From the archives:: Queen Elizabeth II: Britain’s longest-reigning monarch at 63 years, 216 days (and counting)

Queen Elizabeth II became the longest-reigning monarch in British history on Wednesday, spending 63 years and 216 days on the throne and surpassing the record set by her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria.

Tributes poured in for the 89-year-old who became queen in 1952 when she was just 25 years old. At the time, Harry Truman was president and Josef Stalin ruled the now-nonexistent Soviet Union.

Prime Minister David Cameron described her reign as a “golden thread” running through generations of British society as he acknowledged the historic milestone Wednesday during a speech in the House of Commons.

“Her Majesty the Queen inspires us all with her incredible service, her dignified leadership and the extraordinary grace with which she carries out her duties,” he said, adding that it was “truly humbling” to take stock of how she had dedicated her life to the nation.

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also praised the queen’s “exemplary sense of public service” and offered her a “simple, but heartfelt, thank you.”

Elizabeth has been the monarch during the office of 12 British prime ministers — from Winston Churchill through to the current Conservative leader, Cameron — as well as 12 U.S. presidents.

Palace officials said Victoria reigned for 23,226 days, 16 hours and 23 minutes and calculated the exact moment Elizabeth surpassed that record as 5:30 p.m. London time on Wednesday.

Despite the significance of the occasion, the queen wanted the day to be “business as usual,” and no special fanfare has been planned.

This is believed to be partly out of respect for Victoria and the memory of Elizabeth’s father.

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Princess Elizabeth, from left, Queen Elizabeth, King George VI and Princess Margaret stand on a balcony in Buckingham Palace, London on May 8, 1945 and wave to Londoners celebrating the official announcement of Germany’s unconditional surrender.  (Clipper Mail / Associated Press)

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Queen Elizabeth II, left, stands with grandmother Queen Mary, center, and her mother, Queen Elizabeth, at the entrance to London’s Westminster Hall as her father’s coffin arrives to lie in state on Feb. 11, 1952. Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne Feb. 6, upon the death of her father, King George VI.  (Ron Case / Associated Press)

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Queen Elizabeth laughs after her hands became stuck together after shaking hands with the winner of the caber toss, who warned the queen of the resin in his hands, at the Braemar Highland Games. Prince Charles and Princess Diana, who married Charles in 1981, stand with the queen.  (Ron Bell / Associated Press)

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Queen Elizabeth, center, is flanked by Prince Philip, the queen mother and other members of the royal family for a celebration of her official birthday, on June 4, 1997. The queen was actually born April 21, 1926, but the official celebration is traditionally held in June.  (David Thomson / Associated Press)

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Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh greet crowds on the grounds of Windsor Castle June 2, 2002 after attending a Golden Jubilee service at St George’s Chapel.

  (FIONA HANSON / AFP)

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Queen Elizabeth speaks with her son Prince Charles after the church blessing of his marriage to Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor, England, on Apr. 9, 2005.  (Alastair Grant / Associated Press)

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Prince Charles, right, kisses the hand of his mother Queen Elizabeth II at a Jubilee concert at Buckingham Palace in London on June 4, 2012.  (LEON NEAL / AFP/Getty Images)

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Prince William, grandson of Queen Elizabeth II, right, holds his son Prince George as his dad Prince Charles and wife Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, look on and brother Prince Harry is partially hidden during a public appearance at Buckingham Palace in London on June 13, 2015.

  (Tim Ireland / Associated Press)

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A local youth takes a selfie photograph in front of Queen Elizabeth II during a visit to St George’s indoor market on June 24, 2014 in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

  (PETER MACDIARMID / AFP/Getty Images)

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Queen Elizabeth II waves to the crowd as she walks across the Pariser Platz near Berlin’s landmark Brandenburg Gate on her way to leave Berlin on June 26, 2015.

  (ADAM BERRY / AFP/Getty Images)

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Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, 89, looks on as new mum Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, wife of the queen’s grandson Prince William, pushes Princess Charlotte in a pram as they leave the princess’ christening at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, England, on July 5, 2015.

  (Matt Dunham / Associated Press)

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Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II , right, talks to a member of the Royal Guard as she officially opens the new Bandstand at Alexandra Gardens, a day ahead of her 90th birthday, in Windsor, England April 20, 2016.  (Arthur Edwards / AP)

“She wanted to keep it low key today because in many ways, we are marking the death of her father,” said Robert Jobson, author of “The Future Royal Family” and royal editor of London’s Evening Standard newspaper.

“She is quite a shy person and dedicated to what she does. But it’s a hugely significant moment. She is the symbolic figurehead of the nation, rather than just being head of state.”

The queen did appear in public briefly Wednesday, taking a 30-mile journey from Edinburgh to Tweedbank in Scotland to celebrate the newly opened Borders Scottish railway.

Even if she wasn’t planning on making a fuss, throngs of excited crowds gathered to greet her, snap photographs and give her flowers. She looked relaxed and genuinely happy at the warm welcome with her husband, Prince Philip, by her side.

The queen made note of the milestone she had reached but admitted, “It is not one to which I have ever aspired.”

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“Inevitably, a long life can pass by many milestones. My own is no exception,” she added before thanking people for their touching messages.

Princess Elizabeth became queen on Feb. 5, 1952, when her father, King George VI, died. She was in Kenya at the time, arriving in the country as a princess and landing back in Britain a queen.

But several years earlier, she had already acknowledged that hers would not be an ordinary life, and she conveyed her dedication to the role she had been born into.

During a broadcast to the Commonwealth to mark her 21st birthday, the princess pledged that her “whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service.”

Cameron, who noted that the queen had been reigning for 14 years before he was even born, said in the House of Commons that it was one thing for a 21-year-old to make such a statement, but an entirely different thing for someone to stand by that pledge for more than six decades.

He added that going to see her after an election to ask her permission to form a government and also attending their weekly private meetings were enjoyable, inspiring and humbling perks of the job.

The palace released a new photo of the queen taken in July by Mary McCartney, the daughter of Paul McCartney. She is seen sitting at her desk in her private audience room with an official red box in front of her containing government papers.

The prime minister said the queen has answered 3.5 million pieces of correspondence during her reign. She also has made hundreds of overseas trips to more than 110 countries, including to post-apartheid South Africa.

Buckingham Palace noted that she carried out the first state visits by a reigning monarch to China and Russia, and was the first to visit the Republic of Ireland.

The queen’s son Prince Andrew said the secret to his mother’s successful reign was “consistency and sound leadership.”

“It’s a milestone in U.K. terms, but as far as her consistency in leadership, it’s a normal run-of-the-mill day, to some extent,” he said, adding: “It’s just one day in her reign.”

During her six decades in power, Elizabeth has endured some turbulent personal times, most notably the death of her former daughter-in-law, Princess Diana, in a Paris car crash in 1997.

It was a low point in her popularity with the British public amid widespread feelings that she initially exhibited a cold response to the tragedy.

Her popularity has seemingly soared in recent years.

She was widely praised for agreeing to appear in the London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony during a filmed scene in which she starred next to Daniel Craig as James Bond.

And during celebrations to mark her Diamond Jubilee in 2012, crowds packed outside Buckingham Palace waving Union Jacks.

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Elizabeth and Philip have been married for nearly 70 years and have four children, eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren, including Prince William and Kate Middleton’s two infants: Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

Even though Wednesday’s events were small scale, large celebrations are being planned next year to mark the queen’s 90th birthday.

Her public duties may have slowed with her age, but they have not halted. In November, she is planning to fly to Malta for a Commonwealth event.

Boyle is a special correspondent.

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