# Elizabeth II surpassing Victoria **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 1, 2015, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elizabeth-ii-surpassing-victoria/729620 "2015-09-01T17:04:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2015, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elizabeth-ii-surpassing-victoria/729620/41 "2015-09-01T23:04:56Z")
> [@LavenderBlue](#): > > Eh I believe it’s more the whole marrying the cousins thing and the cousins were a lot of Germans. I believe Elizabeth and Philip are second cousins. Philip’s mother was born at Windsor Castle and was raised in Britain, and Philip’s home country (to the extent that he had one) was Britain. > [@LavenderBlue](#): > > Her parents weren’t cousins but Queen Mary, Princess of Teck and George V were also second cousins. Queen Mary was born at Kensington Palace to a British mother and was mostly raised in Britain. > [@tonyfop](#): > > Won’t all of the money in all of the Commonwealth nations have to be recycled? No. A small number of countries and territories in the Commonwealth will eventually redesign some of their money and it will be placed in circulation as normal. Banknotes will change quickly because they don’t last very long, and coins will take longer because they can stick around for decades. (The queen only reigns over 16 of them and not all of them have her on their money.) ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2015, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elizabeth-ii-surpassing-victoria/729620/42 "2015-09-01T23:08:07Z")
> [@Robot Arm](#): > > That’s certainly the usual way that the monarchy changes hands, but it’s not certain. His mum could, as I understand it, abdicate. The queen takes her responsibility very seriously, and thinks it’s her God-given duty. There is no chance that she would ever abdicate. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2015, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elizabeth-ii-surpassing-victoria/729620/43 "2015-09-01T23:19:27Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Considering that any British coinage with George’s face on it would be pre-decimal currency incremented in pence and shillings, I’d be greatly surprised if there were still any in circulation these days. > > We do get _Canadian_ coins turning up here in the northwest now and then, and once in a great while we’ll get a Canadian penny with George’s face and the inscription proclaiming him Emperor of India, but it’s exceedingly uncommon. I was Canadian last I checked. Our currency has always been decimal. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2015, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elizabeth-ii-surpassing-victoria/729620/44 "2015-09-01T23:23:13Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2015, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elizabeth-ii-surpassing-victoria/729620/45 "2015-09-02T00:06:58Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Wonder if he ever has evil thoughts about [The Nepal Solution?](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepalese_royal_massacre) That didn’t exactly work out for Dipendra in the end; he spend his entire 3 day reign comatose. > [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > That’s certainly the usual way that the monarchy changes hands, but it’s not certain. His mum could, as I understand it, abdicate. > > Has that ever happened without a major scandal to precipitate it? The only abdication I’m aware of is Edward VIII to marry Wallis Simpson. Certainly Liz 2 seems to take the whole noblesse oblige thing pretty seriously, and you don’t get this close to the record and throw in the towel. But if she just decided she’d been queen long enough and wanted to give Chuck the keys to the kingdom while he was young enough to enjoy it, is there any precedent for that sort of thing? Not in the UK, but it’s become the norm in the Benelux countries. Prince Charles even had to go to the Netherlands and represent his mother at King Willem-Alexander’s inauguration after Queen Beatrix abdicated. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2015, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elizabeth-ii-surpassing-victoria/729620/46 "2015-09-02T00:32:01Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > Elizabeth II surpassing Victoria I came to this thread thinking that this would be settled with 15-inch cannon on three turrets each at 1000 yards. “…But, in a surprise attack, George V torpedoed them both into submission! And now for the news from Wales. Today’s celebrity finger-signer for Neds, Chavs, Millies and other intelligence impaired Britons will be… David Hammond…” ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2015, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elizabeth-ii-surpassing-victoria/729620/47 "2015-09-02T00:38:42Z")
> [@RobDog](#): > > How about a shout-out for Prince Philip, already Britain’s longest-serving consort. The daft old bugger. I keep expecting Philip to go any day now. And I suspect the Queen will go soon after him. She’s loved him since she was a kid. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2015, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elizabeth-ii-surpassing-victoria/729620/48 "2015-09-02T01:09:51Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > I was Canadian last I checked. Our currency has always been decimal. [The Canadian pound](50.823412, 16.309656). Pre-Confederation, so no surprise that it’s a bit obscure. Other colonies had their own currency. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2015, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elizabeth-ii-surpassing-victoria/729620/49 "2015-09-02T01:33:29Z")
