As the Queen celebrates her 65-year landmark reign, we take a look over her long-serving predecessors:
1. Queen Victoria
Duration: 63 years and 216 days
She reigned over a period often described as calm and prosperous. She became Queen at the age of 18 and died in 1901 at the age of 81.
2. George III
Duration: 59 years and 96 days
George III was known for his erratic behaviour and supposed mental health issues – his condition has recently been described as porphyria; a blood disorder condition that is heriditary and causes discomfort.
The King was less than a year away from his Diamond Jubilee when he passed away in 1820.
3. James VI
Duration: 57 years and 246 days
James VI ruled Scotland for nearly six decades. He became King when his mother Mary, Queen of Scots abdicated when he was one years old. He was the target of the Guy Fawkes assassination plot.
4. Henry III
Duration: 56 years and 28 days
Henry III became monarch at just nine years old in 1216 after the death of his father. He was perceived as a cultured man but not entirely fit to rule.
5. Edward III
Duration: 50 years and 148 days
Edward III took the throne at just 14 years old in 1327. He introduced the Order of the Garter in 1948 which is the highest form of chivalry.