On the centenary of the birth of Elizabeth II, here are 100 things you might not know about Britain’s most historic Queen

The longest reigning Monarch in British history was born 100 years ago today. Queen Elizabeth II arrived on April 21 1926 in London, third in line to the throne. Her epic reign began on February 6 1952 and ended on September 8 2022. And in between, she made history and changed the Monarchy forever. On the centenary of the birth of Queen Elizabeth II, here are 100 things you might not know about Britain’s most famous ruler.

1. As a teenager, the then Princess Elizabeth, and her sister Princess Margaret, would act out and perform a number of pantomimes during the Second World War.
2. The wax museum Madame Tussauds have displayed 23 different life-size models of Her Late Majesty to date.
3. Queen Elizabeth II spoke fluent French, and often used the language when she hosted audiences and attended state visits. She did not require an interpreter, as was seen when she visited France in 2014 for the D-Day 70th anniversary.
4. The birthplace of Queen Elizabeth II, formerly a house in Mayfair, is now a Michelin star Cantonese restaurant calledHakkasan.
5. Elizabeth II was a keen traveller, and visited Australia 16 times, Canada 22 times, New Zealand 10 times and Jamaica 6 times.
6. Queen Elizabeth II was well known for her love of corgis, having received her first one as an 18th birthday present named Susan.
7. Queen Elizabeth II once invented a new breed of dog called the ‘dorgi’ after she mated her pet corgi with one of Princess Margaret’s dachshunds. The dorgi was named Chipper, however, he was killed after The Queen Mother’s dog attacked him.
8. On the topic of dogs, Her Late Majesty once demoted a royal footman after it was discovered he had been getting the corgis drunk by adding whisky and gin to their food and water.
9. The Late Queen never held a driving licence.
10. Elizabeth II received so many aquamarines as gifts from the people of Brazil that she was able to create a new parure of jewels from them and the tiara in it has only ever been worn by her.
11. Her first solo public engagement was on her 16th birthday as she inspected the Grenadier Guards.
12. Her Late Majesty sent her first email from an army base in 1976, and her first tweet in 2014 at the London Science Museum.
13. The Queen enjoyed Scottish country dancing and every year hosted a dance known as the Gillies’ Balls for castle staff and locals when she stayed at Balmoral Castle.
14. In her early years, Elizabeth and Princess Margaret were educated from home.
15. The Late Queen used to own two sloths after being gifted them during a state visit to Brazil in 1968.
16. The Late Queen visited 117 countries – that is two-thirds of all the countries on the planet!
17. Elizabeth II’s first incoming State Visit was in 1954 when she hosted King Gustav VI Adolf and Queen Louise of Sweden. Her last, the 112th of her reign, saw her welcome US President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, to Buckingham Palace.
18. The tiara she wore on her wedding day broke and had to be mended, only making it to the bride with moments to spare.
19. She won over 1,600 races making her one of the most successful racehorse owners in history. She also won every one of the five British Classic Races, many multiple times, but never won the Epsom Derby.
20. The Queen and Prince Philip were married for 73 years, the longest union of any British monarch and consort.
21. Her Majesty gave Royal Assent to more than 4,000 Acts of Parliament.
22. During Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, fifteen Prime Ministers were in office: Winston Churchill, Anthony Eden, Harold Macmillan, Alec Douglas-Holme, Harold Wilson, Ted Heath, James Callaghan, Margaret Thatcher, John Major, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss.
23. During her reign, fourteen Presidents have been in office: Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John F Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden.
24. Her Late Majesty attended 39 Royal Variety performances.
25. She sent over 175,000 telegrams sent to people celebrating their 100th birthday in the UK and the Commonwealth
26. In 2000, she sent her mother, Queen Elizabeth, a telegram to mark her 100th birthday.
27. Queen Elizabeth II’s ‘annus horribilis’ year was back in 1992 when a fire broke out in Windsor Castle, and the marriages of three of her children – Charles, Anne and Andrew – broke down.
28. There were seven Archbishops of Canterbury during The Queen’s reign: Geoffrey Fisher, Michael Ramsey, Donald Coggan, Robert Runcie, George Carey, Rowan Williams and Justin Welby
29. Her Late Majesty sat for over 130 official portraits. Her first one was in 1933 when she was just seven-years-old.
30. She was the oldest monarch to have celebrated a Golden Jubilee (in 2002 at the age of 76) and a Diamond Jubilee (in 2012 at the age of 86).
