ONE of the region’s great cathedrals is holding a special service to honour the Queen as she becomes the longest serving British monarch.

On September 9 Elizabeth II will overtake the record set by her great-great grandmother, Queen Victoria, at 63 years and 216 days.

During her time on the throne the Queen has had a total of 12 Prime Ministers and 6 Archbishops of Canterbury serve under her.

She has attended an estimated 25,500 official engagements in Britain, conferred 400,000 honours and awards and received 3.5 million items of correspondence. The Queen has also hosted more than a million garden party guests, a large and varied amount of foreign heads of state, two popes and five astronauts.

The Palace have said that there will be no national day of celebration, as all their efforts are being focused on the Queen’s 90th birthday on April 21 next year.

But the 6pm service at Ripon Cathedral will be an opportunity to give thanks and prayers for the years of dedication and service the Queen has given to the country.

The dean, the Very Reverend John Dobson, said: “I am delighted that the Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire has invited Ripon Cathedral to host this significant service.

“It is clear that the nation will be doing more to celebrate the Queen’s 90th birthday next year. It is appropriate, however, that we should pause on this historic day to thank God for the Queen’s unparalleled service to this country and to celebrate Her Majesty’s inspiring commitment to duty over so many years.