Today Suffolk is helping the Queen celebrate a day that will go down in history - Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will, at 5.30pm this afternoon, officially be the longest-reigning British monarch.

East Anglian Daily Times: The Queen, in a gold lame dress, is seen in the Long Library at Sandringham shortly after making the traditional Christmas Day broadcast to the nationThe Queen, in a gold lame dress, is seen in the Long Library at Sandringham shortly after making the traditional Christmas Day broadcast to the nation

Her Majesty passes the record set by her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria. Buckingham Palace has calculated that Victoria reigned for 23,226 days, 16 hours and 23 minutes.

The 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 about 5.30pm, when she will have reigned for 23,226 days, 16 hours and approximately 30 minutes. However, 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 about 1am.

At this time of year the Queen, who spends some of her time at Sandringham in neighbouring Norfolk, takes her traditional summer break at Balmoral.

East Anglian Daily Times: The Queen, in a gold lame dress, is seen in the Long Library at Sandringham shortly after making the traditional Christmas Day broadcast to the nationThe Queen, in a gold lame dress, is seen in the Long Library at Sandringham shortly after making the traditional Christmas Day broadcast to the nation

And today, joined by the Duke of Edinburgh, she is due to open the new £294 million Scottish Borders Railway and take a steam train.

What does the Queen think about all this celebration?

It is widely known that she is not really interested in such records and some say she sees it as disrespectful to her ancestors. She prefers a no-fuss approach. Her 90th birthday celebrations next year will be a bigger affair.

To mark this momentous day,today we have published a special souvenir supplement featuring photos of her visits to the region. See your local newsagent for your copy.

Share your memories of the Queen’s visits below.