Queen Elizabeth to become Britain’s longest-serving monarch
Queen Elizabeth will soon break the record of her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria by becoming the longest-reigning monarch of Britain on Sep. 9. She will be crossing 63 years seven months and two days of Queen Victoria’s reign next month. The Queen is also showing no signs of abdication yet in favour of her son Prince Charles.
Prince Charles, 66, who has been trained since birth to be the king someday, has himself broken the record of being Britain’s longest serving heir to the throne. Unlike in Spain and Netherlands, where in recent years long-standing monarchs have stepped aside to make way for the younger generation to ascend to the throne, in Britain, it is very unlikely for the Queen to abdicate, more so because there is very little demand for a change of throne.
In a recent poll, while 53 percent voted for Charles, 77 percent said they prefer the Queen. Moreover, only 19 percent people in Britain have said they are in favour of a Republic, whereas 70 percent are on the side of Monarchy.
"I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family," Elizabeth said in a 21st birthday broadcast to the nation in 1947.
Speculations that Elizabeth might step aside for her son after passing the record of being Britain’s longest serving monarch have been making rounds for quite a while. But when asked about the validity of such speculations a senior palace source said, "Life means life."
"The Queen won't abdicate, she must not abdicate, there's absolutely no reason for her to abdicate and indeed constitutionally and religiously she cannot abdicate: she is an anointed Queen," royal historian Hugo Vickers said.
This year’s Order of the Garter ceremony at the Windsor Castle saw a royal photo exhibition that comprised of photographs from the Queen’s earliest days in reign to mark her as the longest serving sovereign of the nation. Queen Victoria, Elizabeth's great-great-grandmother, ascended to the throne in 1837 and remained in power until her death in 1901. She was suceeded by her son King Edward VII soon after.
Queen Elizabeth II succeeded her father King George VI to the throne in the year 1952 when she was 26 years old. She became the queen of 16 out of the 53 member states of the Commonwealth of Nations. Elizabeth, however, is only the second longest serving monarch in the world, with the King of Thailand Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) to have reigned for the longest term of more than 69 years among the currently reigning monarchs.
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