Queen Elizabeth II was the longest reigning monarch in British history, with over 70 years on the throne and living a long life of 96 years. Here are some facts about Her Majesty you probably didn’t know about.
1. Her actual birthday was April 21 but she celebrated a second birthday in June because royal birthdays are celebrated twice if they don’t naturally fall in the summer.
2. Her first dog was called Susan.
3. Prince George called her “Gan Gan” which is all kinds of adorable.
4. She has owned over 30 corgis in her lifetime.
5. She had to save up ration coupons to pay for the materials to make her wedding dress. We could all learn a thing or two from thrifty Liz.
6. On her 80th birthday she invited a bunch of guests who were also turning 80 to Buckingham Palace for a party.
7. She spoke fluent French.
8. She bred the first ever Dorgi (Daschund x Corgi) and we all need one asap.
9. She didn’t need a license to drive a car.
10. Or a passport to travel.
11. Whales, dolphins, porpoises and sturgeons were considered property of the Queen if they were caught within 3 miles of the UK coast.
12. Someone played the bagpipes outside her bedroom window at 9am every weekday — essentially acting as a human alarm clock.
13. In 1982, an intruder managed to break into Buckingham Palace and entered the Queen’s bedroom. They had a 10 minute conversation before she called security.
14. She drove a truck and trained as a mechanic during WWII.
15. In his role as Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage was the Queen’s personal poet. Yes, personal poet.
16. She technically owned every unmarked swan that swam along Britain’s waterways.
17. Brazil gave her some sloths once.