Gibraltar has officially become a city, despite the fact that this status was granted to it 180 years ago by Queen Victoria, BBC and News.ro reported.

The British Overseas Territory has applied for city status in early 2022 to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee. Instead, when the researchers checked the National Archives, they found that the island had already been recognized with that status in 1842.

Boris Johnson described the event as an “extraordinary award” that recognized the island’s “rich history and dynamism”. Gibraltar has been a British overseas territory since 1713, when it was ceded to Great Britain under a peace treaty signed after the War of the Spanish Succession.

Thirty-nine states applied for city status in the Platinum Jubilee competition, and only eight of them, including Doncaster, Bangor and Dunfermline, eventually received the coveted recognition.

The status of the city is granted by the monarch of Great Britain

City status is often associated with settlements that have a cathedral, a university or a large population, but there are no clear rules for granting the status, it is granted by the monarch on the advice of ministers.

The status also brings few material benefits, although it can often give a boost to communities and is usually a source of pride for residents.

The government said Gibraltar was removed from the official lists after receiving the title from Queen Victoria, but it is not clear how this happened. Gibraltar is one of five recognized cities outside Great Britain.

Hamilton in Bermuda, Jamestown in St Helena and Douglas in the Isle of Man were already on the list, while Stanley in the Falklands (Malvinas) was included this year.

Southend in Essex was also granted city status earlier this year following the murder of MP David Ames, who had represented the Southend West constituency since 1997 and had long campaigned on the issue.