WORLD BRIEFING | EUROPE; Britain: Long Lives the Queen
Published: December 21, 2007
Queen Elizabeth II became Britain's oldest-ever monarch, reaching a new milestone in a job she has held for more than a half century. Elizabeth, 81, passed the mark set by her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria. Victoria was born on May 24, 1819, and lived for 81 years and 243 days. Buckingham Palace, calculating longevity down to the hour, said Elizabeth moved past her predecessor about 5 p.m. There would be no special events to celebrate the occasion, and the queen spent the day working quietly at home on royal paperwork.