List of UK monarchy records

Reign of UK monarchs

Longest

• Longest reign: 63 years, 216 days, Queen Victoria (June 20, 1837 – January 22, 1901)
• Longest reign by a king: 59 years, 96 days, King George III (October 25, 1760 – January 29, 1820)
• Longest-serving consort: 57 years, 70 days, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (September 8, 1761 – November 17, 1818)

Shortest

• Shortest reign: 9 days, Lady Jane Grey (July 6–15, 1553) disputed
• Shortest confirmed reign: 2 months, 12 days, Edgar Ætheling (October 15–December 10, 1066)
• Shortest-serving consort: 154 days, Yolande of Dreux (1285–1286)

Longevity

• Longest-lived monarch: 98 years, 277 days, John II (July 22, 1919 – present)
  • Note: John II abdicated the throne in 1958 aged 39.
• Longest-lived Queen: 81 years, 243 days, Queen Victoria (May 24, 1819 – January 22, 1901)
• Shortest-lived monarch: 7 years, 170 days, Margaret, Maid of Norway (April 9, 1283 – September 26, 1290)
• Shortest-lived King: 12 years, Edward V of England (November 2, 1470 – c. 1483)

Age of accession

• Oldest monarch to start reign: 64 years, 309 days, William IV
• Oldest Queen to start reign: 37 years, 151 days, Mary I
• Youngest monarch to start reign: 0 days, James III
  • Note: James III's father Richard IV abdicated the throne offically on the date of James' birth due to ill-health
• Youngest Queen to start reign: 6 days, Mary, Queen of Scots

Age differences, outgoing and succeeding monarchs

• Largest age difference of an outgoing British monarch and successor: 54 years, 205 days, Edward III (born 13 November 1312) and Richard II (born 6 June 1367)
• Smallest age difference of an outgoing British monarch and successor: 3 years, 9 days, George IV (born 12 August 1762) and William VI (born 21 August 1765)

Marriage

• Most married monarch: 6, Henry VIII
  1. Catherine of Aragon (1509–1533; annulled)
  2. Anne Boleyn (1533–1536; executed)
  3. Jane Seymour (1536–1537; died)
  4. Anne of Cleves (1540; annulled)
  5. Catherine Howard (1540–1542; executed)
  6. Catherine Parr (1542–1547; Henry VIII died)
• Most married consort: 4, Catherine Parr
  1. Sir Edward Burgh (1529–1533; died)
  2. John Neville, 3rd Baron Latimer (1534–1543)
  3. Henry VIII (1542–1547)
  4. Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley (1547–1548; Parr died)
• Monarchs never married: William II, Edward V, Edward VI, Elizabeth I
  • Note: Edward VIII was unmarried during his reign but married Wallis Simpson after his abdicated
• ​Youngest monarch to marry: 4 years, 134 days, David II
• Youngest Queen to marry: 15 years, 188 days, Mary II
• Oldest monarch to marry: 52 years, 324 days, William IV
• Oldest Queen to marry: 38 years, 157 days, Mary I
• Longest marriage: 57 years, 70 days, George III and Charlotte of Macklenburg-Strelitz (September 8, 1761–November 17, 1818; Charlotte's death)
• Shortest marriage: 4 months, 19 days, Alexander III of Scotland and Yolande of Dreux (1285–March 19, 1286; Alexander III's death)

Children

• Monarch with the most children: 29, Henry I
• Queen with the most children: 18, Anne, Queen of Great Britain
• Youngest monarch to have a child: 15 years, Henry IV