London ∙ Gibraltar is now in the list of territories with British city status. Gibraltar, a British territory, applied for city status earlier this year. However, when the records of the National Archives were examined, an order of Queen Victoria was found which gave Gibraltar the status of a city 180 years ago.
There was a war between Spain and Britain for Gibraltar on the southern coast of Spain. Spain ceded this territory to Britain in 1712 under the peace treaty. However, they did not give up their claim on Gibraltar, which is adjacent to their border. In a 2002 opinion poll in Gibraltar, 99% supported British ownership.
It is not clear why Gibraltar was not included in the list of British cities despite Queen Victoria’s order in 1842.
English Summary: Gibraltar finally granted UK city status, 180 years late