Interesting facts about Queen Elizabeth II – what you don’t know about her!

Elizabeth II is the longest reigning Queen of the United Kingdom and the longest living head of state in the world. She turned 93 years old this year!

She holds the office of Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as well as 15 other countries that have Commonwealth realm status. She is considered by most British people to be warm, non-confrontational and well known, most citizens want her to rule until her death. Here are some interesting facts about Elizabeth II that not everyone knows.

15 interesting facts about Queen Elizabeth II

1. Queen Elizabeth’s full name is Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor. She was born in 1926 at 17 Bruton Street in London. Her parents were Prince Albert, Duke of York, and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, known as the Queen Mother after her death

2. The Queen was born on April 21, but in Britain her birthday is celebrated on June 11. The British pay a lot of attention to the weather, and in April it is simply unfavorable.

3. The names that Elizabeth II bears belong to the closest members of her family. She received the first one from her mother, the second from her great-grandmother, and the third from her grandmother. When she was a child, she was commonly called “Lilibet”

4. Queen Elizabeth II had a 4 year younger sister named Margaret. She was her complete opposite, and was hailed as the first celebrity in England. She was not interested in good behavior or conventions. She loved romance, which was constantly reported in the English media.

5. Elizabeth II received a proper education because her mother made an exception for her. Teachers from Oxford and Eton came to their palace. She never went to school herself. The queen had lessons in history, law, and mathematics. Her mother denied the same education to her younger sister

6. When World War II broke out, after Buckingham Castle was bombed, Elizabeth and her sister went to live in the south of England at Windsor. There they engaged in digging trenches in a nearby park

7. In 1940, the then fourteen-year-old Elizabeth II made her first public appearance on the BBC’s Children’s Hour program

8. Queen Elizabeth II met her husband in 1939. They became engaged in 1946. Philip at the time was a young German-Danish officer, the son of Prince Andrew of Greece and Alice Battenberg. The couple met at the Naval Academy at Dartmouth, where the princess went with her siblings and parents. Prince Philip was their guide and protector. They wrote to each other regularly during the war, and they married in 1947

9. The official title of the Queen is “Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of her other Kingdoms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.” As we can see, this is not a short title, which is why it is so rarely used in its entirety.

10. The Queen’s purse serves not only a decorative function. By means of it she also communicates with her servants. It allows her to leave meetings in a quick manner. What does it consist in? For example, the Queen places her purse on the table. In this way she signals to the staff that the party is to end in a few minutes

11. The Queen has her own ATM at her estate. It is operated by one of the most prestigious banks in the UK called Coutts

12. The Queen has completed training in mechanics and is familiar with trucks. During World War II, she served her apprenticeship in the Women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service. She gained recognition and sympathy when she drove a truck through the streets of Buckingham during World War II.

13. Elizabeth may never have come to the throne because she was only 3rd in line. Ahead of her were her uncle Edward and the Duke of York, George – her father. As a result of a misalliance, her uncle Edward VIII resigned from the throne – he had an affair with an American woman Wallis Simpson. Her father, in turn, died when she was 26.

14. In addition to Charles, Prince of Wales, Queen Elizabeth has three other children. They are Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward

15. Queen Elizabeth II was the first in history to open two Olympics in different countries. One in Montreal (1976) and the other in London (2012). In addition, she has ruled for so long that 4 out of 5 English citizens are younger than her

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