Seventy years of rule for a 96-year-old monarch who has traveled the Earth 42 times: records are not alien to Queen Elizabeth II, whose platinum anniversary on the throne the British are preparing to celebrate, AFP reported.
Longevity
Elizabeth II reigned for 70 years and almost 4 months. The previous record in the United Kingdom belonged to her great-grandmother Queen Victoria, who ruled for 63 years, 7 months, and 2 days (from June 20, 1837, until her death on January 22, 1901).
At the age of 96, Queen Elizabeth II is also the oldest acting monarch in the world.
Only two kings in history have ruled longer than her – Louis XIV (over 72 years between 1643 and 1715) and King Bhumibol of Thailand Adulyadej (Rama the Ninth) – 70 years and 4 months since June 9, 1946. until October 13, 2016
World tours
Like Queen Elizabeth II, she has visited more than 100 countries – another record for a British monarch – and has made more than 150 visits to the British Commonwealth. Her Majesty has been to Canada 22 times – more than any other country, and 13 times to France, whose language she speaks – more than any other European country.
The Daily Telegraph estimates that she orbited the Earth 42 times before ending her travels abroad in November 2015 at the age of 89.
Queen Elizabeth II’s longest tour abroad, during which she visited 13 countries, lasted 168 days (November 1953 – May 1954).
Employment
“I declare to you that my whole life, long or short, will be dedicated to serving you,” said Elizabeth, still a princess, on her 21st birthday.
During her reign, Her Majesty fulfilled about 21,000 commitments, approved with “royal consent” about 4,000 bills, and received a large number of high-ranking officials in 112 state visits. Among them are Emperor Haile Selassie (Ethiopia, 1954), Japanese Emperor Hirohito (1971), Polish President Lech Walesa (1991), and US President Barack Obama (2011).
More than 180 garden parties were held at Buckingham Palace, attended by more than 1.5 million people.
14 prime ministers
During the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, 14 prime ministers took turns, from Winston Churchill (1952-1955) to Boris Johnson, who briefed her on the main events of the day during the usual weekly hearings.
Her Majesty has also met with 13 of the 14 US presidents, from Harry Truman (1945-1953) to Joe Biden. The exception is Lyndon Johnson (1963-1969).
The Queen, head of the Church of England, met on official visits with four popes – John Twenty-third (1961), John Paul II (1980, 1982, and 2000), Benedict XVI (2010), and Francis (2014).
1 million greeting cards
Queen Elizabeth II has sent about 300,000 greeting cards to centenarians and over 900,000 to couples celebrating a diamond wedding (60 years). She was married for more than 73 years to Prince Philip until his death last April – another record for a British monarch.
Over 200 portraits
Her Majesty posed for over 200 portraits, the first of which was at the age of seven.
Sometimes a pioneer
Queen Elizabeth II was the first British monarch to visit China in 1996 and address the House of Representatives in Washington on 16 May 1991.
Her Majesty sent her first email on March 26, 1976, during a visit to a research center of the Ministry of Defense.
In 1997, she launched the first official website of Buckingham Palace.
In 2014, Queen Elizabeth II sent her first tweet, and in 2019 she shared her first post on Instagram.
Video with James Bond
She is the only monarch to (almost) parachute with James Bond: a video made for the opening of the 2012 London Olympics shows her receiving the famous spy, played by Daniel Craig, at Buckingham Palace. The two then pretended to board a helicopter, fly over London, and parachute over the Olympic Stadium, where the (actual) arrival of the Queen was greeted with applause.
