by The Laird o’Thistle
September 22 2011
January, August, and September are always somewhat difficult months when pondering what to write about the British royals. Those are the months when they have pretty well gone to ground either at Sandringham (from Christmas to Accession Day) or Balmoral. As I was wracking my brain thinking about what to write this month I was asked a question over breakfast about the upcoming Diamond Jubilee, and it set me to work on some figuring.
The question was, “How many British kings or queens have had a Diamond Jubilee?” My immediate response was, “Two. George III and Victoria.” But then I vaguely recalled that George III did not complete his 60th year on the throne. Out came the book with the dates I needed, and a scrap envelope on which to do the calculations. George III reigned 59 years and 96 days (25 October 1760 to 29 January 1820). Victoria, still the British record holder, reigned 63 years and 216 days (20 June 1837 to 22 January 1901).
So, how does Queen Elizabeth II currently measure up? Well, on May 12 of this year – a day spent at the Royal Windsor Horseshow – she had reigned for 59 years and 96 days. She is now the second longest-reigning monarch in British history. And if my calculations are correct she should surpass Queen Victoria’s reign on or about 10 September 2015 to become the longest-reigning British monarch ever. (To be utterly precise one would have to be sure to count all the “Leap Days” over the course of a reign… but I wasn’t that ambitious at 7 a.m.)
When I sat down to write this a while later I also looked up a list of the longest documented reigns around the world. Setting aside a variety of relatively minor and obscure monarchs, four reigns caught my eye. The late Emperor Hirohito (now called “Showa”) of Japan reigned 62 years and 13 days (25 December 1926 to 7 January 1989), having preserved the Chrysanthemum Throne in the wake of WWII. The current King of Thailand passed his 65th anniversary on that throne on 9 June of this year, and keeps going. (Though reigning 5 years and 242 days longer, he is actually slightly younger than Queen Elizabeth II, born 5 December 1927.) The last Austro-Hungarian Emperor, Franz Joseph I, reigned 67 years and 355 days (2 December 1848 to 21 November 1916). Queen Elizabeth II will, God willing, hit that mark on 17 January 2020. Louis XIV of France reigned 72 years and 110 days (14 May 1643 to 1 September 1715). If all be well, the Queen will hit that mark on 27 May 2024, a month after her 98th birthday.
Two “might-have-been” reigns are also notable. The recent death of Dr. Otto von Habsburg, the last Crown Prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and head of the House of Habsburg, marked what would have been a record-setting reign of 79 years and 63 days (1 April 1922 to 4 July 2011), had he been allowed to take the throne. (Otto von Habsburg was approximately 98 ½ years old at the time of his death.) Former King Michael of Romania, soon to turn 90, would be now in his 72nd year as king, had he not been deposed by the Communists in 1947. (And this doesn’t count the years 1927-1930 when Michael was temporarily King, briefly succeeding his grandfather in place of his father.)
However one figures it, Queen Elizabeth II has certainly achieved membership in one of the most exclusive “clubs” in history. And she shows no sign of letting her membership lapse in the near future.
Besides the Diamond Jubilee, the next few months include other major milestones in Queen Elizabeth II’s life as a royal personage. December 10 will mark the 75th anniversary of the accession of King George VI, at which time she became heir to the throne of Great Britain and of the (then) British Empire.
The coming Jubilee also brings with it the ten year anniversaries of the deaths of Princess Margaret and the Queen Mother. Closing out the year, the Queen and Prince Philip will celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary in November 2012.
Elsewhere, Queen Margrethe of Denmark (a favorite cousin of the British royals) will mark her 40th anniversary as Queen on 14 January 2012. Margrethe is next after Q.E. II in length of reign among current European monarchs. The others in order, listed by accession year, are: Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden (1973), Juan Carlos of Spain (1975), Beatrix of Netherlands (1980), HSH Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein (1989), Harald V of Norway (1991), Albert II of Belgium (1993), GD Henri of Luxemburg (2000), and HSH Albert of Monaco (2005). Also worth noting are Emperor Akihito of Japan (1989) and King Abdullah II of Jordan (1999). (Former Grand Duke Jean of Luxemburg, now 90, succeeded in 1964 and would now have served for 47 years had he not abdicated in favor of his son in 2000.)
Quite a few years ago someone gave me a chart that shows the length of reigns of the various British Monarchs dating back to William I. It shows the reigns as architectural columns of various heights (with Edward VIII’s looking rather like the holder for a tea light). Elizabeth II’s keeps growing over the years as I add careful extensions to it. As it continues to grow I am beginning to wonder if it will, literally, go “off the chart” someday. It certainly might.
The length of time a monarch serves is not, however, the significant thing. What really matters is the depth of service. In that sense, Elizabeth II has already far surpassed “mad” George III and the long reclusive Victoria. And she continues that service… slowing down only a bit… now in the midst of her ninth decade of life.
Yours aye,
– Ken Cuthbertson
P.S. By my count this is my 90th regular monthly column for this website, with only one or two misses over the years. Who would’ve thunk it!
P.P.S. I did finally sit down and figure, and I think that by the time Elizabeth II approaches Victoria’s record there will have been 16 leap days in her reign (1952 through 2012, including 2000 which was one of those rare 400-year “century” years that does include a leap day). Victoria had only 15 leap days (because 1900 did NOT have one). So, I think the actual day Elizabeth II will pass Victoria for length of reign (by days) is one day sooner than I said above, on 9 September 2015.