Queen Elizabeth II surpasses Queen Victoria's long reign
Queen Elizabeth II will officially become the longest-serving British monarch Wednesday Sep 09,2015 after serving 63 years, beating a record set by her own great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria.
At about 5.30 p.m. (1630 GMT), Elizabeth, who now aged 89 is also the nation's oldest ever monarch, will surpass the 63 years, 7 months, 2 days, 16 hours and 23 minutes that her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria spent on the throne
In 1952, the 26-year-old Elizabeth took the throne,following her father's death.
The year she became queen, the Korean War was raging, Joseph Stalin was leader of the Soviet Union and Britain announced it had the atom bomb.
Since becoming queen, she has seen 12 prime ministers, starting with Winston Churchill to David Cameron, and there have been 12 U.S. Presidents, from Harry S. Truman to Barack Obama
About 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)
- On November 20, 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, to ascend the throne.
The Queen's First Ever Speech In 1940 Was About Child Migrants
When she was just 14 - and still a princess as her father was on the throne - Elizabeth addressed the UK children who left their homes to escape the dangers of Word War II, on the BBC's Children's Hour radio slot in 1940.Teenage Elizabeth tells the thousands of homesick children who travelled abroad to Commonwealth countries to escape the threat of German invasion and bombings that she is "not forgetting" them.
Elizabeth [right] and her sister princess Margaret before the 1940 broadcast
Queen Elizabeth on banknote portraits
The two portraits of the queen prior to her accession to the throne were both featured on Canadian banknotes.
The first was the queen at 8 years old; the second, taken by famous photographer Yousuf Karsh, was issued in 1951
Tower Bridge was lifted in tribute to the Queen as the royal rowbarge Gloriana led a flotilla of boats down the River Thames in her honour
The Royal Barge Gloriana leads a procession along the River Thames near Tower Bridge to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II becoming Britain's longest reigning monarch on September 9, 2015 in London, England. The Queen will have served for 63 years and seven months - 23,226 days - by around 5.30pm today surpassing her great-grandmother Queen Victoria to become Britain's longest ever reigning monarch
In celebration of Queen Elizabeth II becoming the longest serving monarch the BT Towers ticker displays 'Long may she reign' on September 9, 2015 in London, England. Today, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II becomes the longest reigning monarch in British history overtaking her great-great grandmother Queen Victoria's record by one day. The Queen has reigned for a total of 63 years and 217 days.
In this handout photo released by Buckingham Palace on September 8, 2015, Queen Elizabeth II is seated at her desk in her private audience room at Buckingham Palace with one of her official red boxes which she has received almost every day of her reign and contain important papers from government ministers in the United Kingdom and her Realms and from her representatives across the Commonwealth and beyond. The photo has been taken by Mary McCartney in July 2015, to mark the moment she becomes the longest reigning British Monarch
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, and Prince Philip, sit with Scotland's First Secretary Nicola Sturgeon, left, as they travel on a steam train en-route to Edinburgh in Scotland Wednesday Sept. 9, 2015
Note
The longest reigns in British history
- Edward III: January 25 1327 to June 21 1377, 50 years 147 days. Born 1312, died 1377, age 64
- Henry III: October 18 1216 to November 16 1272: 56 years 29 days. Born 1207, died 1272, age 65.
- James VI of Scotland, later James I of England: King of Scotland July 24 1567 to March 27 1625: 57 years, 246 days. Born 1566, died 1625, age 59
- George III: October 25 1760 to January 29 1820: 59 years 96 days. Born, 1738, died 1820, age 81
- Queen Victoria: June 20 1837 to January 22 1901: 63 years 216 days. Born, 1819, died 1901, age 81
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