Queen soon to be Britain's oldest monarch

London, Dec 17 (UNI) British Queen Elizabeth II will this week pass another milestone in her reign when she becomes the oldest monarch in the history of the nation.

The Queen will outlive her great-great grandmother Queen Victoria on December 22, who died on January 22, 1901, aged 81 years, seven months, four weeks and one day.

The event will pass without any fanfare at Buckingham Palace. The Queen will spend the day at Windsor Castle with the Duke of Edinburgh and there will be no public pronouncements, the Daily Telegraph reported.

The Queen will be 82 years old on April 21, 2008.

The oldest King was George III, who was 81 years and 239 days when he died in 1820.

About the Queen's reign, Peter Hennessy, the Attlee Professor of contemporary British History at Queen Mary, University of London, said,''In those years, she has presided over the most dignified withdrawal from the superpower status, which is no bad legacy. The way she has adapted, without succumbing to faddish fashions, is a gift of genius.'' The Queen is the second longest-serving head of state in the world after King Bhumibol of Thailand. Her reign has seen 11 prime ministers, starting with Sir Winston Churchill.

UNI