I’m _this_ surprised that someone pulled out some obscure colonial nitpick of that statement… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2015, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elizabeth-ii-surpassing-victoria/729620/50 "2015-09-02T02:25:39Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > Assuming Charles does succeed his mother he will be the oldest person to accede to the throne. > > Having a really long reign means a person has to come to the monarchy early in life. Victoria was 18, Elizabeth was 25. So in all likelihood it will be several generations before there’s a chance for someone to beat out Elizabeth and Victoria. It’s funny in a way that longer lifespans effectively ensure shorter reigns. Prince William is already eight years older than his grandmother was when she took the throne; if QEII dropped dead next week and Charles, in an unprecedented move, dropped out of the succession, William would still have to reach the age of 96 before he equalled her. William has the best shot at a Golden Jubilee, but barring an unforeseen tragedy it’s unlikely any of the living heirs will make a Diamond Jubilee. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2015, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elizabeth-ii-surpassing-victoria/729620/51 "2015-09-02T02:41:25Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > That’s certainly the usual way that the monarchy changes hands, but it’s not certain. His mum could, as I understand it, abdicate. > > Has that ever happened without a major scandal to precipitate it? The only abdication I’m aware of is Edward VIII to marry Wallis Simpson. Certainly Liz 2 seems to take the whole noblesse oblige thing pretty seriously, and you don’t get this close to the record and throw in the towel. But if she just decided she’d been queen long enough and wanted to give Chuck the keys to the kingdom while he was young enough to enjoy it, is there any precedent for that sort of thing? Not in England/UK. There have been forced abdications (Richard II, Henry VI (twice), Charles I, James II) and sons who were the de facto ruler (John of Gaunt, George IV), but Edward VIII is the only one do it of his own volition (though he may have been forced out if he hadn’t). Other European monarchies (the Netherlands, Luxembourg) have had their rulers abdicate on their own, but Elizabeth has made it clear that that sort of thing just isn’t done in the UK. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2015, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elizabeth-ii-surpassing-victoria/729620/52 "2015-09-02T03:13:41Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Not in England/UK. There have been forced abdications (Richard II, Henry VI (twice), Charles I, James II) and sons who were the de facto ruler (John of Gaunt, George IV), but Edward VIII is the only one do it of his own volition (though he may have been forced out if he hadn’t). > > Other European monarchies (the Netherlands, Luxembourg) have had their rulers abdicate on their own, but Elizabeth has made it clear that that sort of thing just isn’t done in the UK. Also Pope Benedict XVI. As medical care gets better at preserving physical health, but not mental health, I wonder if this will become more common. It seems rather like surrendering your driver’s license, at some point, it’s for the best. Has Elizabeth addressed the issue in that fashion? What if she’s alive but incapable of fulfilling her duties; would she abdicate out of duty to the nation (a matter I hear she takes quite seriously)? Or, since the queen’s duties seem almost purely ceremonial, would her diminished capacities not really have a negative effect? ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2015, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elizabeth-ii-surpassing-victoria/729620/53 "2015-09-02T03:34:23Z")
Abdication is legally messy. The last one was done with legislation (after Edward VIII signed his abdication declaration, Parliament sat overnight to pass a law giving it effect). But legislation is complicated now because the Queen has 16 parliaments, some of them in federal nations where constitutional matters are not the sole prerogative of the national parliament. Not all of them would have to do anything according to their interpretations of their constitutions, but changing the line of succession a few years ago required legislation in seven of the 16 countries and all six Australian states, and the process took three and a half years. That was not an urgent matter at all, so I imagine that could be sped up some, but just finding a time when all those legislatures are available would be a task; for instance, the Canadian parliament is dissolved right now and will not exist again until November. Maybe there’s an argument that legislation isn’t a necessity, but it’s going to have to get argued out first. > [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Has Elizabeth addressed the issue in that fashion? What if she’s alive but incapable of fulfilling her duties; would she abdicate out of duty to the nation (a matter I hear she takes quite seriously)? Or, since the queen’s duties seem almost purely ceremonial, would her diminished capacities not really have a negative effect? There’s also the option of a regency. She would still be queen but Charles would get all the work, which is kind of a bum deal really. