List of monarchs in Britain by length of reign


The following is a list, ordered by length of reign, of the monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Kingdom of Great Britain, the Kingdom of England, the Kingdom of Scotland, the Kingdom of Ireland, and the Principality of Wales.
Queen Elizabeth II became the longest-reigning British monarch on 9 September 2015 when she surpassed the reign of her great-great-grandmother Victoria. On 6 February 2017 she became the first British monarch to celebrate a Sapphire Jubilee, commemorating 65 years on the throne. She has reigned for 68 years as of February 2020.

Overall

These are the ten longest reigning monarchs in the British Isles for whom there is reliable recorded evidence.
The longest claim by a pretender was that of James Francis Edward Stuart, who was the Jacobite pretender to the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland for 64 years, 3 months, and 16 days.

Elizabeth II: the longest-reigning monarch

On 9 September 2015, Elizabeth II became the longest-reigning British monarch and the longest-reigning female monarch in world history. On 23 May 2016, her reign surpassed the claimed reign of James Francis Edward Stuart. On 13 October 2016, she became the world's longest-reigning current monarch after the death of Bhumibol Adulyadej, King of Thailand.
If she is still reigning on:

United Kingdom

On 1 January 1801 the Kingdom of Great Britain united with the Kingdom of Ireland to become the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, becoming the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland by Act of Parliament in 1927 following the creation of the Irish Free State in 1922.

Great Britain

On 1 May 1707, under the Acts of Union 1707, the Kingdom of England united with the Kingdom of Scotland as the Kingdom of Great Britain.

Kingdoms

England

Includes English monarchs from the installation of Alfred the Great as King of Wessex in 871 to Anne and the Acts of Union on 1 May 1707, when the crown became part of the Kingdom of Great Britain.

Scotland

Includes Scottish monarchs from the installation of Kenneth I in 848 to Anne and the Acts of Union on 1 May 1707, when the crown became part of the Kingdom of Great Britain.

Ireland

The High King of Ireland was primarily a titular title. The later Kingdom of Ireland came into being under the Crown of Ireland Act 1542, the long title of which was "An Act that the King of England, his Heirs and Successors, be Kings of Ireland". In 1801 the Irish crown became part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

Principalities

Gwynedd

The Principality of Gwynedd was based in northwest Wales, its rulers were repeatedly acclaimed as "King of the Britons" before losing their power in civil wars or Saxon and Norman invasions. In 1216 it was superseded by the title Principality of Wales, although the new title was not first used until the 1240s.

Wales

The Principality of Wales was a client state of England for much of its history, except for brief periods when it was de facto independent under a Welsh Prince of Wales. From 1301 it was first used as a title of the English heir apparent. The Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542 formally incorporated all of Wales within the Kingdom of England.
Charles, Prince of Wales, is the longest-serving Prince of Wales, with a tenure of since his proclamation as such in 1958.