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. Her father, George VI, passed away in the early hours of 6 February 1952, but his time of death is not known. Queens of the modern age 
 
 Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Elizabeth II has reigned for 63 years and seven months, beating Queen Victoria's record 
 
 Victoria became queen at 18, while Elizabeth was 25 
 
 Elizabeth II rides in the same coach as Victoria did for the annual State Opening of Parliament 
 
 Both queens were shot at by lone gunmen while out riding near Buckingham Palace 
 
 Elizabeth loves the private royal estate at Balmoral, which was bought by Victoria 
 
 Victoria ruled over an empire of 400 million people.
– Queen Elizabeth II is now the longest-tenured monarch in British history, surpassing her great-great-grandmother Victoria's 23,226 days, 16 hours, and 23 minutes as queen sometime around 5:30pm local time, reports the BBC. The time is approximate because no one is actually sure when regular Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth. There are no gaps between British monarchs, so Elizabeth became queen as soon as her father King George VI died. However, he died in his sleep, and no one is quite sure exactly when he passed, explains Time. Maclean's reports Britain rang church bells and lit bonfires to celebrate Queen Victoria's record-setting reign, but Elizabeth's day is being celebrated in more low-key fashion. "The event is important and unprecedented; just don't expect a big party," Maclean's states. Still, a flotilla of boats on the Thames was marking the occasion, and crowds cheered the queen when she appeared in public.