Last Updated on 21. April 2019

How much do you know about Queen Elizabeth II? How many of the following 35 facts are new to you? Test your knowledge!

• The Queen has two birthdays each year! On the 21st of April (the day she was born) she tends to celebrate with her closest family only. On a weeked in June the military parade „Trooping the Colour“ takes place which is her public birthday.

• The favourite tea of her Majesty is the Earl Grey from Twinings. Tea is served with a splash of milk and without sugar.

• The Queen is a huge animal lover and a succesfull breeder of horses. She breeds Shetland Ponies, Fell Ponies (a working horse from the North of England) and Highland Ponies (a Scotish breed)
• The Queen loves Corgis. They are her favourite dogs. She had her first corgi when she was 18. Unfortunately, she had to say good-bye to her dearest dog Willow in April 2018. Being 15 years old, he shouldn’t suffer any longer from cancer. He was the last of her Corgis. She still owns several  Dorgis – a Corgi-Dachshund mix.

• She had a performance with James Bond when opening the Olympic Games in 2012. Have you seen the Youtube Video?
• The life of the Queen has been used in several films. Helen Mirren even received an Oscar for her performance of playing the Queen.
• Only unclaimed mute swan in open water belong officially to the Queen. Some people think that all swans belong to her. Like little Lyndsay, who asked in a letter to Buckingham Palace whether she could borrow some.

• Colourful nails are an absolute no-go. She personally has used the same nail polish for over 25 years: „Ballet slippers“ from  Essie.
• She also doesn’t like the board game Monopoly. The Royal Family is not allowed to play it.
• Most castles and palaces which are used by the Queen herself or her family, belong to the British Crown. Exception is Balmoral Castle which she owns.
• The Queen is the only person in the United Kingdom who would be allowed to drive a car without a driving licence.  However, as she was trained as a mechanic during WWII she has a driving licence.
• The whole Royal Family could vote in theory. In reality everyone wants to react as politically neutral. Therefore, nobody votes.
• Elizabeth II is fluent in French. As a child she was trained by a French gouvernante together with her sister Margaret.
• She is the only monarch who has opened Buckingham Palace to the public. Since 1993 visitors can visit the State Rooms during the summer months when the Queen spends her time in Balmoral. Reason for opening the Palace was the fire of 1992 that had destroyed parts of Windsor Castle. Money was needed to pay for the repairs.

• Whales, sturgeons, porpoises and dolphins that live around the Island are “Fishes Royal“ and belong to the Queen.
• The Royal feet fit into shoes with size 4.
• Her shoes are all tailor-made by “Anello & Davide“. The design hasn’t changed in decades. The Queen always has several pairs of shoes in different colours in her closet.
• The Queen enjoys a small Gin with a slice of lemon and lots of ice. During lunch she prefers wine. In the evening she enjoys a dry Martini and a glass of Champagne.
• When it rains, the Queen walks under a transparent umbrella so that her people can still see her. Did you know that the edges of the umbrella always match the colour of her dress? No? Well, here is proof. The umbrellas are manufactured in the East of London by a company called “Fulton”. Makes sense that they are Royal Warrants, doesn’t it? But – even as a non-Royal you can buy your umbrella in their shop. Prices start at 20 pounds.
• The Royal eye-colour is blue.
• Her hobbies are not only horses, dogs and photography but also ”Scottish country dancing”. Each year she invites neighbours, employers and members of the community to her “Gillies’ Balls” at Balmoral Castle.
• So far, the Queen has seen 12 Prime Minister. Number 13, Theresa May, has been a Prime Minister since 2016.
• Her handbag sends secret messages to her staff. Bag on the table > this meeting has to end in the next minutes. Bag on the floor > she wants to be rescued by her Lady-in-waiting asap.
• The handbag is a Launer Traviata. Some say that the Queen owns more than 200. Inside the bag there is a small mirror, her lipstick and a 5 pounds note to be donated during church service.
• The Royal Collection has over 150,000 paintings. Most of them are pretty old and valuable, e.g. the pieces by Rembrandt, Titian and Raphael.
• A red box with a golden crown contains her daily letters from the Prime Minister and other important notes from Parliament.
• The 11th of November is Remembrance Day when people remember and honour those who died during the World Wars. Each year, the Queen puts down a wreath at the Cenotaph in Whitehall. The only exceptions were in 1959, 1961, 1963, 1968, 1983 and 1999 when she was either pregnant or on a trip outside the UK.

• She is head of over 600 charities.
• The Queen loved to travel often and far away. Her favourite destination has been Canada which she has visited nearly 30 times.
• Hardly anyone is allowed to touch the Queen. Anything which is more than a formal handshake is against protocoll.
• The favourite royal accessoire is a scarf. She likes to wear them when riding or walking the dogs. Elizabeth II is especially fond of the scarfs by Hermes.
• At the end of 2018 the new Elizabeth Line will open in London. The rest of the line will follow in 2019.
• Should you ever meet the Queen in real life, stick to the following rules: The correct way to address her is by “Your Majesty“, in the later conversation a „Ma’am“ will do.
• From 1949 to 1951 she lived in Malta with her newly-wed husband Philip who was working there as a Marine offizier.
• During her reign many animals were given to the Queen. Some of them were horses, some were quite exotic and wild creatures. As they cannot live at Buckingham Palace, the animals are given to the London Zoo. There are pygmy hippos, crocodiles, sloths, kangaroos and an elephant.

We are at the end of our 35 facts about the Queen. Did you learn something new? Have you heard of other things which could add to this list? If so, please leave a comment under this post.

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