10 things you didn’t know about the Queen

10 things you didn’t know about the Queen

 

The Queen is the longest serving British monarch of all time, and she is in her 65th year of ruling. She is the well-loved head of the royal family and perhaps the most famous monarch in the world, and yet despite this most of us don’t actually know that much about her.

Here are 10 things you didn’t know about the Queen.

 

1. The Queen doesn’t have a passport

Queen Elizabeth visits different countries every year, but she doesn’t have a passport. This is because British passports are issued by Her Majesty, and she cannot issue one to herself. She also doesn’t have a licence plate for a similar reason!

 

2. The Queen created a dog breed

The Queen is famous for her love of corgis, and she has previously created her own corgi crossbreed. She did this by mating one of her corgis with Princess Margaret’s Dachshund. The adorable pups were named ‘dorgis’!

 

3. The Queen has two birthdays

This isn’t just the Queen; all reigning monarchs of England have two! It isn’t always very sunny in England, so the monarchy decided to throw an official birthday celebration in summer. This means the weather is likely to be nice for the birthday parade!

However, Queen Elizabeth’s birthday is actually on the 21st of April. We wish we had two birthdays a year – twice the cake!

 

4. The Queen is worth around £300 million

Even though £300 million is a lot of money, this only makes her the 275th richest person in the UK!

 

5. The Queen was the first head of state to send an email

Queen Elizabeth made history in 1976 when she became the first monarch to send an email. It was sent from a research facility used by the army using a system called ARPANET!

 

6. She became the Queen while she was in Kenya

The Queen was on a royal tour in Kenya when her father died and she became Queen. According to reports, she was sat in an African fig tree during the moment she became Queen.

 

7. The Queen was the first monarch to open the doors of the Palace to the public

Queen Elizabeth was the first English monarch to open the doors of the Palace to the public, but it wasn’t for a glamorous reason; the royal family needed the money to help repair Windsor Castle after a fire.

 

8. The Queen has specific alcohol tastes

According to the Queen’s cousin, Elizabeth doesn’t vary her alcohol intake. She enjoys a gin before lunch, garnished with lots of ice and a slice of lemon. She has a glass of wine with lunch and a dry Martini in the evening. To finish the day she has a glass of champagne – sounds perfect to us, if not a little heavy!

 

9. The Queen has 30 godchildren

That must make Christmas shopping difficult!

 

10. She was a mechanic and driver in World War II

Elizabeth begged her father to serve in the army, and he eventually allowed her to train as a truck driver and a mechanic. By 18 she was in the Women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service, and she is still the only female royal to serve in the army.

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Amy Johnson
Written by Amy Johnson