Queen Elizabeth II Age, Death, Husband, Children, Family, Biography & More

Some Lesser Known Facts About Queen Elizabeth II

• Queen Elizabeth II was the 5th Queen of the United Kingdom. She was the longest-reigning Monarch in the world, with a reign of 70 years and 214 days. She was the second-longest monarch of a sovereign country. In 2022, she died of age-related ailments in England.

• She became the longest-lived British monarch and the longest-reigning British monarch on 21 December 2007, and on 9 September 2015, she became the longest-reigning British monarch, surpassing her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria.

• After being married for 73 years, when Prince Philip died on 9 April 2021, Queen Elizabeth II became the first British monarch to reign as a widow or widower after Queen Victoria.

• During her reign of 70 years, 15 Prime Ministers of the UK served her as their Queen, including Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, and more.

• Queen Elizabeth II was born at 2:40 (GMT) at her maternal grandfather Lord Strathmore’s home in Mayfair, London, the United Kingdom.
  

  A childhood image of Queen Elizabeth II taken in 1934

• She was named Elizabeth after her mother, Queen Elizabeth, Alexandra after her paternal great-grandmother, Alexandra of Denmark, and Mary, after her paternal grandmother, Mary of Teck.

• Her close family members affectionately called her “Lilibet,” and her husband, Prince Philip, used to call her “Cabbage.”

• In April 1929, she appeared on the cover of Time magazine.
  

  A childhood image of Queen Elizabeth II on the cover of TIME magazine

• When she was 6 years old, the people of Wales gifted her a ‘Y Bwthyn Bach’ (which means ‘Little House’), an adorable thatched wendy house, on her birthday. The playhouse had miniature radio, a china set, a portrait of the Queen’s mother, books, pots, pans, brooms, and a working telephone.
  

  The Queen and Princess Margaret sitting outside their playhouse, ‘Y Bwthyn Bach’

• Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret, her younger sister, were homeschooled by their mother, Queen Elizabeth. They received private education from a Scottish educator and governess named Marion Crawford. They studied history, language, literature, and music. Their history teacher, C.H.K. Marten, later became a Provost of Eton College. Girl Guides was the first company formed by Buckingham Palace so that Elizabeth could interact with girls that were similar to her age.

• She was fluent in French and often used the language for audiences and state visits. She never required an interpreter.

• She did her first radio broadcast in October 1940, during the Second World War.

 

• During World War II, Elizabeth and her sister, Margaret, were moved to Windsor Castle for their safety.

• In 1944, she served in the women’s branch of the British Army, Auxiliary Territorial Service, where she performed public duties. While serving, she learned to drive and was trained to drive trucks. She also worked as a mechanic. After serving for 5 months, she received the rank of honorary junior commander.
  

  Princess Elizabeth while changing the wheel of her car during training in Southern England in 1945

• Queen Elizabeth II served in the military and was the only female member to do so.

• In 1945, after the end of World War II, people gathered in the streets to celebrate the win. Elizabeth and her sister, Margaret, also wanted to celebrate with the locals, so they took their parents’ permission and went out to enjoy themselves. According to her, the evening of 8 May 1945 was one of the most cherished moments for her. In an Instagram post, she remembered that evening and said,
  

  I remember lines of unknown people linking arms and walking down Whitehall, all of us just swept along on a tide of happiness and relief.” ^[17]Insider

  

  Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret in 1945

• Her husband, Prince Philip, is her third cousin from Corfu, Greece. Elizabeth is related to Queen Victoria from her father’s side, and Philip is related to Queen Victoria from his mother’s side. She met Philip for the first time at a royal wedding in 1934. They got a chance to meet again in 1937. Reportedly, after meeting for the third time, in July 1939, at the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, she realised that she had fallen in love with him; she was only 13 years old at that time. Later, they began to send letters to each other. In 1947, when Philip was 26 years old, and Elizabeth was 21 years old, they got engaged.

• Elizabeth, at the age of 21, got married to Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey on 20 November 1947.
  

  A wedding day photo of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip taken in 1947

• On 20 November 2007, she became the first British monarch in the world to celebrate a diamond wedding anniversary.
  

  Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip were clicked on the occasion of their diamond wedding anniversary in 2007

• Queen Elizabeth II’s wedding gown was made up of Chinese silk by designer Norman Hartnell. The cloth of the wedding gown was purchased by her with clothing ration coupons, which were used by people to buy clothing materials during the Second World War. The British government gave her 200 complimentary coupons. The girls that were about to get married at that time gave their own coupons to her; however, she returned all of them as royal family members are not allowed to accept gifts from the public.
  

  The wedding gown of Queen Elizabeth II

• On her wedding day, she was supposed to wear the diamond-studded crown that belonged to her grandmother, Queen Mary. While getting ready for the ceremony, she wore the crown, and it snapped just 2 hours before the ceremony. Under security, the crown was taken by the royal family officials to the workshop of the royal jewellery house Garrard for welding.

• Around 2500 gifts were presented to the couple at their wedding including 500 tins of pineapple, a necklace of $83 million, 131 pairs of nylon stockings, which were available in limited stock at that time, and more.

• During the rule of her grandfather (from 1910 to 1936), George V, his eldest son, Edward VIII became the heir apparent to the throne. With George V’s passing away in 1936, Edward VIII became the King of the UK. In the same year, he decided to marry an American socialite, Wallis Simpson, who was a two-time divorcee. This news created a constitutional crisis. This decision of his was opposed by most of the high officials of the United Kingdom. Being divorced two times and having two living ex-husbands was considered bad for the queen consort’s image. Under the Church of England, it was forbidden to marry someone whose former spouse was still alive. He gave up the throne on 11 December 1936 to marry Wallis, and his younger brother George VI became the King of the UK.
  

  In 1937, the photograph was taken on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, where Elizabeth II is waving to the crowd on the Coronation day of King George VI

• After her father became the King of the UK, she became the heir presumptive as it was expected that her brother would become the heir apparent to the throne. Later, she became the unexpected heir apparent since she had no brother. On 6 February 1952, her father passed away, which made her the 5th Queen of the UK at the age of 25. After her coronation ceremony, which took place on 2 June 1953, she gave her speech in which she said,
  

  The ceremonies you have seen today are ancient, and some of their origins are veiled in the mists of the past. But their spirit and their meaning shine through the ages never, perhaps, more brightly than now. I have in sincerity pledged myself to your service, as so many of you are pledged to mine. Throughout all my life and with all my heart I shall strive to be worthy of your trust.” ^[18]Reuters

• Her coronation in 1953 was the first to be televised in England.

 

• She was the Head of the Commonwealth. On behalf of the Commonwealth, she addressed the United Nations General Assembly for the first time in 1957. In her address, she said,
  

  Common ideals and hopes, not formal bonds, unite the members of the Commonwealth and promote that association between them which, in my belief, has contributed significantly to the cause of human freedom.” ^[19]The Royal Family

 

• On 6 July 2010, she again addressed the United Nations General Assembly.

 

• Imperial State Crown, which was bestowed on Elizabeth II in 1953, weighed 1.06 kg (2.3 lb) and contained 2,901 precious stones including Cullinan II – the second-largest clear-cut diamond in the world.
  

  Imperial State Crown

• The Queen never used any last name. After she became the Queen, her official title was
  

  Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and of her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.” ^[20]Insider

• She used to sign her documents and letters with the name “Elizabeth R.” in which R stands for “Regina,” which is a Latin word for “Queen.”
  

  Signature of Queen Elizabeth II on an official document

• Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her birthday twice a year. Her original birthday was on 21 April, but her official birthday was celebrated on the second Saturday in June of every year. In 1748, King George II celebrated his birthday officially in pleasant summers rather than in cold and wet winters, and since then, every monarch has followed the tradition.

• During her reign, the Queen received over 3.5 million items of correspondence.

• Since 1952, she had been conferred with over 404,500 honours and awards.

• On her Diamond Jubilee in 2012, the queen received over 120,000 cards, letters, and gifts.

• In 1976, she sent her first email, and in 2019, she posted her first Instagram post.

• Elizabeth II was the patron of more than 600 charities and organizations.

