Elizabeth II to become Britain�s longest-reigning monarch

Britain celebrated Queen Elizabeth II becoming the country’s longest-serving monarch on Wednesday with a flotilla down the River Thames, a gun salute and the peal of Westminster Abbey’s bells, reports AFP from London.
The queen herself opened a railway line in Scotland and was to host a private dinner at Balmoral Castle to mark the day she overtakes her great-great grandmother queen Victoria’s record.
A cheering crowd and an honour guard of royal archers greeted Elizabeth II on her arrival at Edinburgh train station, where she boarded a steam train for a journey along the new Borders Railway.
Dressed in a turquoise coat and hat and clutching a black handbag—one of her famously colourful outfits—the queen wore a diamond-studded brooch that belonged to Victoria in homage to her ancestor.
Prime Minister David Cameron led official tributes in parliament, calling her reign a “golden thread running through three post-war generations.
“She is our queen and we could not be more proud of her,” he said. “She has served this country with unerring grace, dignity and decency and long may she continue to do so.”
It is not known where exactly she will be at 1630 GMT, the best estimate from royal officials for the time at which the monarch, who has become synonymous with Britain itself, reaches the landmark. At that moment, the 89-year-old monarch will have served 23,226 days, 16 hours and roughly 30 minutes on the throne—over 63 years.

Elizabeth II to become Britain�s longest-reigning monarch

Britain celebrated Queen Elizabeth II becoming the countrys longest-serving monarch on Wednesday with a flotilla down the River Thames, a gun salute and the peal of Westminster Abbeys bells, reports AFP from London. The queen herself opened a railway line in Scotland and was to host a private dinner at Balmoral Castle to mark the day she overtakes her great-great grandmother queen Victorias record. A cheering crowd and an honour guard of royal archers greeted Elizabeth II on her arrival at Edinburgh train station, where she boarded a steam train for a journey along the new Borders Railway. Dressed in a turquoise coat and hat and clutching a black handbagone of her famously colourful outfitsthe queen wore a diamond-studded brooch that belonged to Victoria in homage to her ancestor. Prime Minister David Cameron led official tributes in parliament, calling her reign a golden thread running through three post-war generations. She is our queen and we could not be more proud of her, he said. She has served this country with unerring grace, dignity and decency and long may she continue to do so. It is not known where exactly she will be at 1630 GMT, the best estimate from royal officials for the time at which the monarch, who has become synonymous with Britain itself, reaches the landmark. At that moment, the 89-year-old monarch will have served 23,226 days, 16 hours and roughly 30 minutes on the throneover 63 years.