The whole world is in shock after the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday September 8 at the age of 96. The British monarch was admired by all for her personality and her longevity. She also broke several records during her long reign. Review of the exploits achieved by a queen with an extraordinary destiny.
The second longest reign in history
Becoming queen in 1952 following the death of her father, King George VI, Elizabeth II reigned for 70 years and 7 months and 2 days, one of the longest reigns in the history of humanity. She broke the record held by her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria, who reigned 63 years, 7 months and 2 days (from June 20, 1837 to her death on January 22, 1901). Queen Elizabeth II, who died at 96, was the world’s oldest sitting monarch.
However, it will not have beaten the longevity records held by King Louis XIV (more than 72 years between 1643 and 1715). On the other hand, last June it exceeded that of the King of Thailand Bhumibol Adulyadej, who reigned 70 years and 4 months, from June 9, 1946 to October 13, 2016.
42 times around the world
A true globetrotter, she has visited more than 100 countries as Queen – another record for a British sovereign – and made more than 150 visits to Commonwealth countries. Queen Elizabeth II has traveled 22 times to Canada, more than to any other country, and 13 times to France, whose language she speaks perfectly, more than to any other European country.
According to the Daily Telegraph, the Queen will have completed the equivalent of 42 times around the earth before stopping overseas travel in November 2015 at the age of 89. Her longest overseas tour had lasted 168 days, during which she visited 13 countries from November 1953 to May 1964.
– FRANCOIS LENOIR
Very busy
“JI declare before you, that all my life, whether long or short, will be devoted to your service“said Elizabeth, still a princess, on her 21st birthday. During her reign, she led some 21,000 engagements, approved by “royal assent” some 4,000 bills, and received a large number of dignitaries as part of 112 visits to ‘State.
Among them Emperor Haile Selassie (Ethiopia, 1954), Japanese Emperor Hirohito (1971), Polish President Lech Walesa (1991) and US President Barack Obama (2011). Over 180 garden parties have been held at Buckingham Palace, attended by over 1.5 million people.
15 prime ministers
She has known 15 Prime Ministers, from Winston Churchill (1952-1955) to Liz Truss, who has just succeeded Boris Johnson. During hearings, in principle weekly, they kept her informed of the main developments of the moment. Queen Elizabeth has also met 13 of the 14 American presidents, from Harry Truman (1945-1953) to Joe Biden. Lyndon Johnson (1963-1969) is the only one missing.
The Queen, head of the Anglican Church, very religious and practicing, met four popes on official visits: John XXIII (1961), John Paul II (1980, 1982 and 2000), Benedict XVI (2010) and Pope Francis (2014).
A million congratulations cards
She sent some 300,000 congratulatory cards to centenarians and more than 900,000 to couples celebrating their diamond wedding anniversary (60 years). She herself remained married for more than 73 years to Prince Philip, who died in April 2021, another record for a British monarch.
More than 200 portraits
She posed for over 200 portraits, including the first when she was 7 years old.
– SEAN KILPATRICK
Sometimes pioneer
Queen Elizabeth was the first British monarch to visit China, in 1996, and to address the House of Representatives in Washington on May 16, 1991. The Queen had sent her first email on March 26, 1976, during a visit to a research center of the Ministry of Defence. In 1997, she launched the first official website for Buckingham Palace. In 2014 she sent her first tweet, and in 2019 her first Instagram post.
Video with James Bond
She is the only monarch to have (almost) parachuted with James Bond: in a video made for the opening of the 2012 Olympics in London, we see her receiving the spy then played by Daniel Craig at Buckingham Palace before both pretend to board a helicopter, fly over London and parachute over the Olympic stadium where the (real) arrival of the queen had been greeted with an ovation.