31. She has broadcast a Christmas message every year since her coronation in 1952, except in 1969 when a documentary called ‘Royal Family’ aired instead.
32. The documentary ‘Royal Family’ followed the Queen and gave the audience an insight into her private life. It was watched by around three-quarters of the population at the time.
33. Queen Elizabeth II was the first member of the Royal Family to be awarded with a gold disc from the recording industry. This happened after 100,000 copies of the CD of the ‘Party at the Palace’ were sold during the first week of release.
34. She visited the sets of many popular TV shows including Eastenders, Coronation Street and Game of Thrones.
35. In Maori language, Queen Elizabeth II was known by the term ‘Kotuku’, which translates as ‘the white heron’ in English.
36. In Papua New Guinea she was referred to in the pidgin language of Tok Pisin as ‘Missus Kwin’ which translates to ‘Mama belong big family’ in English.
37. Queen Elizabeth II took taken the royal salute in every Trooping the Colour ceremony since her reign began, except in 1955 when the event was cancelled and 2022 when she instead took a later salute from the balcony of Buckin
38. The first football match the Queen attended was the 1953 FA Cup Final.
39. At the 2009’s G20 summit, Her Late Majesty was seen to be unimpressed with Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, after he shouted for “Mr Obama!” The Queen was heard to ask: “What is it? Why does he have to shout?”
40. According to Queen Elizabeth II’s cousin, Margaret Rhodes, every day she enjoyed a gin and Dubonnet before lunch, with a slice of lemon and a lot of ice. With her lunch, she would drink a dry Martini and to finish the day off, she would relax with a glass of champagne in the evening. By the UK government’s standards, this would officially have made Her Late Majesty a binge drinker, having consumed six units of alcohol per day.
41. There were seven Popes during The Queen’s reign (Pius XII, John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul I, John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis).
42. She was Monarch of 15 of the 54 member states in the Commonwealth of Nations by the end of her reign.
43. In her reign, the Queen lost more land than any other British monarch.
44. The Queen had to collect clothing coupons for her wedding dress when she married Prince Philip in 1947. This was because of the clothes rationing during the war.
45. The couple’s wedding cake was made using ingredients given to them as a wedding present by Australian Girl Guides.
46. The Queen and Prince Philip were caught in 1954 during a tour of Australia having a huge row. Prince Philip reportedly tried to get away, but HM threw a pair of tennis shoes and a racquet after him. An enraged Queen then screamed at him to stop running and ordering him back.
47. Her Late Majesty did not need a passport to travel because all British passports are issued in the Monarch’s name, meaning she didn’t need one to travel herself.
48. Queen Elizabeth II was the only female member of the British royal family to serve in World War Two after joining the Women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service when she was 18.
49. During her time in the Territorial Service, she learned how to drive a military truck as well as training to be a mechanic.
50. One of the most famous moments of her reign was when she starred in a James Bond special made for the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games. In the clip she was seen working in Buckingham Palace before getting into a helicopter with Mr Bond.
51. To mark her Platinum Jubilee in 2022, Queen Elizabeth II invited Paddington to tea, again surprising the watching millions with an unexpected skit.
52. According to her grandsons – Prince William and Prince Harry – Queen Elizabeth turned to hysterics during one Christmas Dinner after her 100 year old mother did an Ali G impression at the table, mimicking the fictional character after spotting him on the television.
53. Queen Elizabeth II had nine royal thrones, one at the House of Lords, two at Westminster Abbey and six in the throne room at Buckingham Palace.
54. The Late Queen gave her corgis some rubber boots to protect their paws from the Buckingham Palace gravel.
55. In 1991, Her Late Majesty injured her hand trying to break up a fight between up to 10 of the dogs.
56. In 2003, The Queen took a footman to court after it turned out he was an undercover journalist. Her Majesty won the case, and an injunction was put in place preventing any information the journalist gathered from being published.
57. The Late Queen purposely wore bright colours so members of the public could easily spot her in a crowd.
58. She and Prince Philip became secretly engaged in 1946. They didn’t make the news public until the following year when she turned 21.
