has held are;

• Director of Channel 4 Television.
• Director, Northern Ireland Electricity
• Delegate to the 1995 White House Conference on Trade and Investment in Ireland and to the follow up Pittsburg Conference in 1996.
• Member of the Catholic Church delegation in 1996 to the North Commission on Contentious Parades.
• Member of the Catholic Church Episcopal Delegation to the New Ireland Forum in 1984.
• Founder member of the Irish Commission for Prisoners Overseas.

Portia Simpson Miller, Prime Minister of Jamaica

Portia Simpson Miller was born in Wood Hall, St. Catherine and attended the Marlie Hill Primary School , St. Martin's High School and the Union Institute, Miami Florida where she read for a Bachelors Degree in Public Administration. While completing her degree she also completed a Diploma in Computing, Programming and Public Relations.

ACHIEVEMENTS

“It is often said that - “ while the nation sleeps, she works.”

PROFESSION

In her business career she has worked in various positions as Secretary and in the Social Service Field

POSITIONS HELD IN GOVERNMENT

Helen Clark, Prime Minister of New Zealand

Helen Clark was elected Prime Minister of New Zealand on 27 November 1999. Her rise to the top of New Zealand politics is the culmination of almost thirty years of involvement with the Labour Party, and the latest chapter in a remarkable story which began in New Zealand's provincial, conservative heartland.

Helen Clark was born in 1950, in Hamilton, and spent her first twelve years on the family sheep and cattle farm to the west of the city. She is the oldest of four girls. Helen attended Te Pahu Primary School.

After five years of secondary schooling at Auckland's Epsom Girls' Grammar, where she was a boarder, Helen Clark entered the University of Auckland in 1968 to study politics. Later she lectured in political studies at the university.

It was during her time at university that Helen Clark's active involvement in politics began, sparked by issues such as the civil war in Vietnam, apartheid in South Africa, and nuclear testing in the South Pacific.

Helen Clark joined the Labour Party in 1971 and in 1975 stood for election to Parliament for the first time, in the safe National seat of Piako.

In 1981 Helen Clark was elected as MP for Mt Albert. Nineteen years later, she has earned the unofficial title of 'Mother of the House' - the longest serving woman member among current MPs.

With the election of the Fourth Labour government in the 'snap' election of July 1984, the political career of the future Prime Minister took off. Between 1984 and 1987 Helen Clark was chair of the foreign affairs and defence select committee, at a time when New Zealand declared itself nuclear free and generally pursued a more independent stance in its foreign policy.

In 1986 Helen Clark was awarded the annual Peace Prize of the Danish Peace Foundation for her work in promoting peace and disarmament.

In 1987, following the re-election of Labour, Helen Clark was elected to the Cabinet. Over the next three years she held a number of ministerial portfolios - conservation, housing, labour and health. From August 1989 until October 1990 she was Deputy Prime Minister.

As health minister Helen Clark sponsored the introduction of tobacco control legislation. This provided protection against smoking in workplaces and public places, and eliminated tobacco advertising and the sponsorship of sporting events by tobacco companies.

Helen Clark was elected Leader of the Labour Party in December 1993 and served as Leader of the Opposition until the general election in November 1999, when Labour was again elected to government. She won a second term at the 2002 general election.

Away from politics, Helen Clark is a keen concert goer and opera lover and an enthusiastic supporter of the arts in general.

By serving as Minister of Arts, Culture and Heritage as well as Prime Minister, Helen Clark intends to give the arts in New Zealand a degree of prominence and support they have not previously enjoyed at the top political level.

Helen Clark likes to keep fit through regular visits to the gym and has a passion for hiking and cross-country skiing. In January 1999 she climbed Africa's highest peak, the 5895m Mt Kilimanjaro.

Helen Clark is married to Dr Peter Davis, Professor of Sociology and head of the Sociology Department at Auckland University.

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, President of Philippines

The President of the Philippines, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, holds many records. Elected as Senator during her first try in politics in 1992, she was re-elected Senator in 1995 with nearly 16 million votes, the highest number of votes in Philippine history at that time. She was elected Vice President of the Philippines in 1998 with almost 13 million votes, the largest mandate in the history of presidential or vice presidential elections. She was sworn in as the 14th President of the Philippines on 20 January 2001 by Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. after the Supreme Court unanimously declared the position of President vacant, the second woman to be swept into the Presidency by a peaceful People Power revolution (EDSA II). In 2004 she won the Presidential elections for a fresh mandate, winning with one million votes over her closest opponent.

The President is the daughter of the late President and Mrs. Diosdado Macapagal, who were well known for their integrity and simple but dignified lifestyle. During the Presidency of Diosdado Macapagal, the Philippines was second only to Japan in economic progress in Asia.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, born on 5 April 1947, was valedictorian of her high school class at Assumption Convent, was consistently on the Dean's List in Georgetown University in Washington DC, and graduated magna cum laude at Assumption College in Makati. She obtained a Master's degree in Economics from the Ateneo de Manila University and a doctorate degree in Economics from the University of the Philippines.

Macapagal-Arroyo joined the Philippine government in 1986 as Undersecretary of Trade and Industry. During her tenure in the Senate, she authored 55 laws on economic and social reform and was named outstanding Senator several times. When she was elected Vice President, she was appointed as concurrent Secretary of Social Welfare and Development, a post she held until her resignation from the Cabinet on 12 October 2000.

