10 things you should know about the life of Queen Elizabeth II

From being one of the longest-reigning monarchs in history to how many corgis she’s had in her lifetime, here are 10 things to know about the late queen, who died “peacefully” on Thursday at age 96.

Britain’s longest reigning monarch

Elizabeth, who celebrated 70 years on the throne this year, is the oldest and longest reigning monarch in British history. In September 2015, he surpassed his great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, who reigned for 63 years and seven months.

In 2016, Elizabeth also became the longest reigning monarch in the world after the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand. In 2022, he became the second longest-serving monarch in world history, after the 17th-century French King Louis XIV, who ascended the throne at the age of 4.

Aside from Elizabeth and Victoria, only four monarchs in British history have reigned 50 years or more: George III (59 years old), Henry III (56 years old), Edward III (50 years old) and James VI of Scotland (58 years old). )

home school

Like many royals of her time and before, Elizabeth never attended public school and was never exposed to other students. Instead, he was homeschooled with his younger sister Margaret.

Among those who taught him were his father, along with the principal of Eton College, several French and Belgian governors who taught him French, and the Archbishop of Canterbury who taught him his religion.

“No. 230873“

During World War II, the young Princess Elizabeth was briefly known as Number 230873, Second Deputy Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor of Auxiliary Transport Service Number 1.

After months of campaigning for his parents’ permission to do something for the war, the heir to the throne learned to drive and tend ambulances and trucks. Within a few months he was promoted to honorary junior commander.

“A great imitator“

Elizabeth often gave the impression of serious demeanor and her “poker face” was noted by many, but those who knew her described her as having a perverse sense of humor and a talent for miming in private company.

Rowan Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, said the Queen can be “extremely funny in private, and not everyone appreciates how funny she is”.

Bishop Michael Mann, the monarch’s domestic chaplain, once said that “the queen imitating the landing of the Concorde is one of the funniest things you’ll ever see”. Ian Paisley, a Northern Irish clergyman and politician, also noted that Elizabeth was a “great imitator” of him.

He recently showed his mischievous side during his platinum anniversary when he starred in a comedy video with the animated Paddington Bear and talked about hiding jelly sandwiches in a bag.

a real contributor

She may have been a queen, but she also paid taxes, at least since 1992.

When Windsor Castle, the Queen’s weekend residence, was destroyed by fire in 1992, the public clamored for millions of pounds to be paid for the repairs.

But he voluntarily agreed to pay taxes on his personal income. He said he would cover 70% of the cost of the restoration work and also decided to open his Buckingham Palace home to the public for the first time to generate additional funds from admission fees.

little lilibet

The Queen was christened Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor of York, in honor of her mother, grandmother and paternal grandmother. But as a child, she was affectionately known to her family as the young Lilibeth, allegedly because she couldn’t pronounce “Elizabeth” correctly.

In a letter to her grandmother, Queen Mary, the young princess wrote: “Dear grandmother. Thank you so much for the nice shirt. We loved staying with you in Sandringham. I lost my front tooth yesterday morning before I signed Love from Lilibeth.

The nickname became popular after Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, named their daughter Lilibeth Diana in 2021.

an unstoppable soap opera

Isabel and her husband, Prince Felipe, lived in a stable relationship for more than 70 years, a bond that more than survived the marriages of three of their four children: Carlos, Ana and Andrés.

“He has been my strength and support all these years,” the Queen said of Philip on their 50th wedding anniversary.

Its story begins in 1939, when Prince Philip of Greece, a handsome 18-year-old naval cadet, is appointed to entertain 13-year-old Elizabeth for a day. A few years later, Philip was invited to join the royal family at Windsor Castle for Christmas, and was soon asked a judicious question as to whether he would be considered an eligible suitor.

The couple were married at Westminster Abbey in 1947. When Philip died in 2021 at age 99, Elizabeth described his death as leaving a “huge void” in her life, according to her son Andrew.

many birthdays

Elizabeth was born on April 21, 1926, but it was sometimes confusing for the public to know when to celebrate.

There was no universally defined day as his “official birthday”. It was the first, second or third Saturday in June and the government decided.

In Australia, her birthday was celebrated on the second Monday in June, and in Canada until Monday, 24 May, Queen Victoria’s birthday.

Only the Queen and her relatives celebrated her birthday in private gatherings.

how many corgis

It is well known that Elizabeth loved corgis: Princess Diana reportedly called the dogs the Queen’s “moving carpet” because they accompanied her everywhere.

Over the years, he has owned over 30 corgis. He also had two “dogs”, a cross between a dachshund and a corgi, named Candy and Vulcan.

Elizabeth was photographed hugging one of the dogs in 1936, at age 10, and was given a corgi named Susan for her 18th birthday. The breed was introduced to the royal family by her father, King George VI, in 1933. He purchased a male corgi named Dookie from a local breeder.

As queen, she also technically owned thousands of mute swans in the open waters of Britain and was entitled to claim all sturgeons, porpoises, whales and dolphins, under a statute of 1324.

“A pretty girl“

The Queen inevitably became the subject of pop songs.

The Beatles immortalized her as “Your Majesty” and called her “a pretty, pretty girl”, although “she doesn’t have much to say”. The short song, written and recorded by Paul McCartney in 1969, appeared at the end of the Abbey Road album.

Other musical treatments were not so kind. The Sex Pistols’ anti-monarchy film God Save The Queen, released in 1977 before its silver jubilee, was banned from British television.