10 FUN FACTS ABOUT QUEEN ELIZABETH II

1. Queen Elizabeth II was born at 2.40am on 21 April 1926

To parents the Duke and Duchess of York, who later became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother).

2. She was crowned Queen on 2 June 1953

Watched by a TV audience of 20 million people. Her reign ended on 8 September 2022, when she passed away peacefully at Balmoral Castle, Scotland.

3. She was the longest reigning monarch ever in Britain

Beating even Queen Victoria (her great-great-grandma!).

4. As Queen, she was served by 15 UK Prime Ministers

Including Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher and more recently, Boris Johnson.

5. Her favourite dogs were corgis

She even invented a new breed of dog when her corgi mated with a dachshund belonging to her sister, Princess Margaret, creating the “dorgi.”

6. She was the only person in

the UK allowed to drive without a licence

And she kept driving even in her later years!

7. Queen Elizabeth II had two birthdays

Her actual birthday – 21 April – and her official birthday, which was held on a Saturday in June – when the weather’s better!

8. Queen Elizabeth II first sent an email in 1976

… and published her first Instagram post in 2019!

9. She had many hobbies

Including horse riding, pigeon racing and football – she was an Arsenal supporter!

10. Even the monarch went undercover sometimes…

On a recent low-key trip to Scotland, she met some American tourists while walking. When the tourists asked if she lived locally, she mentioned that she had a house nearby, and when asked if she’d ever met the Queen she simply pointed at her security guard and said, “No, but he has!”