London, Europe Brief News – Queen Elizabeth has officially become the second-longest serving monarch of all time.
She has been on the throne for 70 years and 127 days, one more than the Thai king Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died in 2016.
Only Louis XIV, who ascended to the French throne in 1643 and reigned for 72 years and 110 days, served as monarch for longer.
The Queen’s long reign has been punctuated by the milestones she has passed throughout it.
Elizabeth II became queen at 25, after her father, King George VI, died on 6 February 1952.
Ruling over the United Kingdom and fourteen other Commonwealth realms, she is already the longest-lived and longest-reigning British monarch, as well as the longest currently serving head of state.
Louis XIV, also known as le Roi Soleil or Sun King, reigned over France from age four, but he only took over the rule himself in 1661.
Although Elizabeth II, now 96, reached the seven decades mark in February, her Platinum Jubilee celebrations were marked with four days of festivities across the UK just last weekend.
Despite fewer public functions as of late due to mobility problems, the queen made an appearance at the Buckingham Palace during the Jubilee weekend.
She thanked the British public at the end of the celebrations in a statement, saying that she was “humbled and touched” and that she continued to be “committed to serving you to the best of my ability.”