Discover things you never knew about the Queen in celebration of her 60 years on the throne
Whether you’re planning a quiz for a party, or you just want to know a bit more about the Her Maj, these little facts will have you interested and intrigued...
The Queen is the only person in Britain who is not required to have a passport
1. The Queen has 30 godchildren.
2. Her childhood nickname was Lilibet because she couldn’t pronounce Elizabeth.
3. The Queen has owned more than 30 corgis during her reign. One of her corgis mated with a dachshund belonging to Princess Margaret to produce a new breed called a dorgi. (She currently has four corgis and three dorgis…).
4. The Queen's robes were so heavy that at the start of her Coronation she asked the Archbishop of Canterbury to give her a push, saying “Get me started!”.
5. She has seen 12 prime ministers and six popes come and go.
6. When the Queen acceded the throne in 1952, sugar, eggs, cheese and meat were still rationed.
7. She is a patron of more than 600 charities and organisations.
8. In her reign she has answered some three million items of correspondence.
9. She has given around 90,000 Christmas puddings to staff.
10. Unusual live gifts given to her on royal tours include two tortoises and a seven-year-old bull elephant.
11. She has sat for 129 portraits during her reign.
12. The Queen keeps a portable hook with a suction cup in her handbag so she can hang it discreetly under tables.
13. She was a big fan of 70s cop show Kojak, starring Telly Savalas.
14. The Mayfair address where she was born on 21 April 1926 is now the site of upmarket Chinese restaurant, Hakkasan.
15. In July 1982 unemployed father of four Michael Fagan climbed up a drain-pipe and into the Queen’s bedroom at Buckingham Palace. He sat on her bed for about 10 minutes as she engaged him in conversation and calmly called for her footman when he asked for a cigarette.
16. There is a Coutts cash machine at Buckingham Palace.
17. The Queen is the only person in Britain who is not required to have a passport
18. Unlikely candidates who have met the Queen include: Tracy Emin; Lady Gaga at Royal Variety Performance in 2009 (Lady G is said to keep a pic of The Queen on her dressing table when she’s on the road); Barbara Windsor and co when she visited the set of EastEnders; shot-put champion Geoff Capes (at the 1982 Braemar Highland Games) and Blue Peter presenter John Noakes.
19. In 1945 aged 19, the then princess did her bit for the war by joining the Women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service in Surrey as a driver and mechanic.
20. She enjoys reading The Racing Post every day.