Queen Elizabeth II has reached a major milestone by becoming the longest-reigning monarch in Britain’s history.
She passes Queen Victoria, her great-great-grandmother, who was on the throne for 63 years and 7 months.
Prime Minister David Cameron said on Wednesday that millions on Britons would celebrate the Queen’s “historic moment.”
“Over the last 63 years, Her Majesty has been a rock of stability in a world of constant change and her selfless sense of service and duty has earned admiration not only in Britain, but right across the globe,” Mr. Cameron said.
“It is only right that today we should celebrate her extraordinary record, as well as the grace and dignity with which she serves our country.”
Buckingham Palace marked the event by releasing an official photograph of the Queen taken by Mary McCartney, a photographer who is the daughter of former Beatle Paul McCartney.
Queen Elizabeth II
- Born on April 21 1926 in London to Duke and Duchess of York Albert and Lady Elizabeth, who later became the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, Queen Consort (the Queen Mother).
- She was originally third in line to the throne after her uncle Edward, the Prince of Wales, and her father the Duke of York. However, after the death of her grandfather King George V, and the abdication of Edward VIII just a year of his accession, her father became King George VI in 1936, making her first in line.
- She was educated at home with her sister Princess Margaret.
- In 1940, her sister and she were moved to Windsor Castle to protect them from the Blitzkrieg. She even joined the war effort in 1945 and trained as a driver in the Women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service (WATS)
- In November 1947, she married her distant cousin Philip Mountbatten, who was made Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh after their marriage. Winston Churchill described their wedding as a ‘flash of colour’ during the immediate post-War years. She even used ration coupons to get cloth for her dress.
- She had four children with Prince Philip: Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Edward and Prince Andrew Whilst touring Kenya in 1952, she received news of her father King George’s death. After months of preparation, she ascended the throne on June 2, 1953. Her coronation ceremony and celebrations were broadcast across the world on TV, a first for the royal event.
- Queen Elizabeth has also introduced various reforms to the monarchy: in 1992, she offered to pay income and capital gains.
- Her reign also saw the end of male primogeniture law. Now the eldest child, regardless of gender, can ascend the throne.
Royal numbers:
- Queen Elizabeth II is the fortieth monarch since William the Conqueror obtained the crown of England.
- In 2002, at 76 years of age, the Queen became the oldest monarch to celebrate a Golden Jubilee.
- The youngest was James I (James VI of Scotland) at 51 years, and in 2012 she celebrated her Diamond Jubilee at the age of 86.
- During her reign, The Queen has undertaken over 256 official overseas visits to 129 different countries, including Ireland. In 2011 she became the first British monarch to visit the Irish Republic as well as the first to set foot in Ireland since 1911.
- Queen Elizabeth II has reigned through the terms of 12 different British Prime Ministers: Winston Churchill (1951-55), Sir Anthony Eden (1955-57), Harold Macmillan (1957-63),
- Sir Alec Douglas-Home (1963-64), Harold Wilson (1964-70) and (1974-76), Edward Heath (1970-74), James Callaghan (1976-79), Margaret Thatcher (1979-90), John Major (1990-97), Tony Blair (1997-2007), Gordon Brown (2007-2010) and David Cameron (2010-present)
