New coin issued to mark Queen’s record reign

However, the Queen will not indulge in fanfare or celebrations, marking the occasion with just another public engagement – this time opening a new railway line in Scotland. No official events are planned either.

The queen has “established a report of unimpeachable integrity”, stated historian David Starkey.

The kingdom has weathered economic collapse in the 1970s and revival in the 1980s, unrest in Northern Ireland, the emergence of a less deferential society and mass immigration changing the country’s make-up. When friends have lunch with The Queen, she says “Boeing 717” Then responds with “That’s an airbus”.

Since she never had a palace of her own, the 71-year-old has turned her modest home into a private royal museum. After days of intense pressure when she is accused of lacking compassion, the queen comes back to London and addresses the nation on TV. Over 40 countries formerly part of the British Empire has gained independence during the queen’s reign. Previously, at the age of 90, the king Abdullah of Emirates Saudi Arabia held the record, but he has died earlier this year in January. “It is uncommon each to succeed younger and reside for a really very long time”, Gimson advised AFP.

She’ll have overtaken the record set by her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, more than a century ago.

July 22, 2013: The birth of Prince George, first son of Prince William and Kate, means the queen now has three generations of direct heirs, testimony to her longevity.

Using personal items and exhibits, the hour-long programme later this month will mark the moment Elizabeth II becomes Britain’s longest-reigning monarch.

– BRITAIN: Queen Elizabeth II, born on April 21, 1926, inherited the throne on February 8, 1952 following the death of her father, king George VI. She surpasses Queen Victoria – and guess what?

They include the monarch’s penchant for letter writing, illustrated with a note she wrote to Harold Mayhew, the BBC’s superintendent of lighting who was responsible for the first live Christmas broadcast in 1957.