In a rare diplomatic appearance before the United Nations, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II addressed the General Assembly today in New York. It was the British monarch’s first address to the U.N. in over half a century. She talked about progress the UN has made since her last address and efforts to curb terrorism and climate change. The Queen appeared before the 192-member General Assembly in her capacity as the head of state of the United Kingdom and 15 other UN member states, including Canada and Australia. She last addressed the body in 1957, at the age of 31. The UN itself was only twelve years old. She had acceded to the throne five years earlier, following the death of her father, King George VI.