Queen Elizabeth, the 89-year-old monarch of the British throne said the title was
“not one to which I have ever aspired”.
At 17:30 BST she had reigned for 23,226 days, 16 hours and approximately 30 minutes – surpassing the reign of her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria. Prime Minister David Cameron said the service the Queen had given was “truly humbling”.
Dressed in turquoise with her trusty black handbag at her side, the Queen spoke briefly to the gathered crowds earlier.
“Inevitably a long life can pass by many milestones – my own is no exception – but I thank you all and the many others at home and overseas for your touching messages of great kindness”
The exact moment the Queen became the longest-reigning sovereign is unknown. Her father, George VI, passed away in the early hours of 6 February 1952, but his time of death is not really known.
Three years ago for QUE II’s 60th Jubilee, I had an exhibit at Jonathan Adler in London called Pop Queen. It has since occurred to me that she’s inspired a lot of work in her 60 plus years. Many painted portraits and photographs by some of the 20th century’s best; Snowdon, Beaton, Leibovitz, Condo, Freud. My portrait, below, was based on a rare 50s paint by number of the young Queen to which I added her nickname given by Private Eyemagazine; BRENDA. (The title is her actual full title.) Andy Warhol 70’s portraits along with The Sex Pistols’ classic album cover, God Save the Queen show what a great pop subject she can be.
Long live the Queen! That seems to have come true with this Queen.
Queen Liz today
Queen Elizabeth II, by Lord Snowdon, 1957
Queen Elizabeth II by Cecil Beaton, 1968
Queen Elizabeth by Annie Leibovitz, 2008
George Condo’s 9 portraits of the Queen
Lucien Freud’s unflattering portait, 1999
Andy Warhol, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, 1985
Album artwork for seminal Sex Pistols album “God Save the Queen”, design by Jamie Reed
Trey Speegle, HER MAJESTY ELIZABETH THE SECOND, BY THE GRACE OF GOD, OF THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND, AND OF HER OTHER REALMS AND TERRITORIES, QUEEN, HEAD OF THE COMMONWEALTH, DEFENDER OF THE FAITH, ON THE OCCASSION OF HER DIAMOND JUBILEE, TWO THOUSAND AND TWELVE (The Eyes of Brenda Windsor), 2012