LONDON -- It was a day for the history books. But it was not in her majesty's temperament to make much of a fuss.
On Wednesday, about 5:30 p.m. London time, Queen Elizabeth II became the longest-reigning monarch in Britain's history, dating back more than a millennium to the days when kings and queens enjoyed absolute power.
Serving as sovereign for 23,226 days (about 63 years and 7 months), according to Buckingham Palace, Elizabeth surpassed Queen Victoria, her great-great-grandmother.
Wednesday was a day of astonishing achievement, but the 89-year-old queen marked it as she has done so many times before: quietly going about her business, opening a railway line, unveiling a plaque, meeting her subjects.
She did acknowledge the event, however, telling a crowd at a Scottish railway station that it was not a milestone she had sought out.
"I thank you all, and all of the many others at home and overseas, for your touching messages of great kindness," said Elizabeth, wearing a two-tone blue coat and matching hat. "[It was] not one to which I have ever aspired."
Her entire speech lasted perhaps a minute or two.
Others in the British establishment showed no hesitation in praising the only monarch most Britons have ever known.
Oversize photographs of Elizabeth dominated most newspapers, with the tone set by The Daily Telegraph, which called the queen "our rock of stability for 63 years" in its headline.
"Opening a railway captures the same sense of understatement, but we should not doubt that today is a great moment in our national story," it said.
In Parliament on Wednesday, the prime minister led a series of affectionate tributes.
"The reign of Queen Elizabeth has been a golden thread running through three postwar generations, and she's presided over more than two-thirds of our history as a full democracy," David Cameron said. "Her selfless sense of service and duty have earned her unparalleled respect and admiration, not only in Britain but around the world."
That thought was echoed as well on the other side of the globe.
"Hers has been a long, rich life of service to her country, to the Commonwealth," Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott told his fellow lawmakers. "We wish her and her loving, remarkable husband health and happiness in the years ahead."
Elizabeth ascended the throne in 1952 at age 25 upon the death of her father, King George VI. Her official coronation the next year marked one of the first major public events that was televised.
A Section on 09/10/2015