A royal wave: The Queen greets well-wishers as she arrives for the Sunday service at Crathie Kirk alongside the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Charles

  • The Queen is on summer break at her private Scottish home of Balmoral
  • She regularly worships at the parish church during her holiday 
  • Set to make history on Wednesday as the longest-reigning British monarch

She is set to become the longest-reigning British monarch on Wednesday but it was business-as-usual for Queen Elizabeth II today. 

The 89-year-old head-of-state, who is currently on her traditional summer break at her private Scottish home of Balmoral, was photographed heading to the Sunday morning service at Crathie Kirk. 

The Queen was joined at the small parish church by her husband The Duke of Edinburgh and son Prince Charles. 

The Queen, who is currently on her traditional summer break at her private Scottish home of Balmoral, was photographed heading to the Sunday morning service at Crathie Kirk with Duke of Edinburgh

The Queen, who is currently on her traditional summer break at her private Scottish home of Balmoral, was photographed heading to the Sunday morning service at Crathie Kirk with Duke of Edinburgh

Looking resplendent in a chic cream bouclé jacket with a smart matching hat, the Queen waved at well-wishers who had lined the church entrance to greet her. 

Meanwhile the Duke of Edinburgh looked smart in a grey blazer, white shirt and stripy claret and black tie. Prince Charles followed his father's lead in a formal black suit. 

The Queen is reportedly never happier than at the haven of Balmoral, where the royal family spend each August and September riding, fishing and walking - and where she hosts an annual Ghillies Ball for staff.

The estate was handed down to her through generations of royals and bought for Queen Victoria by Prince Albert in 1852.

Prince Charles was also photographed heading to the Scottish parish church alongside his mother and father

Prince Charles was also photographed heading to the Scottish parish church alongside his mother and father

The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh are familiar faces in the local area, joining worshippers for services at nearby Crathie Kirk and presiding over the Braemar Gathering, the biggest event in the Highland Games calendar.

Each summer the Queen also makes the journey to Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, her official residence in Scotland, for a week of engagements celebrating Scottish culture, history and achievement.

A highlight includes the garden party at the palace, where she and Duke of Edinburgh entertain around 8,000 guests from all walks of Scottish life.

The Queen is set to make history later this week when she eclipses Queen Victoria to become the longest-reigning British monarch.

She will pass the record set by her great-great-grandmother who, Buckingham Palace has calculated, reigned for 23,226 days, 16 hours and 23 minutes.

The Queen looked resplendent in a chic cream bouclé jacket with a smart matching hat,
She is set to become the longest reigning British monarch on Wednesday but it was business-as-usual for Queen Elizabeth II today

Looking resplendent in a chic cream bouclé jacket with a smart matching hat, the Queen waved at well-wishers who had lined the church entrance to greet her

The Queen is reportedly never happier than at the haven of Balmoral, where the royal family spend each August and September riding, fishing and walking

The Queen is reportedly never happier than at the haven of Balmoral, where the royal family spend each August and September riding, fishing and walking

The Queen is pictured waving at well-wishers following the Sunday Service at Crathie Kirk in Scotland 

The Queen is pictured waving at well-wishers following the Sunday Service at Crathie Kirk in Scotland 

There has been speculation a celebratory private event is planned, but it is understood it will be a normal working day for the monarch with no special dinner party.

On the day she passes Victoria's milestone, the monarch, joined by the Duke of Edinburgh, will open the new Scottish Borders Railway and take a steam train ride on the new £294m railway.

Members of the Royal Family including the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall will also be working.

Charles will be filming a documentary with TV presenters Ant and Dec, believed to be about his Prince's Trust organisation which celebrates its 40th anniversary next year, while Camilla will visit the ITV studios in London to celebrate the organisation's 60th anniversary.

Queen Victoria, who died in 1901, acceded to the throne on June 20 1837 and became the figurehead of a vast empire amid great industrial, cultural and scientific changes to society.

But she mourned the early death of her consort Prince Albert in 1861 for the rest of her life.

The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh are familiar faces in the local area, joining worshippers for services at nearby Crathie Kirk and presiding over the Braemar Gathering

The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh are familiar faces in the local area, joining worshippers for services at nearby Crathie Kirk and presiding over the Braemar Gathering

The Queen will make history later this week when she eclipses Queen Victoria to become the longest-reigning British monarch

The Queen will make history later this week when she eclipses Queen Victoria to become the longest-reigning British monarch

Princess Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth II when she was 25 on the death of her father King George VI on February 6 1952. Like Victoria, she has acted as a figure of continuity as the country has modernised.

She has served, with Philip at her side, through the 20th century and into the 21st, witnessing technological advances and a succession of British governments of different political persuasions.

The Queen has become accustomed to countless milestones during her decades on the throne.

In December 2007, she became the longest-living British monarch, overtaking Victoria who died when she was 81. And in May 2011 she became the second-longest reigning monarch in British history when she overtook George III.

According to Guinness World Records, the Queen also holds the world record for most currencies featuring the same individual.

Queen Elizabeth II sitting in the Regency Room at Buckingham Palace in London looking at some of the cards which have been sent for her 80th birthday

Queen Elizabeth II sitting in the Regency Room at Buckingham Palace in London looking at some of the cards which have been sent for her 80th birthday

The Queen pictured during a visit to Chadwell Heath Community centre in July
The Queen pictured during her summer residence at Balmoral last month

The Queen pictured during her summer residence at Balmoral last month (right) and during a visit to Chadwell Heath Community centre in London in July

The Queen is also the first British monarch to have sent an email, to have a message put on the moon, to have conducted a royal 'walkabout' and to have held a public concert in her back garden.

She is the second-longest serving monarch in the world after King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, who took to the throne in 1946 but who is now rarely seen in public.

The record of length of time on the throne can be calculated in different ways, but the Palace considers the total number of days plus hours and minutes to be the most accurate.

The Queen passes Victoria's record at around 5.30pm on Wednesday when she will have reigned for 23,226 days 16 hours and approximately 30 minutes - but the exact moment she became Queen is hard to calculate as George VI died in his sleep in the early hours of the morning, possibly at around 1am. 

Queen Elizabeth II speaking at a state banquet at Windsor Castle in Windsor at the start of a two-day state visit by President Sarkozy

Queen Elizabeth II speaking at a state banquet at Windsor Castle in Windsor at the start of a two-day state visit by President Sarkozy

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