The Queen has become the second-longest serving sovereign monarch in history.
As of Monday, she has been on the throne for 70 years and 127 days, second only to Louis XIV of France who became king at the age of four. She overtakes Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died in 2016, having equalled his reign on Sunday.
She had officially reached 70 years of rule on 6 February, with the extended bank holiday weekend chosen for the Jubilee events. Many of the events – including a pageant, Trooping the Colour and a star-studded concert at Buckingham Palace – involved an outdoor element more suited to summer months. If the Queen is still reigning in May 2024 she would take the title of the longest reigning monarch of a sovereign state.
Louis XIV’s reign of 72 years and 110 days was from 1643 to 1715. But he only started to rule personally in his 20s, in 1661.
The Queen became monarch at the age of 25, following the death of her father in the early hours of 6 February 1952.
Credit: bbc.com
