Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II Makes History

06:00

September 09, 2015

Queen Elizabeth II smiles as she arrives at Tweedbank Station on September 9, 2015 in Tweedbank, Scotland. Today, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II becomes the longest reigning monarch in British history, overtaking her great-great grandmother Queen Victoria's record by one day. The Queen has reigned for a total of 63 years and 217 days. Accompanied by her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh and Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, she will officially open the new Scottish Border's Railway which runs from the capital to Tweedbank. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

Queen Elizabeth II surpassed her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria today as the longest-sitting monarch in British history. She is also now the longest-sitting female monarch in the world. She has been queen of England for 23,226 days - about 63 years and 7 months.

Here & Now's Meghna Chakrabarti looks at how the two queens compare, with Kate Williams, professor of history at the University of Reading and author of several books about the monarchy including "Young Elizabeth: The Making of Our Queen."

Guest

Kate Williams, professor of history at the University of Reading and author of "Young Elizabeth: The Making of Our Queen." She tweets @KateWilliamsme.

This segment aired on September 9, 2015.