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2015, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elizabeth-ii-surpassing-victoria/729620/54 "2015-09-02T04:30:21Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Considering that any British coinage with George’s face on it would be pre-decimal currency incremented in pence and shillings, I’d be greatly surprised if there were still any in circulation these days. I believe there aren’t _now_, but not for the reason you think. Shillings were still circulating for decades after decimalization - they were worth 5p and were the same size as a 5p piece so you didn’t get confused. When the size of the money was changed in 1990, they went. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2015, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elizabeth-ii-surpassing-victoria/729620/55 "2015-09-02T04:59:00Z")
Recently the Queen passed James I of Aragon to have the 6th-longest reign of any European monarch ever. If she can hold out for 2 more years she’ll pass Ferdinand I of Sicily and get 4th place; and so on. To pass France’s Sun King, Louis XIV (whose reign began at age 4) and get 1st place will be harder. But that’s just for European sovereigns. The King of Thailand was coronated six years before Elizabeth and is still alive. > [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I’ve mentioned this before, but I foresee the opportunity for a huge social faux pas after her death. Everybody has been singing the anthem one way for 60+ years, and habits are hard to break. The first time someone sings “God save the queen” in front of Charles it might be a bit embarrassing. When discussing the Olympics and national anthems with my 30-year old English friend, he was suddenly startled and said “Hey, what would Britain do for an anthem if they had a King?” :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2015, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elizabeth-ii-surpassing-victoria/729620/56 "2015-09-02T05:10:53Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > But that’s just for European sovereigns. The King of Thailand was coronated six years before Elizabeth and is still alive. On the “all time, anywhere, ever, dead or alive” list, according to [Wiki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_longest-reigning_monarchs), Elizabeth is currently only in 49th place. The number one spot is held by Sobhuza II of Swaziland, who reigned from 1899 to 1982, for a total of 82 years and 254 days. Just twenty more years or so, Lizzie. Hang in there! We’re rooting for you. ---
**Author:** ![Your\_Great\_Darsh\_Face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ac8455/32.png) [@Your\_Great\_Darsh\_Face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Your_Great_Darsh_Face)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2015, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elizabeth-ii-surpassing-victoria/729620/57 "2015-09-02T05:49:36Z")
> [@LavenderBlue](#): > > No offense, Brits, None taken, Yank. /dryBrit ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2015, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elizabeth-ii-surpassing-victoria/729620/58 "2015-09-02T05:51:46Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > When discussing the Olympics and national anthems with my 30-year old English friend, he was suddenly startled and said “Hey, what would Britain do for an anthem if they had a King?” :dubious: _Never Mind the Bollocks_, they would just change the lyrics to _To Anacreon in Heav’n, where he sat in full glee …_ Or something like that. ---
**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2015, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elizabeth-ii-surpassing-victoria/729620/59 "2015-09-02T08:15:02Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > I feel sorry for ol’ Chuck. Poor guy can hold one and only one job, and the position never opens! > [@Frylock](#): > > I seem to recall an interviewer once asked him something like whether he was “looking forward” to someday taking up the throne. His reply was withering: “You’re talking about the prospect of the death of my mother.” > > Probably a well-rehearsed reply but still… ouch! I understand that King Edward VII (as he finally became) was seen as being in a similar predicament, vis-a-vis Queen Victoria. It rankled, also, with him – he was seemingly a rather more callous type than Charles, plus he and his mum did not get on well together. Allegedly, one time after the hymn “Eternal Father, strong to save…” had been sung in church, Edward muttered to a few of his cronies: “An Eternal Father is all very well; but I seem to be cursed with an eternal mother, also.” At that, Edward had to wait only until he was 59 to become king; Charles is 66. ---
**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2015, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elizabeth-ii-surpassing-victoria/729620/60 "2015-09-02T08:18:08Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > The family name was changed from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor (after a castle) during the First World War. On which the Kaiser commented: "That’s interesting; and now I’m off to the theatre to see that famous play _The Merry Wives of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha_ ". [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elizabeth-ii-surpassing-victoria/729620.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elizabeth-ii-surpassing-victoria/729620.md?page=4)