List of monarchs in Britain by length of reign facts for kids

Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch, reigned from 6 February 1952 until her death on 8 September 2022.

This article lists the monarchs who have ruled the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (since 1927), the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1801–1927), the Kingdom of Great Britain (1707–1800), the Kingdom of England (871–1707), the Kingdom of Scotland (878–1707), the Kingdom of Ireland (1542–1800), and the Principality of Wales (1216–1542). The list is ordered by how long each monarch reigned.

Queen Elizabeth II became the monarch who reigned the longest in British history on 9 September 2015. She ruled for even longer than her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria. On 6 February 2017, Elizabeth II was the first British monarch to celebrate a Sapphire Jubilee, marking 65 years on the throne. Then, on 6 February 2022, she became the first British monarch to reign for 70 years! Big celebrations for her Platinum Jubilee happened from 2 to 5 June that year. Sadly, Elizabeth II died later in 2022 at 96 years old. She had reigned for 70 years and 214 days.

Queen Elizabeth II: Britain's Longest Ruler

Elizabeth II giving a speech at the opening of the Borders Railway. This was on the day she became the longest-reigning British monarch.

On 9 September 2015, Elizabeth II made history. She became the longest-reigning British monarch ever. She also became the longest-reigning known female monarch in the world. On 23 May 2016, her time on the throne even passed the claimed reign of James Francis Edward Stuart, who was sometimes called "the Old Pretender." On 6 February 2022, when she was 96 years old, she became the first British monarch to reach 70 years on the throne. This special event was called her Platinum Jubilee.

Top 10 Longest-Reigning British Monarchs

Here are the ten monarchs from the British Isles who reigned the longest. We have good records for all of them.

Rank	Picture	Monarch	Age when they became King or Queen	Dates of Reign		How Long They Ruled
				From	To	Days	Years, days
1		Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom	25 years, 291 days	6 February 1952	8 September 2022	25,782	70 years, 214 days
2		Victoria of the United Kingdom	18 years, 27 days	20 June 1837	22 January 1901	23,226	63 years, 216 days
3		George III of the United Kingdom	22 years, 143 days	25 October 1760	29 January 1820	21,644	59 years, 96 days
4		James VI and I	1 year, 35 days	24 July 1567	27 March 1625	21,066	57 years, 246 days
5		Henry III of England	9 years, 27 days	28 October 1216	16 November 1272	20,473	56 years, 19 days
6		Edward III of England	14 years, 73 days	25 January 1327	20 June 1377	18,410	50 years, 147 days
7		William I of Scotland	ca. 24 years	9 December 1165	4 December 1214	17,892	48 years, 360 days
8		Llywelyn of Gwynedd	ca. 22 years	1195	11 April 1240	16,173–16,902	c. 44–46 years
9		Elizabeth I of England	25 years, 71 days	17 November 1558	24 March 1603	16,198	44 years, 127 days
10		David II of Scotland	5 years, 94 days	7 June 1329	22 February 1371	15,235	41 years, 260 days

Monarchs of Great Britain

On 1 May 1707, the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland joined together. They formed a new country called the Kingdom of Great Britain. This happened because of laws called the Acts of Union 1707.

Monarchs of the United Kingdom

On 1 January 1801, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland joined together. They became the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Later, in 1927, after the Irish Free State was created in 1922, the country's name changed again to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

See also

• Monarchy of the United Kingdom
• List of British monarchs
• List of British monarchy records
• Family tree of the British royal family
• List of longest-reigning monarchs