{"id":63934,"date":"2022-09-08T18:28:40","date_gmt":"2022-09-08T18:28:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/?post_type=articles&p=63934"},"modified":"2022-09-08T18:28:40","modified_gmt":"2022-09-08T18:28:40","slug":"20-things-you-didnt-know-about-queen-elizabeth-ii","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/20-things-you-didnt-know-about-queen-elizabeth-ii\/","title":{"rendered":"20 Things You Didn’t Know About Queen Elizabeth II"},"content":{"rendered":"
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LONDON, ENGLAND – JUNE 02: Queen Elizabeth II watches from the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the Trooping the Colour parade the Trooping the Colour parade on June 2, 2022 in London, England. Trooping The Colour, also known as The Queen’s Birthday Parade, is a military ceremony performed by regiments of the British Army that has taken place since the mid-17th century. It marks the official birthday of the British Sovereign. This year, from June 2 to June 5, 2022, there is the added celebration of the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II in the UK and Commonwealth to mark the 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne on 6 February 1952. (Photo by Jonathan Brady – WPA Pool\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Queen Elizabeth II<\/a> died on Thursday, Sept. 8 at 96 years old after becoming the longest-reigning British monarch. The news came after Buckingham Palace announced that she was put on medical supervision<\/a> early Thursday. As the world mourns her death, and Prince Charles succeeds to the throne, we’re honoring the Queen’s legacy by looking back at her long life \u2014 and the immense talents, fascinations and gifts she possessed.<\/p>\n

Read on for 20 facts you may not have known about the beloved monarch.<\/p>\n

1. Her Majesty is fluent in French and often speaks the language for audiences and at state visits \u2014 without the need for an interpreter.<\/p>\n

2. During her reign, the queen has received more than 3.5 million letters \u2014 and counting. Talk about a full inbox!<\/p>\n

3. She\u2019s bestowed some 404,500 honors and awards.<\/p>\n

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Crown Princess Elizabeth of Great Britain, later Queen Elizabeth II, with her pony, at age 10.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

4. From the British Red Cross to regiments in the Armed Forces, Elizabeth is patron to more than 600 charities and organizations.<\/p>\n

5. The monarch has made 260- plus official overseas visits to 116 countries around the world.<\/p>\n

6. In an average year, Elizabeth hosts more than 50,000 people at various banquets, lunches, dinners, receptions and garden parties at Buckingham Palace.<\/p>\n

7. Her Majesty has launched more than 20 ships. The first was the battleship HMS Vanguard in 1944, and the most recent was her namesake aircraft carrier, the HMS Queen Elizabeth, in December 2017.<\/p>\n

8. The sovereign has given out approximately 90,000 Christmas puddings to staff. How sweet!<\/p>\n

9. Ever since her father, King George VI, gave her a Brownie box camera, Elizabeth has been a keen photographer and loves taking pictures of her family.<\/p>\n

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Princess Elizabeth with Philip Mountbatten on their wedding day, 20th November 1947. (Photo by Topical Press Agency\/Hulton Archive\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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10. She\u2019s sat for over 130 official portraits, including a 3-D holographic image created in 2003 in honor of the island of Jersey\u2019s 800- year allegiance to the English throne.<\/p>\n

11. She sent a message of congratulations to the Apollo 11 astronauts for the first moon landing in 1969, which was later deposited there in a metal container.<\/p>\n

12. Her first horse was a Shetland pony named Peggy. The avid equestrian now has some two dozen racehorses in training each season.<\/p>\n

13. Her Majesty once demoted a footman and cut his salary for giving her corgis whiskey!<\/p>\n

14. In addition to lace-trimmed pillows and its own chefs, the luxurious nine-carriage Royal Train comes with a hard-and-fast rule \u2014 no bumpy tracks while the queen is taking her 7:30 a.m. bath!<\/p>\n

15. There\u2019s a private ATM (only for royals!) she could use at Buckingham Palace \u2014 but what on earth would she use the pounds and pence for?<\/p>\n

16. There have been 23 wax figures of the queen at Madame Tussauds in London. The first was of a 2-year-old Princess Elizabeth in 1928.<\/p>\n

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Princess Elizabeth, the future Queen Elizabeth II, in the state apartments at Buckingham Palace during her engagement to Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, July 1947. (Photo by Hulton Archive\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

17. She reportedly loves to indulge in a glass of champagne each night before bed.<\/p>\n

18. In 2015, the queen purchased a $7.9 million, 3,000-square-foot apartment near the U.N. headquarters in New York City.<\/p>\n

19. The monarch has a talent for mimicry and can imitate the sound of a Concorde jet landing.<\/p>\n

20. She\u2019s a fan of Downton Abbey<\/em> and loves to \u201cpick out the mistakes.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":33012,"featured_media":63944,"template":"","format":"standard","categories":[23,38,16],"yoast_head":"\n20 Things You Didn't Know About Queen Elizabeth II<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In honor of Queen Elizabeth II, we're looking back at her extraordinary life and remembering the immense talents and gifts she possessed\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/20-things-you-didnt-know-about-queen-elizabeth-ii\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"20 Things You Didn't Know About Queen Elizabeth II\" \/>\n<meta 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