At 87, Elizabeth is the oldest living monarch in British history, although she isn’t the longest-reigning one. That honor goes to Queen Victoria, whose 63 years and seven months on the throne would be surpassed by Elizabeth in September 2015. (The closest analogy many people can identify with the “monarch for life” concept is the Catholic papacy. But even Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who is a year younger than Elizabeth, broke with centuries-old tradition when he resigned earlier this year because of his ailing health. )
There have been only three Diamond Jubilees of Heads of State celebrated throughout the world during The Queen’s reign. King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand celebrated 60 years on the throne in 2006; the former Sultan of Johor (now a part of Malaysia) celebrated his in 1955; and the late Emperor Hirohito of Japan celebrated his in 1986.
Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom who served QEII
Sir Winston Churchill * 1952–1955
Sir Anthony Eden 1955–1957
Harold Macmillan 1957–1963
Sir Alec Douglas-Home 1963–1964
Harold Wilson 1964–1970
Edward Heath 1970–1974
Harold Wilson 1974–1976
James Callaghan 1976–1979
Margaret Thatcher 1979–1990
John Major 1990–1997
Tony Blair ** 1997–2007
Gordon Brown 2007–2010
David Cameron *** current
* Incredibly Churchill had the distinction of being the only MP to be elected under both Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II.
** Tony Blair was the first Prime Minister to have been born during The Queen's reign. He was born in early May, 1953 - a month before the Coronation.
*** David Cameron was born in 1966; Prince Andrew, the Queen's third child was already 6 years old at the time.
Presidents of the United States during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II
Harry S. Truman - 1953
Dwight D. Eisenhower 1953 - 1961
John F Kennedy 1961 - 1963
Lyndon B. Johnson 1963 - 1969
Richard Nixon 1969 - 1974
Gerald Ford 1974 - 1977
James E. Carter 1977 - 1981
Ronald Reagan 1981 - 1989
George H. W. Bush 1989 - 1993
William Jefferson Clinton 1993 - 2001
George W. Bush 2001 - 2009
Barack Obama.jpg current
Presidents of France during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II
Vincent Auriol - 1954
René Coty 1954 - 1959
Charles de Gaulle 1959 - 1969
Alain Poher (interim) 1969 - 1969
Georges Pompidou 1969 - 1974
Alain Poher (interim) 1974 - 1974
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing 1974 - 1981
François Mitterrand 1981 - 1995
Jacques Chirac 1995 - 2007
Nicolas Sarkozy 2007 - 2012
François Hollande current
Chancellors of Germany* (the good one, not the communist one, shhh, don't mention WW II) during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II
Konrad Adenauer - 1963
Ludwig Erhard 1963 - 1966
Kurt Georg Kiesinger 1966 - 1969
Willy Brandt 1969 - 1974
Walter Scheel (interim) 1974 - 1974
Helmut Schmidt 1974 - 1982
Helmut Kohl 1982 - 1998
Gerhard Schröder 1998 - 2005
Angela Merkel current
Popes during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II
(I wonder if they're saying, "What do you know, I'm the head of a church too!")
Pius XII - 1958 (shhh, don't mention WW II)
John XXIII 1958 - 1963
Paul VI 1963 - 1978
John Paul I 1978 - 1978 (shhh, don't mention Godfather III)
John Paul II 1978 - 2005
Benedykt XVI 2005 - 2013 (shhh, don't mention WW II)
Francis I current
The Queen's reign is longer than those of her four immediate predecessors combined (Edward VII, George V, Edward VIII and George VI). She is the third longest reigning British or English monarch, the second-longest-serving current monarch of a sovereign state (after King Bhumibol of Thailand) and the oldest reigning British monarch.
Put your feet up and have a G & T on us.
Et ita abscedit
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