10 THINGS YOU PROBABLY DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT QUEEN ELIZABETH II
From being fluent in French to learning how to drive while serving in World War II, here are ten interesting facts you probably didn’t know about Queen Elizabeth II, who, until her death, was perhaps the most famous monarch in the world.
The Queen didn’t need a driver’s license, a license plate, or a passport
Since all British passports are issued in her name, she didn’t need or have one. She also doesn’t require a driver’s license or a license plate on her car.
Her nickname was “Lilibet”.
When she was young, she got the nickname “Lilibet” because she couldn’t pronounce her name. King George VI used to talk about his daughters, saying, “Lilibet is my pride. Margaret is my joy.”
She studied Constitutional History and Law
The Queen was tutored at home by Britain’s best tutors. She studied constitutional history and law as preparation for her future role and took lessons in religion from the Archbishop of Canterbury.
She first met her husband, Prince Philip, when she was eight
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip met officially in 1934 at the wedding of Princess Marina of Greece and Prince George, Duke of Kent.
Her husband, Prince Philip, is also her third cousin
The Queen and her husband, Prince Philip, are technically third cousins through Queen Victoria. Prince Philip is related to Victoria through his maternal side and Queen Elizabeth through her paternal side. Elizabeth and Philip are third cousins through Queen Victoria of Britain, as she was both of their greatgreat-grandmothers.
She learnt how to drive in 1945
The Queen learned how to drive during her time in the army.
She spoke fluent French
Queen Elizabeth II learnt to speak French at a young age from French and Belgian governesses. She often speaks in the country’s language when visiting.
She woke up to a bagpiper every morning
The Queen doesn’t use an alarm clock. Her bagpiper served as one. She was woken up to him playing outside her window for 15 minutes every morning at 9 am.
She celebrated her birthday twice a year
The Queen’s birthday was April 21, but the country doesn’t officially celebrate until June 11. Monarchs with birthdays in colder months typically schedule an additional, official birthday when the weather is likely to be better for a parade. Elizabeth had one every June called Trooping the Colour.
She reportedly wore the same nail polish since 1989
The Queen wore only Essie’s classic pale pink polish Ballet Slipper.
The brand says that, in 1989, her hairdresser wrote a letter to nail polishmogul Essie Weingarten requesting a bottle of the classic shade. The Queen refused to wear any other colour since then.