Illustrated London News (ILN), the content and digital agency, is launching a special Limited Edition book set THE RECORD REIGN to commemorate Her Majesty The Queen’s becoming the longest reigning monarch in British history on 9th September, overtaking her great–‐great–‐grandmother, Queen Victoria, who had become the longest reigning monarch in 1896. Drawing on previously unseen archive material of the ILN and its sister titles, and in partnership with the Royal Warrant Holders Association, the set features a new portrait of The Queen painted in oils by artist Alastair Barford, commissioned exclusively for the publication. The Prime Minister David Cameron has written The Foreword (attached), which is released for Sunday 30 August. Further information is on the website www.recordreign.com

In 1897, The Illustrated London News paid tribute to Queen Victoria’s era–‐defining monarchy with A RECORD NUMBER FOR A RECORD REIGN, a spectacular, ornate edition, which commemorated Victoria’s reign and the accomplishments of Victorian Britain. This two–‐volume book set, to be published on 7 September 2015, includes an exact reproduction of the 1897 RECORD REIGN edition alongside a new companion volume: THE RECORD REIGN OF HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN, an equally glorious record of Queen Elizabeth’s reign, celebrating her life and developments in Britain over the last 63 years, and written by ILN historians and other high–‐profile contributors. Presented as a collector’s book set in an exquisitely crafted slipcase, both volumes are A3, hard back, clothbound, gold–‐foiled, gilt–‐edged and printed on superb paper. The limited edition book set and bookazine are available to order on the dedicated website www.recordreign.com The book set is priced at £295.00 for both volumes as a collector’s item, with a print run of only 1,000 copies.

 ILN, in collaboration with Haymarket Media, is also launching a softback “bookazine” to be sold on the newsstands at £6.99 from 3 September, The Illustrated Record Reign, providing a popular account of Queen Elizabeth’s reign including image–‐led features and entertaining vignettes. This follows the success of The Illustrated Diamond Jubilee, which was the best–‐selling bookazine in WH Smith in 2012. The bookazine will be sold at high street newsstands including WHSmith and specialist retailers.

Lisa Barnard, Chief Executive of ILN, commented:

“We are honoured that the Prime Minister has written a moving foreword for this momentous publication. These are two remarkable Queens, who have reigned over periods of extraordinary change. Our aim is to present the two reigns side by side in order to compare, contrast and commemorate. The ILN, as the world’s first pictorial newspaper, has vividly chronicled both periods and both monarchs since our inception in 1842, so we are best placed to do this. It has been a publishing feat to recreate the 1897 publication and we have gone to enormous lengths to remain faithful to the original production values. That had been the most ambitious and lavish edition to date of the ILN, showcasing not just the achievements of Queen Victoria but also the significant advancements during her reign. We have taken the same approach in creating The Record Reign of Her Majesty The Queen. The pace of change since 1952 has been huge, and the Victorian era seems scarcely recognisable to us today. These beautiful books show in fascinating detail the parallels and differences between these record reigns.”

In addition to Mr. Cameron’s Foreword, RECORD REIGN features high profile contributors including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Sir Richard Branson, novelist Fay Weldon, scientist Dame Mary Archer, author Joanna Trollope, WPP Sir Martin Sorrell on the most significant changes since 1952 across many sectors. A donation will be made for every copy sold to QEST (Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust), the charitable arm of the Royal Warrant Holders Association, to support British craftsmanship. Limited edition prints of the portrait of The Queen, signed by the artist, are also available to order on the website. The portrait will be unveiled on 2 September. For more details, visit www.recordreign.com. The books will be handed over personally at Buckingham Palace by ILN CEO Lisa Barnard on 7 September to be presented to Her Majesty The Queen at Balmoral.

Please contact Lisa Barnard, Chief Executive, ILN , Tel + 44 (0)7887 823116 [email protected] NOTE TO EDITORS: Please include website www.recordreign.com in any coverage and credit pictures © ILN Attachments: Foreword By Prime Minister David Cameron, the covers of both publications and a summary of THE RECORD REIGN. Further pictures available on request.

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