How the Queen came to hold 7 Guinness World Records
It’s been 68 years since Queen Elizabeth II took over the British throne, and ever since, the 94-year-old monarch has made history many times over.
Among her many accomplishments are Guinness World Record titles, which the Queen holds quite a few of.
From longest-reigning queen to the wealthiest, here are some of the Queen’s Guinness World Records.
Oldest British Queen
On 21 December 2007, Queen Elizabeth II was given the title of oldest British queen at the age of 81 and 244 days old.
The record was previously held by the monarch’s great, great grandmother, Queen Victoria.
Queen Elizabeth succeeded to the throne on 6 February 1952 following the death of her father King George VI.
Her reign surpassed Queen Victoria’s on 9 September 2015, after ruling for over 63 years.
As of the Queen’s 94th birthday on 21 April 2020, she has ruled uninterrupted for 68 years and 75 days.
Oldest current monarch
In 2015, Queen Elizabeth became the world’s oldest monarch when the former title holder, King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia, died at the age of 90.
Longest-reigning living monarch
While the Queen currently is the fourth-longest reigning monarch in the world, she does hold the title of the longest-reigning living monarch.
The top three longest-reigning monarchs include King Louis XIV of France, who ruled for 72 years and 110 days, followed by Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who ruled for 70 years and 126 days and King Johann II of Liechtenstein, who was ruler for 70 years and 91 days.
Most countries to be head of state simultaneously
The Guinness World Records revealed Queen Elizabeth holds the record “in terms of the number of independent nations for which the same person is lawfully Head of State at the same time” with 16.
Acknowledging that this makes her “possibly the most powerful woman in the world,” the book of records states: “While the Queen's role is nominal and ceremonial (exercising no political powers), more than 139m people in 15 Commonwealth states (plus the UK) recognise her as their monarch.”
Most currencies featuring the same individual
Queen Elizabeth’s profile is featured on the coinage of at least 35 different countries, while Queen Victoria’s image appeared on currency from 21 countries and King George V appeared on 19.
Wealthiest Queen
In 2012, The Sunday Times estimated the Queen’s total wealth including fine art, jewellery and property, to be £310m (AUD 579m).