Business As Usual For Queen On Historic Day

Queen Elizabeth II is visiting a new railway in Scotland on the day she makes history by becoming Britain's longest-reigning monarch.

The Queen will break the record previously held by her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria whose reign, according to Buckingham Palace, lasted for 23,226 days, 16 hours and 23 minutes - or around 63 years and 216 days.

Princess Elizabeth became Queen when she was only 25 years of age, on 6 February 1952, after her father died.

It is thought Queen Elizabeth II will break Queen Victoria's record at around 5.30pm this afternoon, but it's difficult to pinpoint a precise time because the exact moment of her father's death is not known.

Ahead of the moment she becomes the longest serving sovereign, she has arrived in Edinburgh to open a new railway line.

She joined the Scottish Nationalist leader Nicola Sturgeon to board a steam train for a ride from Waverley Station to Tweedbank on the newly opened Borders Railway.

Her arrival from Balmoral, where she has been staying, was delayed for 40 minutes due to weather conditions.

She received a rapturous welcome in Edinburgh from hundreds who were waiting on Waverley station platform to meet her.

The Prime Minister David Cameron was among those who paid tribute to her.

He said: "Over the last 63 years, Her Majesty has been a rock of stability in a world of constant change."

Google was among those to mark the event with a line at the bottom of its homepage saying: "Congratulations Ma'am."

:: Click Here For The Full Results Of The Sky Data Poll

There are not any large scale national events planned to mark this milestone, and members of her family will not be seen to celebrate the moment.

The Queen herself has said she doesn't want any fuss, and expects it to be business as usual, treating the day like any other.

It is understood this is partly out of respect for Queen Victoria, but also because large celebrations are being planned for Her Majesty's 90th birthday next year.

There has been speculation that the Queen may make a rare public speech to mark the moment.

:: A Video Timeline Of The Queen's Reign

Buckingham Palace hasn't yet released the Queen's full programme for the day, but if she does speak publicly it's likely to focus on the railway line rather than her own achievements.

It comes as a Sky News poll suggests the monarchy and the Queen remain as popular as ever.

The results from Sky Data found that 70% of people think Britain should remain a monarchy forever, with 61% saying they did not think the monarchy was a waste of money.

Some 58% also said they trusted the Queen more than most politicians. Some 1,117 Sky customers were questioned with data weighted to match the profile of the UK population.

:: The Reign Game: Explore seven decades of culture in Elizabeth's Britain

A new photograph of the Queen has been released by Buckingham Palace for the occasion.

It was taken in July in her private audience room, and shows her sitting at her desk, with one of her official red boxes in front of her containing government papers.

She may be 89 years old, but the picture appears to make the point that she has no intention of slowing down when it comes to her duties.

Special photographic exhibitions are being laid on by the Royal Collection at Windsor Castle, the Palace of Holyroodhouse and Buckingham Palace.

The selection of photographs from 1952 to the present day, include official portraits and photographs of Her Majesty visiting the UK and parts of the Commonwealth, as well as pictures showing more informal family moments.

:: Sky Data interviewed a nationally representative sample of 1,117 Sky customers online from 21-24 August this year. Data weighted to match the profile of the population.

News Apps: Give Us Your Views