When I was growing up, the idea of anyone reigning as long as Queen Victoria did seemed incredibly far-fetched and far-flung. Sixty-three years. As a kid that was just an eternity. Now it sounds crazy anyone ever doubted QEII would get there. However anyone feels about the monarchy, sixty-three years is a long time to hold one job, and one can’t argue that she’s been utterly dedicated to it and to her country. I wouldn’t be surprised if she made it a decade beyond this. Whatever she’s putting in her morning Weetabix, I’d like a bite.
We are limited in what file photos we can legally bring you to honor her on this day, so we’re making up the difference with pictures of a lot of millinery from the years before GFY covered The Queen and her progeny in earnest. Please enjoy A Brief and Recentish History of Royal Lids, and of course, all hail Our Lady of Hattitude. Seriously. SIXTY-THREE YEARS at the helm. I wish she were not too classy to write a tell-all. It would be six gigantic volumes long and I would read every single one.
[Photos: Getty]
