For years, the answer to ‘who has reigned longest’ was an easy one, even for people who didn’t follow royalty. Queen Elizabeth II broke plenty of records in the seventy years that she reigned in the United Kingdom.
All that changed on September 8th 2022, with the end of the second Elizabethan era. From that point onwards, another queen regnant was the longest reigning monarch but 2024 brought a fresh change. It was the year a royal record changed hands – here’s who did the swapping.
Queen Margrethe of Denmark
At the start of 2024, the longest reigning monarch on the continent of Europe was Margrethe of Denmark who became her country’s queen on January 14th 1972. Except even as the new year began, she and everyone else knew that on the day she marked the 52nd anniversary of her accession, it would all come to an end.
For fourteen days of 2024, the longest reigning monarch in Europe was Margrethe. And then, on January 14th 2024, she travelled through the streets of Copenhagen to a private meeting in which she signed away her realm to her elder son who instantly became King Frederik X. And that meant Europe had a brand new longest reigning monarch.
King Carl XVI Gustaf
Enter the King of Sweden. Carl XVI Gustaf became his country’s monarch on September 15th 1973 with his reign reaching 51 years in 2024.
And that makes him the longest reigning monarch on the continent by quite a way. In fact, his family has a clean sweep of the main records right now. His wife, Silvia, became Queen of Sweden on their marriage in 1976 meaning she is the continent’s longest serving consort. And their eldest child, Victoria, became heir to the throne in 1980 when Swedish laws changed, meaning she has been first in line for 44 years now.
And at the other end of the scale….
The newest monarch is, of course, King Frederik who will end 2024 with 11 and a half months as monarch under his royal belt.
His consort, Queen Mary, and heir, Crown Prince Christian, are also the newbies in their royal categories but they won’t be for much longer. In October 2025, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg will abdicate meaning his successor, Guillaume, will be the sovereign with the shortest current reign. After years of things staying the same, suddenly, it’s all change.
