Odd and wonderful things named after Queen Elizabeth

Cakes, canals, and roses are some of the odder things named after Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen’s name appears across the United Kingdom and even in places such as Zimbabwe, Hong Kong, and Malaysia. We’ll be exploring several of the unique and wonderful things named after the Queen such as Coronation chicken, the Elizabeth Rose, and the Queen’s Bedroom in the White House.

While preparing for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II’s banquet Constance Spry, a florist, and food writer, came up with the idea. The recipe combines cold chicken, cream sauce, and several herbs and spices. The recipe may have been inspired by Jubilee Chicken, which was first devised in 1935 for King George V’s silver jubilee.

T.Kiya, Flickr CC BY-SA 2.0)

The Queen Elizabeth Rose is a flower quite literally created for a Queen. This beautifully elegant and regal rose was bred specially to mark the Queen’s coronation by Walter Lamerts. This rose is so grand that it has won eight awards.

Public Domain

The Queen’s bedroom, a Federal style decorated room, is named so for the many royal guests it has hosted. Royal visitors to the Queen’s Bedroom include the queens of the Netherlands, Norway, and of course Great Britain. The room is also the room Winston Churchill stayed in when he visited President Roosevelt and President Truman before and after World War 2. Mamie Eisenhower, the wife of Dwight D. Eisenhower, thought that the Queen’s bedroom should only be used for Queen’s and other stately guests.

The oddest thing which was nearly named after Queen Elizabeth is the Loch Ness Monster. Scientist Sir Peter Scott wrote to the royal family in the 1960s and offered to name the “mythical” creature ‘Elizabethia Nessiae’ in a bid to boost the profile of the monster. The then assistant private secretary said that The Queen was “very interested” in the contents of the letter but that it would be “most regrettable” to connect Her Majesty to something that could turn out to be a hoax. The private secretary also said that it would not be “generally very appropriate” to name the possible creature after Her Majesty as it has been nicknamed ‘The Monster’ for several years.

Officially naming something after The Queen isn’t an easy task. To do so you must apply to the Cabinet Office who then make recommendations to the Palace. Any recommendations must be deemed “worthwhile”.

This means that you sadly won’t be able to name your newly discovered mythical creature after The Queen.