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Queen Elizabeth's Record-Breaking Reign By The Numbers

Long live the Queen!

At approximately 1:30 p.m. EST today, Queen Elizabeth II will surpass her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, as the longest reigning British monarch. At that point, she'll have held her title for more than 23,226 days, 16 hours and 23 minutes.

Despite being crowned on June 2, 1953, Queen Elizabeth officially began her reign in the early hours of Feb. 6, 1952 — when her father, King George VI passed away in his sleep. The Queen only learned of her father's passing (and her new title) a few hours later when Prince Philip shared the news with her while the couple was in Kenya, TIME reports.

Today marks a monumental moment, but the Queen would rather not fuss. According to the Wall Street Journal, Queen Elizabeth will not be celebrating her reign this year, but is likely to have a national celebration next year, when she turns 90.

While there might not be any parades in honour of Her Majesty today, Buckingham Palace has launched a photo exhibit of the Queen's record reign, which will be housed in palaces across the U.K.

And while many famous people around the world have been wishing the Queen the best, this is probably our favourite so far:

During her reign, the Queen has visited 116 countries and overseen 12 British Prime Ministers. Watch the video above to learn 18 more facts about the Queen's historic reign.

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The Queen assumed the throne aged 25 in 1952

Queen In Numbers

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