Longevity
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As the phenomenal Queen of England and her equally phenomenal husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, turn 90 and 95 respectively, one starts to wonder if they are indeed unique, or if there have been other monarchs and consorts that have reached comparable ages. Well, if we include the consorts, there is always the magnificent Queen Mother with her record of 101 years, 7 months and 26 days. So, let’s leave them out. As for reigning monarchs, I come up with the following rather short list:
King Gustaf V of Sweden
1858-1950
92 years, 4 months and 13 days.
Reigned 1907-1950
King Wilhelm I of Prussia,
German Emperor 1797-1888;
90 years, 11 months and 15
days. Reigned 1861/1871-1888
King Gustaf VI Adolf
of Sweden 1882-1973,
90 years, 10 month and 4 days. Reigned 1950-1973
Where is Juliana? I hear my Dutch readers cry. Well, Queen Juliana (1909-2004) lived to be 94 years, 10 months and 20 days, and would therefore have topped this list, had it not been for the fact that she abdicated in 1980 and did not reign for the last 24 years of her life.
Another person that should be mentioned is the Prince Regent Luitpold of Bavaria (1821-1912) who lived to be 91 years and 7 months. His reign lasted from 1886-1912, but unlike his son, Ludwig III, he never tried to depose his nephew, the mad King Otto, which is why he was a ruler only and never a monarch.
Any others? Well, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia (1924-2015), was 90 years, 5 months and 22 days when he died, and King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, who has now been on the throne for an amazing 70 years, will turn 90 in December 2017.
People tend to live longer these days, and that probably goes for Royalty as well. But will we ever see a centenarian on the throne somewhere? Queen Elizabeth II probably has a good chance at breaking that record as well, along with the many others she has already broken.
Long live the Queen!
Ted Rosvall