At 5.30pm today, Wednesday, September 9th, Queen Elizabeth II becomes the longest-serving monarch this country has ever had. It is not known exactly what time Her Majesty will overtake her great-great grandmother’s record, due to the uncertainty of the timing of the death of her father, George VI, who died in his sleep. But Buckingham Palace has estimated, to be absolutely safe, she will pass Victoria’s 23,226 days, 16 hours and 23 minutes at around 5.30pm. That calculation assumes George VI’s death was around 1am, and factors in extra leap days.

Whatever people’s views are of the monarchy, or of Queen Elizabeth herself, this is still an historic occasion. When Queen Victoria broke George III’s record, church bells rang and bonfires blazed from hilltops in celebration.

Queen Elizabeth has asked for no fuss because she became Queen at such a young age because of the premature death, at the age of 56, of her father.

However the Gloriana, the Royal barge that led her Thames Diamond Jubilee pageant, led a flotilla procession down the river at midday.

The Queen has visited Ross and Herefordshire, several times. Her first visit was on April 24th, 1957, when she visited the Market House. She was pictured on the exterior balcony with her husband Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh, wtached by a crowd of thousands who gathered in Broad Street.

She was described as ’radiant’, wearing a fitted coat of petrol blue and a small white hat trimmed with white flowers and matching leaves.

The visit to Ross came at the end of a day’s visit to Herefordshire and included a short pause in Walford Road, where the Queen received a posy of flowers from six-year -old Jill Wells.

The Queen visited Ross again on July 11th, 2003 when she was welcomed to John Kyrle High School. Children from local primary schools joined hundreds of well-wishers to greet the Queen with flags and cheers. HM Queen Elizabeth II was presented to the Headteacher, Nigel Griffiths, and met Head Girl, Jenni Skirrow.

The Ross Gazette would love to see any pictures readers have of her in town or at John Kyrle High School.