Queen Victoria replaced him. Salisbury remained prime minister for the remainder of Victoria's reign. On 23 September 1896, Victoria surpassed her grandfather George III as the longest-reigning monarch in British history. The Queen requested that any special celebrations be delayed until 1897, to coincide with her Diamond Jubilee, which was made a festival of the British Empire at the suggestion of the Colonial Secretary, Joseph Chamberlain. The prime ministers of all the self-governing Dominions were invited to London for the festivities. One reason for including the prime ministers of the Dominions and excluding foreign heads of state was to avoid having to
Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II work to have the country become a republic. Sir Jerry Mateparae, the Governor-General of New Zealand, unveiled New Zealand's Diamond Jubilee emblem on 27 November 2011 and announced at that time that a full programme would be forthcoming. New Zealand Post and the Reserve Bank of New Zealand stated in January 2012 the release a silver proof dollar coin to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and, the following month, the Ministry for Culture and Heritage added Crown-related entries to and an essay on the jubilee to NZ.History.net.nz. The New Zealand post also issued sets of Diamond Jubilee stamps showing images