Her Excellency Dame Pearlette Louisy, Governor-General of Santa Lucia

Her Excellency Dame Pearlette Louisy was born in the southern village of Laborie and attended the Laborie Girls’ Primary and Mixed Infants School, from which she proceeded on a Javouhey Scholarship to St Joseph’s Convent in January 1960. On completion of her secondary education, she joined the staff of St Joseph’s Convent in September 1965.

She began her university education in October 1966, having obtained a scholarship from the Canadian International Development Agency to read for a Bachelors’ Degree in English and French at the University of the West Indies at Cave Hill in Barbados. In 1972 she was awarded another scholarship under the Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan to read for a Masters Degree in Linguistics, in the field of Didactics at the University of Laval in Quebec City, Canada. In 1991, she took up studies at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom where she read for a PhD in Education. Her doctoral studies focused on the management and provision of tertiary education in small nation states.
In 1999, she was awarded with the Honorary degree of Doctor of Laws ( LL.D) by the University of Bristol.

Dame Louisy‘s entire professional life has been spent in the field of education. She was first exposed to the classroom when she served as a pupil teacher at the Laborie Mixed Infants School while she waited for an opportunity to begin her secondary school education. She later served on the staff of St Joseph’s Convent during the years 1969 - 1972 and 1975 - 1976. From 1976 - 1986, she served first as a tutor of French, and then as Principal of the St. Lucia “A” Level College. When the “A” Level College was merged with sister institutions to form the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College, she served as Dean of the Division of Arts, Science and General Studies, later Vice Principal and then Principal, the position she held until her appointment as Governor General on September 18, 1997.

In 1999, Her Majesty the Queen conferred on her the title of Dame Grand Cross of the Order of St. Michael and St. George.

Dame Louisy complemented her abiding interest in education with a love for culture and the performing arts. She was an active member of the Creative and Performing Arts Society (Drama and Chorale), the New Day Theatre Movement, and more recently the Bel Canto Choral Group. In culture it was the Folk Research Centre and the Mouvman Kweyol Sent Lisi which spearheaded her work in the promotion of and research into creole culture and language, an interest she still actively pursues.

LINK: http://www.governorgeneral.gov.lc/

Rosa Zafferani, Co-Head of State, San Marino

She served as Captain Regent for the term April - October 2008. As joint head of state according to the country's constitution, she served together with Federico Pedini Amati.

Previously, she had served as Captain Regent for the April-October 1999 period prior to reassuming the role from April 2008.

Micheline Calmy-Rey, President of Switzerland

Micheline Calmy-Rey (born July 8, 1945) is a Swiss politician, member of the Swiss Federal Council since 2003. She is head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (the Swiss foreign minister) and President of the Confederation for 2007.

Early life and education

Calmy-Rey was born in Sion in the canton of Valais to Charles and Adeline Rey. She received her diploma in 1963 in St. Maurice, and received a degree in political science at the Institut de hautes études internationales (HEI) (Graduate Institute of International Studies) in 1968. In 1966 she married André Calmy. They have two children.

Career

From 1981-1997 Calmy-Rey served as a Congresswoman in the Grand Conseil of the canton of Geneva as a member of the Social Democratic Party (PSS/SPS), and served as president of the assembly during 1992-1993. She was president of the Geneva section of the party from 1986-1990 and again from 1993-1997. In 1997, Calmy-Rey was elected to the Conseil d'Etat of Geneva. In 2001 she became head of the Finance Department and president of the Conseil d'Etat.

She was elected on December 4, 2002 to the Federal Council, heading the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. Calmy-Rey is only the fourth woman elected to the Federal Council in history. On December 7, 2005 she was elected Vice-President of Switzerland, a post she held for the calendar year of 2006.

In 2007 she will be the second female President of the Confederation in history, the first having been her predecessor on the Federal Council, Ruth Dreifuss. She was elected as President on 13 December 2006 by 147 votes.

Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom

Queen of the United Kingdom (1952– ) and head of the Commonwealth, born in London, UK, the daughter of George VI. Formerly Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, she was proclaimed queen on 6 February 1952, and crowned on 2 June 1953. Her husband was created Duke of Edinburgh on the eve of their wedding (20 Nov 1947), and styled Prince Philip in 1957. They have three sons, Charles Philip Arthur George (14 Nov 1948), Andrew Albert Christian Edward (19 Feb 1960), and Edward Anthony Richard Louis (10 Mar 1964), and a daughter Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise (15 Aug 1950). Elizabeth's long and mainly peaceful reign has been marked by vast changes in her people's lives, in her country's power, how Britain is viewed abroad, and how the monarchy is regarded and portrayed. When Elizabeth became queen, post-war Britain still had a substantial empire, dominions, and dependencies, most of which achieved independence in the 1950s–1960s. Her reign has seen a revolution in social behaviour and attitudes, and increased prosperity. The 1990s in particular were a problematic period for the royal family. The Windsor Castle fire and the divorces of Prince Charles from Diana, Princess of Wales, and of Prince Andrew from Sarah, Duchess of York, were followed by Diana's death in a car crash in Paris in 1997. This particular tragedy brought to a head the debate about the monarchy's role and continued formality. Overall, however, Elizabeth II has provided the nation's main symbol of continuity, and her many visits to Commonwealth and other countries have won her wide respect. In 2006 she celebrated her 80th birthday with her family at Windsor Castle, and attended various public events to mark the occasion.