Queen Elizabeth Just Made History as the World's Third Longest Reigning Monarch
Congratulations are in order for Queen Elizabeth, who just hit a major milestone in her decades-long reign.
This week, the 96-year-old royal made history as the third longest reigning monarch in the world, having led the United Kingdom for a whopping 70 years and 92 days. As x points out, this nudges her ahead of Johann II, Prince of Liechtenstein, who ruled for 70 years and 91 days. But it looks like the queen is poised to move up to the second spot, because in just 34 days, she'll become the second longest reigning monarch ever. This would put her ahead of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thaiand, who ruled for 70 years and 126 days.
This isn't the first time Her Majesty made history. According to Guinness World Records, she currently stands as the longest-reigning queen of all time, surpassing her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria, who ruled for 63 years and 216 days. She also holds the record for longest-ruling monarch in U.K. history, oldest current monarch, most currencies featuring the same individual and most Summer Olympic Games opened by an individual.
To celebrate her legacy and historic 70-year reign, major celebrations will take place at the beginning of June. Last year on Instagram, the royal family announced their plans for the 96-year-old’s Platinum Jubilee. “Her Majesty The Queen will celebrate her Platinum Jubilee from Thursday 2nd—Sunday 5th June 2022,” they captioned the post. “The weekend will provide an opportunity for communities throughout the U.K. to come together to celebrate this historic milestone.”
The weekend celebration will kick off with the queen's annual birthday parade, the Trooping the Colour, which includes the traditional royal family gathering on the Buckingham Palace balcony. The four-day event will involve quite a few famous faces, including Ed Sheeran, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Cheers to the queen for being a true legend.
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