Queen Elizabeth II has reached a milestone matched by only a few monarchs in world history, marking her 70th year on the throne.
Not only is she the longest-reigning monarch alive today, but at age 96, she is also the oldest monarch in history.
Here's how her reign compares to the 12 other British monarchs who've ruled since the union of Scotland and England in 1707.
12 years: Anne (1702-1714)
Anne came to the throne at age 37 on the death of her brother-in-law William III, better known as William of Orange.
She reigned for five years as the queen of England, Scotland and Ireland.
When England and Scotland unified in 1707, her title changed to queen of Great Britain and Ireland.
Anne was married to Prince George of Denmark, who died in 1708.
It is believed she lost at least 12 of her babies in pregnancy through miscarriage or stillbirth.
Her only surviving child, Prince William, died aged 11 in 1700 after a short illness.
When Anne died age 49, the crown passed to her closest living Protestant relative, George I.
She was the last of rulers from the House of Stuart.
12 years: George I (1714-1727)
George I was the first monarch from the House of Hanover.
His mother Princess Sophia was first in line to take over from Anne, but she died six weeks before the queen.
George I lived in Hanover, modern-day Germany, before his ascension to the throne.
He had trouble speaking English for much of his reign and rarely attended cabinet meetings.
One of his closest advisers, Robert Walpole, is widely considered to be the first person to hold office and responsibilities akin to that of a modern British prime minister.
Prior to becoming king, George I imprisoned his wife Sophia Dorothea for her alleged affair with the Swedish Count Philip Christoph von Königsmarck.
George I died age 67 and was succeeded by his eldest child, George II.
33 years: George II (1727-1760)
George II became king at age 43.
He is noted for being the last British monarch to lead soldiers into battle, having commanded British troops against the French at Dettingen in Germany in 1743.
His reign also survived the Jacobite rising of 1745.
The rebellion, led by Charles Edward Stuart, was an attempt by Catholics to restore the Stuarts to the line of succession.
George II died aged 76 of an aortic dissection.
His eldest son, Prince Frederick, had been first in line for the throne, however he died in 1751 and so Frederick's eldest son, George III, became the heir apparent.
59 years: George III (1760-1820)
George III came to the throne at age 22 upon the death of his grandfather George II.
He was the first monarch from the House of Hanover to be born in England.
He also bought Buckingham Palace for his beloved wife Queen Charlotte in 1761 to use as a family home.
George III's reign oversaw the American Revolution, in which Britain lost its colonies in America.
He was also king at the end of the Seven Years' War and during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars with France, in all of which Great Britain emerged on the winning side.
Despite overseeing an increase in Britain's global influence, George III suffered ill-understood but severe bouts of mental illness throughout his life.
He was blind and deaf during his later years, and from 1811 his eldest son, George IV, acted on his behalf as prince regent.
George III died aged 81.
10 years: George IV (1820-1830)
George IV became king at the age of 57, however he had been acting as prince regent for the previous nine years.
Despite his experience in the role, the public never warmed to George IV due to his excessive spending and well-known philandering.
In 1784, he had secretly and illegally married Maria Fitzherbert, a Catholic.
He later officially married Princess Caroline of Brunswick but tried to divorce her when he became king.
He accused Caroline of adultery, with the allegations examined in detail in the House of Lords.
The saga culminated with Caroline — who was technically the queen — not being invited to his coronation, turning up anyway and being barred entry to Westminster Abbey.
Caroline remained popular with the public up until her death in 1821 after a short illness.
George IV died aged 67.
His only legitimate daughter, Princess Charlotte, died before him and had no children, so the crown passed to his brother William IV on his death.
6 years: William IV (1830-1837)
William IV was the third son of George III.
He acceded to the throne at age 64, making him, at the time, the oldest person to do so.
He sought early on to differentiate himself from his extravagant brother, George IV, who had held the most expensive coronation ever.
After initially wanting to skip a coronation all together, he held a significantly cheaper ceremony.
William IV's reign oversaw reforms to the electoral process that are generally viewed as having made the United Kingdom more democratic (although women were still unable to vote).