• She was an animal lover. During her reign, she owned more than 30 corgis and introduced a new breed- the dorgi, which is a hybrid of corgi and dachshund. One of her corgies mated with her sister, Princess Margaret’s dachshund, Pippin. Elizabeth had two corgis, Holly and Willow, and two dorgi candy and Vulcan.
  

  Elizabeth with Corgis and Dorgis

• She had a flock of 200 pigeons, which were kept at her country estate of Sandringham.

• She had multiple exotic animals such as a crocodile, an elephant, two giant turtles, a jaguar, a pair of sloths, and more, which she received as a present from different countries all around the world. These animals are kept in a zoo in London.

• According to sources, all the dolphins and whales that reside in British waters were called the “fishes royal” because they were owned by her. All the swans that are unmarked and live in the waterways of Britain belonged to her.

• She was known for her love for horses, and on her 96th birthday, the Royal Windsor Horse Show released an image of Queen Elizabeth II holding the reins of two white ponies.
  

  British Queen Elizabeth II holds her Fell ponies, Bybeck Nightingale (right) and Bybeck Katie on the occasion of her 96th birthday

• Queen Elizabeth was gifted with a black RCMP Police Service Horse (PSH) mare named Burmese by Staff Sergeant Ralph Cave on 28 April 1969. The mare was presented to her during the Royal Windsor Horse Show, when Royal Canadian Mounted Police members came to the UK to perform at the show. From 1969 to 1986, the horse accompanied the Queen for the Trooping the Colour ceremony for 18 consecutive years. After retiring, Burmese was sent to live in the parks of Windsor Castle, where she died in 1990. Whenever the Queen was asked about her favourite horse, she would always name “Burmese.”
  

  Queen Elizabeth II riding on her horse Burmese

• Queen Elizabeth II never needed a passport to travel internationally, since all the British passports were issued in her name.

• Being the Queen of the UK, she was allowed to drive in the United Kingdom without a driving license or license plate on her vehicle, since all the driver’s licences in the UK were issued in her name.

• Whenever she travelled overseas, she always carried sugar candies (to prevent jet lag), a black outfit (in case she had to attend a funeral), around 30 outfits, and her own food and water.

• Every time before going out on a trip, she would pack her personal toilet paper, a blood supply of her matching blood group, and a defibrillator. ^[21]Insider

• According to her former chef Darren McGrady, the Queen had a sweet tooth, and “Bombe glacée royale” was her favourite dessert, which is made up of rich mint and chocolate ice cream. Every year, a chocolate-flavoured cake was made for her birthday.
  

  Queen Elizabeth II’s favourite dessert, Bombe glacée royale

• The Queen had a sophisticated selection of alcohol that she used to consume every day. She would start her day with a gin cocktail in the morning, a glass of wine with lunch, a dry martini in the evening, and a glass of champagne at night. In 2021, her personal doctors recommended her to stop consuming alcohol and start drinking water and juice.
  

  Queen Elizabeth II drinking alcohol at an event

• To wake her up every morning, while she stayed at Balmoral Castle, bagpipers used to be played outside her window for 15 minutes at 7:30 in the morning. ^[22]Parade

• The home of her maternal grandparents at 17 Bruton Street in London where Queen Elizabeth was born, it was later turned into a famous Cantonese restaurant called Hakkasan.

• Since the Queen was short in height, she used to wear vivid coloured clothes to be more visible in the crowd. She used to wear bright shades of blue, pink, yellow, green, and more.
  

  Queen in bright coloured dresses on different occasions

• Since 1989, the Queen had worn one selected shade of nail polish, which was a shade of palest pearly pink named Ballet Slippers by Essie. The price of this nail polish was just $7.

• The Queen always wore handmade shoes made by the footwear company Anello & Davide.

