Queen Elizabeth II has achieved two royal milestones during the past year. Last September, she became the longest-serving British monarch in history, beating the record previously held by her great-great grandmother, Queen Victoria. For nearly a decade now, she’s been the oldest British monarch—once again, surpassing Victoria—but today she turns 90 years old.
To be sure, both of these achievements have something to do with Woody Allen’s observation that 80 percent of life is showing up. Elizabeth’s longevity is impressive—so is her energy, perspicacity, and personal grandeur—but of course, people live longer nowadays than they used to, and she became queen at 25. I may be one of the few people on this side of the Atlantic who admires the heir-apparent, the Prince of Wales; but I also wish Her Majesty many more years of life.
