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
SS British Queen "British Queen" when the ship was launched on 24 May 1838 because Victoria had just ascended to the throne. When the new ship was towed to Scotland to have her engine installed, it was determined that the hull was not strong enough and Napier installed extra bracing. "British Queen" left London for her maiden voyage to New York on 11 July 1839 and stopped at Portsmouth before entering the Atlantic. Fully booked with passengers including Samuel Cunard, she arrived 15 and a half days later. "British Queen" cleared New York for her return on 1 August, within an hour of