The Queen has been voted the UK’s greatest monarch, days before she will secure the title of the country’s longest-reigning head of state.
Elizabeth II emerged as more popular than Queen Victoria, under whose reign Britain transformed into an industrialised nation, and Queen Elizabeth I, who oversaw a vibrant arts scene and new discoveries.
The current monarch secured 27 per cent of the vote in a YouGov poll for The Sunday Times, while her great-grandmother Victoria achieved 12 per cent, and Elizabeth I scored 13 per cent.
However, the survey showed that while Queen Elizabeth is popular, over 50 per cent of people believe her reign has been less important than Queen Elizabeth I’s, between 1558-1603, and the Victorian age, of 1837-1901.
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Elizabeth I will on 9 September beat Victoria’s record of 63 years and 216 days to become the UK’s longest reigning monarch.
She ascended the throne at the age of 25 in 1952 after her father King George VI died.
The poll follows a recent survey which named King Henry VIII as the worst monarch in history.
As the milestone approaches, historians are assessing her reign and the impact that she has had.
Portrayals of The Queen on screen and on stage
Among them is David constitutional historian and TV personality David Starkey, who has painted her as a relatively insignificant figure.
"[The Queen] has done and said nothing that anybody will remember," he told the Radio Times.
“She will not give her name to her age. Or, I suspect, to anything else,” Dr Starkey said.
