The Tale Of A Couple Of Old Queens

Queen Elizabeth II became Britain's oldest ever monarch today, reaching the milestone at the job she's held for more than a half century.

Elizabeth, a spry 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 at about 5 p.m.

Palace officials said there would be no special events to mark the occasion, and the queen had no public appearances scheduled. She spent the day working quietly at home on royal paperwork, but royal historian Robert Lacey said the milestone would likely bring the queen "some quiet satisfaction."

Elizabeth, who took the throne in 1952, is one of only five kings or queens since the 1066 Norman Conquest to reign for more than half a century. Currently the fourth longest-reigning English monarch, she would overtake King Henry III on March 5, and King George III in 2012. On Sept. 9, 2015 she would pass Queen Victoria, who ruled for almost 64 years, as the longest-reigning British monarch.

Elizabeth can already claim to have been active longer than Victoria, who retreated from public life for more than a decade after the death of her husband, Prince Albert, in 1861. The queen's landmark means her eldest son is approaching his own record — the longest wait by an heir to the throne. Victoria's son became King Edward VII in 1901, aged just over 59 years and two months. Prince Charles turned 59 five weeks ago on Nov. 14.

Anti-monarchist group Republic urged the queen to mark the milestone by giving up her job, but Buckingham Palace has long said that the queen has no intention of abdicating in favor of her son. The old bird may have quite a few years left on the job - her mother, the Queen Mother Elizabeth, died in 2002 at the age of 101.