Queen Elizabeth II of England became the longest reigning monarch in British history on Sept. 9, having reigned one day longer than her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria, who reigned for 63 years and 7 months, according to the Associated Press.
Not only has Queen Elizabeth II been on the throne since 1953 when she was 25 years old, but also she has been married for almost 70 years to Prince Philip Mountbatten of Greece and Denmark. Only four other British kings and queens have reigned for 50 years or more, including Queen Victoria, and most living people cannot remember a time without Queen Elizabeth II being queen.
Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II have ruled differently. At 89, the queen still travels and carries out public engagements. “She’s 89 years old, yet she has a grueling schedule most young people won’t be able to keep up with,” said Tom Pearson, a senior studying social work from England. “She knows her role, she believes she is called from God and she would do everything to fulfill her responsibilities as queen and as the head of the Church of England.”
Charlotte Burchell, a sophomore studying hospitality and tourism management from England, said, “We never hear about her being sick. We’ve never heard about her not being able to do her duty.” Burchell also mentioned the queen’s husband has been in and out of the hospital, but she has been very supportive of him through his illness.
Queen Elizabeth II has seen a lot of change. Having ascended to the throne when Winston Churchill was prime minister, she has seen 12 subsequent prime ministers in office, including Margaret Thatcher and David Cameron. As the titular head of the Church of England, she has also seen seven popes in the Vatican. Pope John Paul II visited Buckingham Palace in 1982, becoming the first pope to visit Britain in 450 years. The queen also keeps up to date on the Internet, sending her first e-mail in 1976 and her first tweet in 2014.
Lois Dearden, a sophomore studying business management and marketing from Wales, said, “Sometimes people just think of royals and monarchies in the past, but when there are still people today achieving things, doing things differently and breaking records, it keeps history alive.”
“It keeps the monarchy alive, and that kind of is what Britain is about,” Dearden continued. “It's a big part of our culture so if we have a big thing like this, like when the queen has jubilees or anniversaries, or there's new babies born, or weddings, it still is important to our culture and sets us apart.”
Zachary Giles, a senior studying anthropology who is American, but lived in England and grew up around English family, friends and media, said, “It’s stability, too. Prime ministers change, presidents change, but the queen doesn’t change. She’s always going to be there and that's something you can count on. It’s an important element of stability in England, and it's an important part of what it means to be English.”
The queen can be considered an invisible celebrity. “She’s private and a very normal, down-to-earth person, even though she’s the most famous person in the world,” said Pearson. “She doesn’t actually live in [Buckingham Palace]. While she’s there, she lives in a granny flat in the back. She still walks her dogs. She makes the dinner just like everyone else.”
Burchell said, “If something serious were to happen, it would be known. It's not just going to be like one day, she’s not queen anymore. The public is going to know about it and I feel like it's going to be a good while longer.”