She’s already a royal record breaker many times over but within the coming weeks, the Queen will see her reign claim two more spots in the record books. Before the end of February she will overtake a pair of famous male monarchs and become the fourth longest reigning royal in history.
As January comes to a close, the reign of Elizabeth II will overtake that of Franz Joseph II, Emperor of Austria-Hungary. He ruled for 67 years and 355 days, taking the throne when he was just 18 and overseeing political and social change through his long tenure which came to an end just two years after the assassination of his nephew and heir, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, an act that precipitated World War One. On January 29th 2020, the Queen will pass that mark making her rule the fifth longest on verifiable record.
Weeks later, she will move up to fourth on the list when her reign overtakes that of Kʼinich Janaab Pakal who ruled the Mayan city state of Palenque in the 7th century. Pakal ascended the throne in 615 when he was just twelve years old and for some time, his mother ruled as regent. His reign was marked by an expansion of power for Palenque. He died in 683 at the age of 80. His rule lasted for 68 years and 33 days.
The Queen will pass that milestone on March 3rd 2020 when she will have ruled for 68 years and 34 days.
The next landmark remains a little way off. The third longest verifiable reign in history is that of Johann II of Liechtenstein who held his country’s throne for 70 years and 91 days meaning the Queen will have to rule for just over another two years to overtake him. But just a month after passing that milestone, she would quickly go on to claim second place on the list – currently, that spot belongs to the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand who, on his death in 2016, had reigned for 70 years and 126 days.
The longest verified reign in history is that of King Louis XIV of France, the Sun King, who took his country’s throne in Mary 1643 at the age of four and held it for 72 years and 110 days when he died at the age of 76. The Queen would overtake that reign in the summer of 2024, the year she will also mark her 98th birthday.
Elizabeth II has never placed great merit in marking the duration of her time as Queen. When she became the longest reigning Monarch in 2015, she referred to the moment only briefly, saying that ”inevitably a long life can pass by many milestones , my own is no exception” and said that the record breaking claim was ”not one to which I have ever aspired”.