• The handbags carried by the queen, since the 1950s, were made by the luxurious brand Launer London. The types of handbags carried by the queen were the leather ‘Diva’ bag, the ‘Traviata,’ and also a custom-made one. ^[23]Newsweek
  

  Queen Elizabeth II with her signature handbag at St Mary’s Church in London

• Reportedly, the Queen used her handbag to send secret signals to her staff to save her from long conversations or boring meetings. If she would keep her bag on the table it meant she wanted the event to end in the next few minutes, and if she would place the bag on the ground, she then wanted someone to interrupt her ongoing conversation. ^[24]Insider

• According to sources, she always carried an ironed and folded bank note in her handbag for using it in the church; however, she never used cash since her face was imprinted on every note in more than 30 countries. Besides one bank note, she carried a small camera, a suction-mounted bag hook to hang her purse anywhere, a crossword clipped from a newspaper, mints, a spare pair of gloves, a mirror, pen, reading glasses, a handkerchief, her signature pink lipstick, by Elizabeth Arden or Clarins, and a cellphone for contacting her family members. ^[25]The New York Post

• She had a personal ATM at Buckingham Palace, which was provided to her by Coutts bank.

• Under the Sovereign Grant Act of 2011, the Queen was not legally liable to pay income tax, capital gains tax or inheritance tax. According to the royal family’s website, since 1993, the Queen had been paying taxes regularly by her choice.

• In 2004, she hosted the first all-women event at Buckingham Palace called ‘Women of Achievement.’ She invited Kate Moss, Charlotte Church, JK Rowling, Twiggy, and many other influential personalities.

• In 2012, a 007-centric skit was prepared for the opening ceremony of the London Olympics. Her resemblance was supposed to be used in the skit, but the Queen put forth her desire to appear in a cameo role in the skit with James Bond, played by the actor Daniel Craig. According to her hairdresser, Angela Kelly, the Queen recited her dialogue, “Good evening, Mr Bond,” perfectly. At the 2013 BAFTA, she was mentioned as “the most memorable Bond girl yet” for her special appearance in the skit.
  

• Multiple actors have portrayed the character of the Queen in more than 100 movies and TV shows.

• Reportedly, the Queen had a crush on the BBC meteorologist Tomasz Schafernaker, and she liked to watch him whenever he was on TV. ^[26]WION News

• The Queen had an interest in mimicry and was popular for her sense of humour. Talking about her mimicry, the Queen’s chaplain Bishop Michael Mann once praised her and said,
  

  The Queen imitating the Concorde landing is one of the funniest things you could see.” ^[27]Insider

• According to the Queen’s former security guard, she was once disguised as a local person in public, and a group of tourists, that was visiting the Balmoral Estate, did not recognise her and asked her whether she had met the Queen to which while pointing to a policeman standing nearby, she replied
  

  No, But he has.” ^[28]Insider

• The Queen could never be sued or compelled to provide evidence to the court. There is a statement on the official website of the royal family that read,
  

  Although civil and criminal proceedings cannot be taken against the Sovereign […] the Queen is careful to ensure that all her activities in her personal capacity are carried out in strict accordance with the law.” ^[29]Insider

• In 2022, Mattel, an American toy manufacturing and entertainment company, created a royal doll with Elizabeth’s image to celebrate her birthday and her accession of 70 years on the throne.
  

  A barbie doll with the image of Queen Elizabeth II

• A poet laureate appointed by the Queen, who is officially paid £5,750 (about $7,000) and also, a barrel of sherry. ^[30]Insider

• According to sources, the Queen did not like the words ‘pregnancy.’ She wanted people to use ‘in the family way,’ which is an old-fashioned phrase. She never talked about her pregnancies publicly and kept herself concealed under loose-fitting blouses and boxy coats. In 1948, when King Charles was about to be born, Buckingham Palace made an announcement, a few months before his birth, that read,
  

  Her Royal Highness Princess Elizabeth will undertake no public engagements after the end of June.” ^[31]Instagram- The Times of India

• In June 1981, when the queen was riding on her horse Burmese down The Mall road in London, during the Trooping of the Colour ceremony, Marcus Sarjeant, a 17-year-old boy fired blank shots at her; however, nobody was injured, including the Queen. Marcus was later charged guilty and was sent to prison for 5 years. According to Lord Chief Justice Lane, this killing attempt was considered a “fantasy assassination.” ^[32]BBC News
  

  A picture of the newspaper in which the news of Marcus Sarjeant shooting at the Queen was published

