Queen Elizabeth II with Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, December 14, 2007.
Photo: Fiona Hanson/AP.
Source: The Daily Telegraph
LONDON, England (The Hindustan Times - PTI), December 17, 2007:
Queen Elizabeth II will become the oldest monarch in the history of the United Kingdom on Saturday, December 22, passing yet another milestone in her reign. She will overtake Queen Victoria, one of her most illustrious predecessors, but the event will pass without fanfare at Buckingham Palace. The Queen will spend the day at Windsor Castle with her husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. There will be no public pronouncements.
Victoria died on January 22, 1901, aged 81 years, seven months, four weeks and one day. On Saturday, the Queen who will be 82 on April 21, 2008, will have outlived her great-great-grandmother.
The longest serving King was George III, who was 81 years and 239 days when he died in 1820.
The Queen, the fourth longest reigning monarch in 1,000 years of British history, will on March 5, overtake Henry III, who reigned for 56 years from 1216 to 1272.
It will be 2012 before she overtakes George III, who served for 59 years from 1760 to 1820.
Queen Victoria remains the longest serving monarch. She ruled for almost 64 years.
Copyright 2007 HT Media Ltd.