He was married to Queen Adelaide but their children were either stillborn or died shortly after birth.
William IV died aged 71.
His several surviving children to actress Dorothea Williams were not eligible to take the throne.
So upon his death, his niece Victoria became Queen.
63 years: Victoria (1837-1901)
Victoria became queen at 18.
She came of age just a month before the death of her uncle, William IV.
Victoria was the only child of Prince Edward, the fourth son of King George III.
Her father died shortly after she was born, and none of her uncles had children who were eligible to take the throne, making her first in line.
Victoria was one of the most influential British monarchs in history.
Her reign oversaw an explosion of industry as the British Empire's reach grew through colonisation and the East India Company.
She was also known for her strong bond with her husband, Prince Albert, even though she outlived him by 40 years.
When he died in 1861, she wore black for the remainder of her life, and she withdrew from public duties for a time.
Despite her strong influence and status as one of Britain's most recognisable rulers, her reign coincided with a dwindling in the monarch's powers.
Victoria died aged 81.
She was the second-longest reigning British monarch.
9 years: Edward VII (1901-1910)
Edward VII became king when he was 59.
He was the eldest son and second child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
When he became king, Edward VII changed the royal house to his father's name: the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
His coronation was postponed for more than a month after he needed emergency surgery for appendicitis.
Edward VII's reign oversaw significant social and technological change that would be known as the Edwardian era.
In 1909, he was embroiled in a constitutional crisis when the Conservative majority refused to pass the Liberal government's budget in the House of Lords.
The crisis was resolved after his death from a series of heart attacks at the age of 68.
25 years: George V (1910-1936)
George V became king at age 44.
He was the second son of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra — their eldest son Albert died in 1892 from the flu.
His reign started with the swift resolution to the constitutional crisis created during his father's reign (the House of Lords lost its power to veto legislation).
Anti-German sentiment during World War I prompted George V to change the royal name to Windsor in 1917.
George V's reign oversaw drastic changes to the British Empire.
But while monarchies in Europe fell during the war, George V's popularity helped the British monarchy endure through to his Silver Jubilee in 1935.
George V died aged 70 after several years of poor health.
327 days: Edward VIII (1936)
Edward VIII acceded to the throne at age 41 after the death of his father King George V.
It was his wish to marry Wallis Simpson, an American socialite who had been divorced twice.
The proposed marriage went against the wishes of the government and against the teachings of the Church of England, which the monarch heads.
At the time, social mores and religious teachings were against divorcees remarrying and it was thought the public would not accept Simpson as their queen.
When it was clear he could not marry her without triggering a constitutional crisis, Edward VIII abdicated.
He was king for just 327 days.
Edward VIII and Simpson married months later and held the titles of Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
During World War II, the pair sustained significant criticism for their apparent sympathy towards appeasing Nazi Germany as it advanced across Europe.
Edward VIII died aged 77.
Simpson died more than a decade later and was buried next to her husband at Frogmore in Windsor.
15 years: George VI (1936-1952)
George VI became king at age 40 after his elder brother Edward VIII abdicated.
Having not expected to take the throne before his brother's abdication, George VI was conscientious but somewhat reluctant to assume the role.
His reign spanned the upheaval of World War II, and he was a figurehead for Britain under attack.
He worked closely with wartime prime minister Winston Churchill and remained in Buckingham Palace even as it was bombed by German planes.
George V died aged 56 from complications of lung cancer.
70 years: Elizabeth II (1952-now)
Elizabeth II became queen at age 25 upon the unexpected death of her father King George VI.
She surpassed her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria as Britain's longest-reigning monarch in September 2015.
Her personal standing has remained high throughout her reign in spite of family scandal and political upheaval.
She is seen as a dignified figure, much loved by royalists and respected even by republicans.
Her husband, Prince Philip, was the longest-serving royal consort up until his death in April 2021 at age 99.
Elizabeth II is celebrating her Platinum Jubilee in 2022 to mark her 70 years as Queen.
Her eldest son, Prince Charles, is heir to the throne.
