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
Queen Victoria Memorial, Penang after the Queen Victoria Memorial Statue was unveiled), and wished to remove this other reminder of British imperialism. Citizens loyal to the empire and the memory of their late monarch, had the memorial boarded up and prevented its removal. When Penang was finally liberated from Japanese Occupation, the boards were removed and the statue stood revealed, unscathed. Queen Victoria Memorial, Penang The Queen Victoria Memorial in George Town, Penang is a monument to Queen Victoria, begun after her death, located at the Penang Chinese Recreation Club. Penang's Victoria Memorial takes the form of a large piece of land known as