Queen will mark her special royal day in Scotland

SHE asked f or no f uss. But i t seems courtiers have finally got their way with the Queen over marking the day when she becomes Britain’s longestserving monarch.

She has agreed to carry out an official engagement on the big day, September 9, when she will pass Queen Victoria’s reign of 63 years and 216 days. Sources said that gentle attempts at suggesting some form of official commemoration had previously been met with a firm rebuff.

‘These personal milestones matter little to Her Majesty,’ said one wellplaced aide. ‘She does not see it as a competition with her ancestors — in fact she views it as disrespectful.’

However, while Buckingham Palace officials say they have not announced any public engagements for the day, I understand that Her Majesty has quietly relented to attending a function which will acknowledge the milestone.

It is not known yet what the occasion will be but it will most likely be held in Scotland, where the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will be spending their annual holiday at Balmoral. They are already due to attend the annual Braemar Gathering, which takes place just a few days before.

When Victoria set her record on September 23, 1896, Victorians responded enthusiastically to their Queen’s historic milestone. Everything from printed handkerchiefs to china plates bore the legend ‘the longest reign in history’.

It will be very different this time. No official celebration is planned in London, with efforts expected to be concentrated on the Queen’s 90th birthday celebrations next year.

Last year, a suggestion by Commons Speaker John Bercow that the Queen mark becoming the longest- serving monarch by relaying a video message from Balmoral to crowds outside Parliament was vetoed on the grounds that it lacked dignity.

When she became the oldest monarch in Britain’s history, on December 20, 2007, outliving Queen Victoria, the event passed without fanfare or public pronouncements, with the Queen spending the weekend as normal at Windsor Castle with the Duke of Edinburgh.