Elizabeth II beats the longest reign record in British history

Procession by the River Thames, ringing of bells, cannon fire: The United Kingdom celebrates on Wednesday its Queen Elizabeth II, who became the longest-running leader of the British crown on Wednesday, overcoming the reign of his great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria. At 5:30 pm local time, Elizabeth reigned 23, 226 days, 16 hours and 30 minutes - 63 years, 7 months and two days - a few minutes longer than Victoria, who occupied the throne between 1837 and 1901.

The queen declared on Wednesday that she never aspired to surpass her great-great-grandmother Victoria's record on the British throne in a brief speech at the opening of a railway line in Scotland. "Many, including you Prime Minister (from Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon), have noticed a different meaning to this day, although it is not one that I aspired to, " said the queen at Tweedbank, on the border with England. Globally, the record for the longest reign is still Thailand's king Bhumibol Adulyadej, 87, sovereign since 1946.

Elizabeth II was born in London on April 21, 1926. When Winston Churchill ascended the throne in 1952, when he was just 25 years old, India had just gained independence and Britain was still ruling in parts. from Asia and Africa. And six decades later, all experts agree that the queen, always alert at the age of 89, will never abdicate. To commemorate its longevity record, it has not organized any official public ceremony. "No fuss" ("no fuss"), she decreed, according to her entourage. A photo released by the palace for the occasion (signed by Mary McCartney, daughter of Paul McCartney) features the queen working in front of the red box containing documents received almost daily from the government.

Incredible achievement

The British could see her sovereign and her husband, Prince Philip, at the inauguration of the rail line in Scotland. Wearing a turquoise coat and hat, Elizabeth II gave her smile and her usual gesture of greeting to the crowd gathered on the platform before boarding a steam train from Edinburgh to Tweedbank on the English border.

Following the brief opening speech, she will have dinner at her summer residence in Balmoral with her grandson, Prince William, and his wife Kate. If the queen has chosen sobriety in the image of her reign-marked reign, many celebrations are planned throughout the day to commemorate this which the British regard as the "greatest queen, " according to a recent YouGov survey. "This is a very special day, we are very privileged to be here, to share this moment with the rest of the world, " said 68-year-old Australian Janice Gallagher at the gates of Buckingham Palace. "This is a great achievement, " echoed Adam Hardman, a 28-year-old Briton. "We need it to continue."

Thames Procession

"Her majesty the queen inspires everyone, " praised Prime Minister David Cameron during a tribute in the House of Commons. "It has been a rock of stability during a period of great change for our country." "She led a smooth evolution of our monarchy, approaching the people, maintaining its dignity, " said the conservative leader. As Cameron spoke to the deputies, the bells of Westminster Abbey rang in the heart of London for 50 minutes.

On the Thames, the Glorian Royal Vessel led a procession of boats, the passage of which was received by cannon fire from HMS Belfast, a museum-turned warship. A sign of reigning excitement, TV crews were allowed for the first time to settle on the lawns of Buckingham Palace. In this chorus of praise, some dissenting voices were heard. The anti-royalist organization Republic launched a Twitter campaign with the hashtag #stopthereign, saying that instead of celebrating their queen, the British would do better to reflect on "a radical democratic reform" to elect "someone who will really represent the nation ".

London, United Kingdom

Via InSummary.