Britain's reigning monarch has seen a dozen presidents, six popes, and 30 corgis come and go since assuming the throne in 1952
On Monday, Queen Elizabeth II marked the 60th anniversary of her accession to the British throne by watching schoolchildren in an eastern England town perform a play in her honor. The U.K. will also host a glitzy, days-long Diamond Jubilee in June to more formally and lavishly honor the Queen. In the meantime, here's a statistical look back at her six-decade reign:
25
Elizabeth's age when she became queen
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85
Her current age
12
British prime ministers during Elizabeth's reign
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12
U.S. presidents during Elizabeth's reign
6
Popes during her reign
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30
Corgis Elizabeth has owned during her reign. Currently, she has three, says Estelle Shirbon at Reuters: Monty, Willow, and Holly.
3,500
Acts of Parliament the Queen has given Royal Assent to since 1952
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261
Overseas visits she has taken, including 78 to the United States
116
Countries she has been to
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404,500
Honors and awards she has conferred
3.5 million
Estimated number of letters Elizabeth has answered, according to the official website of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee
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45,000
Estimated number of Christmas cards she has sent
90,000
Christmas puddings she has given to her staff during the holidays over the last 60 years, as part of a custom that began with King George V
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129
Portraits she has sat for
63
Years Queen Victoria reigned for, from 1837 to 1901. Victoria is the longest-serving monarch in British history, followed by Queen Elizabeth II.
4
Bank holidays that have been declared in the U.K. to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee, which will be held June 2-5
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1,000
Ships expected to take part in the pageant on the River Thames, the expected highlight of the Jubilee
20,000
People expected to take part in the pageant
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More than 1 million
People expected to line the river to cheer on the flotilla
£12 million
Estimated cost of the Diamond Jubilee Pageant. "The pageant is a once-in-a-lifetime event," pageant master Adrian Evans tells the Daily Mail, "one that will reclaim the Thames as a royal route."
£100,000
Price of the commemorative Diamond Jubilee whiskey by John Walker and Sons, sales of which will be donated to the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust
Sources: BBC (2), Daily Mail, TheDiamondJubilee.org, LA Times, Reuters
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