Following the recent death of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, we’ve compiled some interesting facts about our beloved monarch, Queen Elizabeth II.
- When the then Princess Elizabeth married Philip in 1947, Britain was still under rations following the Second World War. Elizabeth had to purchase the material for her wedding dress with ration coupons. She did receive some help from the government, which gave her an additional 200 clothing ration coupons. Furthermore, she was helped by the British public – fellow brides-to-be sent the princess the coupons meant for their own wedding dresses! (However, these were never used, Elizabeth duly returned them as the royals are not permitted to accept gifts from the public).
2. The Queen was famous for her love of corgis. She was gifted her first corgi on her 18th birthday in 1944. Her first corgi was named Susan and most of her subsequent 30 corgis are descendants of Susan.
3. Elizabeth and Philip celebrated their Platinum Wedding Anniversary in 2017. She is the first reigning Monarch to have done so.
4. The Queen was the only person in the UK who was permitted to drive on public roads without a driving licence. Nor was she required to possess a passport.
5. The birthplace of the Queen is now a restaurant. She was born at 17 Bruton Street, a London townhouse, the home of her mother’s parents.
6. The Queen owned all of the whales and dolphins that swim in British waters. In the same way that (by default) she owned all the swans in Britain with the exception of those bearing a mark.
7. Windsor Castle, one of the Queen’s numerous residences is the largest and oldest occupied palace in the whole world.
8. The Queen saw the funeral of 4 British Kings during her lifetime:
- Her Grandfather, King George V’s funeral in 1936.
- Her Father, King Geroge VI’s funeral in 1952
- (The abdicated) King Edward VIII’s funeral (The Queen’s Uncle) in 1972
- And by a strange twist of fate, the funeral of another predecessor, King Richard III who died in 1485 but was buried in Leicester Cathedral in 2015. Although the Queen did not attend this funeral in person, she was represented by the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the Countess of Wessex.
9. The first Prime Minister to serve under Queen Elizabeth was Sir Winston Churchill. He first became a Member of Parliament during the reign of her great-great Grandmother, Queen Victoria.
10. During her 70-year reign, the Queen saw:
- 15 Prime Ministers
- She had met 5 Popes
- And met 13 out of the last 14 US Presidents.
Hopefully, you found these facts about Queen Elizabeth II interesting! If you liked this post, take a look at my post, British Prime Ministers: 10 Amazing Facts. Also, see my History Category.
For more interesting facts about the Queen, visit the Royal Family Website.
