The Queen has thanked well-wishers at home and overseas for their "touching messages of kindness" as she becomes Britain's longest-reigning monarch.
Speaking in the Scottish Borders, the 89-year-old monarch said the title was "not one to which I have ever aspired".
At 17:30 BST she had reigned for 23,226 days, 16 hours and approximately 30 minutes - surpassing the reign of her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria.
David Cameron said the service the Queen had given was "truly humbling".
Dressed in turquoise with her trusty black handbag at her side, the Queen spoke briefly to the gathered crowds earlier.
"Inevitably a long life can pass by many milestones - my own is no exception - but I thank you all and the many others at home and overseas for your touching messages of great kindness," she said.
In the day's main events:
- The Queen and Prince Philip travelled by steam train from Edinburgh to Tweedbank, where she formally opened the new 294m Scottish Borders Railway
- They were accompanied by Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who praised the Queen's "dedication, wisdom and exemplary sense of public service"
- In London, a flotilla of historic vessels, leisure cruisers and passenger boats took part in a procession along the Thames and HMS Belfast sounded a four-gun salute
The exact moment the Queen became the longest-reigning sovereign is unknown. Her father, George VI, passed away in the early hours of 6 February 1952, but his time of death is not known.
Rest of the article: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-34177107
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updated by @leopoldina: 06 Oct 2016 06:36:27AM
