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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