• On 14 October 1981, during the Royal parade in Dunedin, New Zealand, a 17-year-old boy named Christopher John Lewis attempted to assassinate the Queen with a .22 long rifle, but he missed his shot. He was later sent to prison for 3 years for keeping and using the arm illegally, but he was never charged with a murder attempt. He committed suicide on 23 September 1997 in his prison cell at Mt Eden prison in Auckland, New Zealand. ^[33]The Sydney Morning Herald
  

  Christopher John Lewis at a court in Auckland, New Zealand

• In 1988, she sued The Sun, a British tabloid newspaper, for breach of privacy, when they published the photo of Sarah, Duchess of York and her daughter, Princess Beatrice, without authorization, which was going to be printed on the Christmas card. Again, in 1993, the paper created a controversy, when it published a leaked text from the Queen’s Christmas broadcast in the newspaper. The Queen prosecuted the newspaper for the second time when £200,000 were paid to a charity by the newspaper for an out-of-court settlement with the royal family. ^[34]BBC News

• In 2003, the Queen sued the Daily Mirror, when a reporter named Ryan Parry posed as a footman, which is a male domestic worker, at Buckingham Palace for two months to retrieve personal information about the royal family. The Queen demanded legal costs for the settlement. The tabloid paid £25,000 for invasion of privacy. ^[35]The Guardian

• The Queen had keyhole surgery on both knees in 2003.

• She had a strained back muscle problem in October 2006 due to which she had to cancel her appearance at the opening ceremony of the new Emirates Stadium in October 2006 in Holloway, London, England.

• On 3 March 2013 she stayed for one night at King Edward VII’s Hospital due to the symptoms of gastroenteritis.

• In May 2018, she had cataract surgery.

• In 2022, the Queen tested positive for COVID-19 along with some family members and staff members. She did not attend any personal or virtual engagements with anyone, but due to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine at that time, she had a telephonic conversation with the then Prime Minister of the UK, Boris Johnson.

• When Queen Elizabeth II died on 8 September 2022 at Balmoral Castle, Aberdeenshire in Scotland, her funeral plan was named “Operation London Bridge,” and since she died in Scotland, another name was given to her funeral plan, “Operation Unicorn.” Her funeral took place at Westminster Abbey at 11 am (BST) on 19 September 2022. On the evening of 19 September, in the presence of private family members, she was buried with her late husband, Prince Philip, at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, part of St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. ^[36]BBC News
  

  A photo of the funeral Procession of Queen Elizabeth II

• Some of the awards that are named after Queen Elizabeth II include Queen Elizabeth Stakes (ATC) and Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, Queen Elizabeth II Cup and Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup in Hong Kong, Queen Elizabeth II Cup, Royal Calcutta Turf Club in India, Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes in the USA, and more.
  

  Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup, Hong Kong

• There are many geographical locations that are named after the Queen such as Queen Elizabeth II island in Australia, Queen Elizabeth park in New South Wales, Queen Elizabeth II gardens in Canada, Villa Reina Isabel II in Chile, Queenstown in Singapore, Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda, and more.
  

  Queen Elizabeth II island in Australia

• There are multiple buildings that are named after Queen Elizabeth II; some of them are Queen Elizabeth II Hall at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology (KNUST) in Ghana, Queen Elizabeth Stadium in Hong Kong, Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre & Memorial Hall in New Zealand, Princess Elizabeth Centre, Port of Spain in Trinidad and Tobago, and more.
  

  Queen Elizabeth Stadium in Hong Kong

• Several famous monuments are named after the Queen. Some of them include a statue of Queen Elizabeth II at Government House in South Australia, a statue of Queen Elizabeth II on her horse Burmese in Canada, a portrait bust of a young crowned Queen Elizabeth II in Papua New Guinea, a high relief portrait with Dedication Speech on the Bicentennial Bell Memorial Wall in Philadelphia, United States, and more.
  

  Bronze statue of Queen Elizabeth II riding her horse Burmese at Wascana Centre in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

• In September 2023, five former metropolitan officers were convicted by a court in London for making racist slurs/remarks against Queen Elizabeth II, Rishi Sunak, and others. Reportedly, they sent racist messages on WhatsApp between 2020 and 2022. ^[37]India Today