59. Elizabeth first met Philip for the first time when she was just eight years old at a wedding.
60. The Queen’s Coronation was watched by 20 million people across the UK
61. Her Majesty only ever missed the State Opening of Parliament three times – twice when she was pregnant and in 2022 when her heir, Charles, read the Speech from the Throne after travelling to the House of Lords with Prince William. Both men were required to be present as they were acting as Counsellors of State and two people must always exercise that role at the same time.
62. The Late Queen very rarely attended public funerals. Some of the few she attended included Sir Winston Churchill and Lady Thatcher.
63. The Queen was the first British Monarch to travel to the Middle East.
64. She was also the first British Monarch to visit China.
65. Windsor Castle caught ablaze in 1992 causing damage to 100 rooms, with renovations costing £340 million.
66. In a television documentary, it was revealed that Prince George referred to his great grandmother as ‘Gan Gan’ when he was a youngster.
67. She was given the service number 230873 in the Women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS).
68. The Late Queen reportedly cried all the way through her Christening service in 1926, although, she was only a month old.
69. When she toured Australia in 1953, it was estimated that around three-quarters of the population got to see her.
70. The Late Queen had 30 godchildren.
71. In 1992, Her Majesty sued The Sun Newspaper for breach of copyright after they published her Christmas Broadcast two days before it was scheduled to go out.
72. The Late Queen was the recipient of an honorary Bafta in recognition of her patronage of the Film and Television Industries.
73. At the 1981 Trooping the Colour, Her Majesty was shot at six times. Luckily the perpetrator only fired blanks.
74. Marcus Sarjeant, the person who fired the blanks at The Queen, was the last person to be prosecuted under the Treason Act 1842.
75. In November 2017, The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary, the first Monarch and consort to reach that milestone.
76. When Her Majesty ascended the throne in 1952, a pint of milk cost 2 pence. In 2016, a pint of milk now costs 50 pence.
77. Queen Elizabeth II is the 40th monarch since William the Conqueror obtained the crown of England.
78. The Queen’s full title in the United Kingdom was: Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and of her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.
79. Her Majesty was five feet four inches tall.
80. The Late Queen controversially chose not to wear a riding hat. She was often seen wearing only a headscarf on her head.
81. Her Majesty conducted over 660 Investitures since 1952.
82. Around 1.1 million people attended royal garden parties during her 70 year reign.
83. The Queen became the first reigning monarch to have a child since Queen Victoria.
84. Her favourite cake was honey and cream sponge.
85. Great British Bake Off winner, Nadiya Hussain, baked The Queen’s 90th birthday cake.
86. In total, HM posed for 139 official portraits in her lifetime.
87. The Late Queen’s first ever radio broadcast was back in 1940 where she made a message of support to children affected by the Second World War.
88. Every morning, Her Majesty was presented with breakfast which is made up of cornflakes and porridge oats in Tupperware containers, yoghurt and two varieties of marmalade.
89. In 2004, the cast of Les Misérables was invited by The Late Queen to perform for the French President at Windsor Castle. This marked the first time a West End musical had performed at a royal residence.
90. Her Majesty always loved the Epsom Derby, and it was said to be the first event she writes on her calendar each year.
91. The Late Queen was said to be a fan of the BBC quiz show Pointless and regularly settled down in the evening to watch the programme hosted by Alexander Armstrong and Richard Osman.
92. Her Late Majesty stopped breeding corgis due to her advancing age, although she still kept dogs as pets and owns two dorgis.
93. Queen Elizabeth II surprised everyone by speaking Irish at the start of her State Banquet speech during her State Visit to Ireland in 2011 with the then President, Mary McAleese, responding with a stunned ‘wow’ as the words were pronounced.
94. The Monarch only ever made five addresses to the nation outside of her annual Christmas broadcast, most recently in April 2020.
95. Elizabeth II’ first met her first Prime Minister, WInston Churchill, as a child – he pronounced the two year old to be ”a character”.
96. Elizabeth was heiress presumptive to the throne rather than heir apparent and would have been overtaken by a younger brother if her parents had had one. As a female heir she could not be given the title of Princess of Wales and she never became Duchess of Cornwall, the usual title for the heir to the English throne.
97. Queen Elizabeth II carried out the first royal walkabout during her tour to Australia in 1970.
98. Elizabeth II had a great, great, great grandmother called Hyacinthe.
99. Queen Elizabeth II died at 3.10pm on September 8 2022, bringing to an end the longest reign in British history. She was 96 years old.