Queen Elizabeth became Britain’s longest-reigning monarch yesterday, breaking the record held by her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria.

Locals who have met the Queen – who acceded to the throne in 1952 when she was 25 – recalled the way in which she would share her fond memories of Malta and the Maltese, especially of the time she spent living here from 1949 to 1951.

As Queen, Elizabeth visited Malta in May 1954, November 1967, May 1992, November 2005, when Malta hosted the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) for the first time, and in November 2007, when she came here on what was called her “second honeymoon”.

The Queen will be visiting again in November to attend the opening of CHOGM. She will be accompanied by her husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales and his wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.

The fact that she chose to celebrate her 60th wedding anniversary here proves how close to her heart the island is

Former prime minister Eddie Fenech Adami said that during her last visit the Queen had spoken of the happy memories of her days in Malta when, as a newlywed and still a princess, she would drive around the island in her own car.

“We were having tea during one of the visits and she spoke of how she used to drive around all over the island. When she first came here she was still very young but those memories seemed very special to her,” he said.

Every time he met the Queen, he said, she had very positive things to say about the Maltese.

She often spoke about her old residence, Villa Guardamangia, and even asked to visit the now-dilapidated building.

“The last time she was here, as we were heading to the airport, she asked if we could drive by her old residence. She said Villa Guardamangia was very special to her.” At various times between 1946 and 1953, the then Princess Elizabeth stayed at the villa with her fiancé and later husband, who was stationed in Malta as a serving Royal Navy officer.

Former prime minister Lawrence Gonzi also recalled the natural way she spoke of her time here, often talking about the island as though it was a second home.

“I was always impressed by how clearly she remembers her time here,” he said.

In 2007, on their way to the CHOGM in Uganda, the Queen and her husband spent one night in Malta to mark their 60th wedding anniversary.

“For me, the moment she truly showed her love for Malta was when, on her way to Uganda, she decided to spend a night here to celebrate her 60 years of marriage to the Duke.

“Marking 60 years of marriage is a very special moment, and the fact that she chose to celebrate it here proves how close to her heart the island is,” Dr Gonzi said.

Elizabeth II in Malta: Times of Malta photographer Frank Attard, a 55-year veteran of the paper, took this photo of Her Majesty with Prince Philip in Sa Maison, with St Luke’s Hospital in the background.

That night, as the Queen and Dr Gonzi were leaving the Upper Barrakka Gardens after a banquet held there, a crowd of people had gathered near Castille. Among them was a woman who claimed she used to be the Queen’s nanny.

“This woman was calling out to the Queen and it turned out this was true and the Queen did indeed recognise her. She surprised everyone that evening by walking up to greet the woman. In that moment, she forgot all about protocol and went to greet an old friend. I was stunned by her humility.”

During her years living here, the Queen, a lover of horses and polo, would often head to Marsa. “The family loved horses, especially anything to do with polo. At the time the area was known as Marsa tal-Ingliżi, because many English people would go there. But it was also a popular spot for the Maltese and she would often mingle with them,” said Paul Galea, a keen follower of the royals.

“I believe there’s mutual respect between the Queen and the Maltese. Queen Elizabeth was always welcomed here and is viewed by many as a likeable person.

“In the same way, she also seems to be very fond of the Maltese,” he added.

“I never aspired to the significance of today”

Queen Elizabeth, 89, yesterday surpassed the 63 years, seven months, two days, 16 hours and 23 minutes that her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, spent on the throne.

The occasion was marked by cheering, flag-waving crowds on British streets, bells ringing out in Westminster Abbey and solemn messages in parliament, but Elizabeth, who is also the nation’s oldest-ever monarch, wanted little fuss.

She made only a brief reference to it in a speech as she opened a new railway line in Scotland.

Thanking the crowd for their welcome, she said: “Many... have also kindly noted another significance attaching to today, although it is not one to which I have ever aspired.”

As a young princess, Elizabeth had not expected to become monarch as George VI only took the crown when his elder brother Edward VIII abdicated in 1936 to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson.

She was 25 when she ascended to the throne on February 6, 1952, following George’s death.

That made her the 40th monarch in a royal line tracing its origins back to Norman King William the Conqueror, who claimed the throne in 1066 with victory over Anglo-Saxon Harold II at the Battle of Hastings.

The year she became Queen, the Korean War was raging, Joseph Stalin was leader of the Soviet Union and Britain announced it had the atom bomb.

Since becoming queen, she has seen 12 prime ministers, starting with Winston Churchill, and there have been 12 U.S. Presidents, from Harry S. Truman to Barack Obama.