Queen set to beat Victoria as Britain’s oldest monarch

The Queen will become the oldest monarch in Britain's history on Saturday, December 22, outliving by a day her great-great grandmother Queen Victoria who was 81 years, seven months and 29 days old when she died in 1901.  The event will pass without fanfare or public pronouncements, the Queen spending the weekend as normal at Windsor Castle with the Duke of Edinburgh.
 
"Even allowing for the improvement in medicine since Victoria it is remarkable," said Peter Hennessy, the Attlee Professor of contemporary British History at Queen Mary, University of London. "I cannot think of any other head of an institution who has not put a foot wrong over such a long period of time." The Queen shows little sign of slowing down, continuing to carry out about 450 engagements each year and spending up to four nights a week at Buckingham Palace, which is known by the royals as the office.
 
Last month, she became the first monarch to celebrate her diamond wedding anniversary and she is also the first to have a serving prime minister born during her reign. However, Queen Victoria still remains the longest-serving monarch, having ruled the empire for almost 64 years. If the Queen wishes to beat that record, she will need to remain on the throne until September 9, 2015. ·