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
Legitimacy of Queen Victoria may have continued among descendants of Victoria. At least two of her descendants, Charlotte, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen, and Prince William of Gloucester are suspected of having suffered from it. Concrete evidence on the origins of the hæmophilia disease and paternity of Victoria could be achieved with a DNA test of her or her parents' remains, but no such study has been sanctioned by the Royal Family. Legitimacy of Queen Victoria The parentage of Queen Victoria has been the subject of speculation. Princess Charlotte of Wales was the only daughter and heiress presumptive of the Prince Regent (later King George IV).