ERII 100

Queen Elizabeth II was born 100 years ago today, not in a palace but above a Chinese restaurant in Mayfair. Obviously it wasn't a Chinese restaurant at the time. The following year the family moved to a new home in a luxury international hotel on Piccadilly. Obviously it wasn't a luxury international hotel at the time. And when it suddenly became clear that her father was about to be king, the whole family moved into a tourist attraction at the foot of The Mall. At least that's still there, even if our centenarian monarch has sadly passed away. The Queen was born at 17 Bruton Street W1, a Georgian townhouse with pillared stucco frontage. The house in Mayfair belonged to the Earl and Countess of Strathmore, better known as the Queen Mother's parents, who'd moved here from St James's Square five years earlier. The family was suddenly thrust into the limelight when their youngest daughter accepted the hand in marriage of the King's youngest son, the marriage of Prince Albert and…