Here are some facts about Queen Elizabeth II.
- Queen Elizabeth II was the Queen of England from 1952 to 2022. She was also the Head of the British Commonwealth and Supreme Governor of the Church of England.
- On September 9th 2015, Queen Elizabeth II became the longest reigning UK monarch. At that point, she had ruled for 63 years, beating the reign of her great-great grandmother, Queen Victoria, who also reigned for 63 years.
- Queen Elizabeth II was born in London in 1926, and was married in 1947. Her coronation took place in Westminster Abbey, with the ceremony shown on television for the first time.
- The Queen visited almost 120 countries during her reign, including over 20 visits to Canada. She did not need to carry a passport.
- In 2012, she celebrated 60 years as Queen. The celebrations included a flotilla of boats on the River Thames, and a concert with performances by Tom Jones, Paul McCartney and Cliff Richard.
- The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh sent about 45,000 official Christmas cards during the last 60 years, and she answered about 3.5 million letters.
- The Queen enjoyed driving, and she learned how to repair car engines during World War 2. She was the only person in the UK who could legally drive without a registration number or license.
- Queen Elizabeth II had a bank account at the exclusive bank Coutts, and there is an ATM in Buckingham Palace. She was one of the world’s richest people with a fortune estimated at 500 million pounds.
- During her reign, Queen Elizabeth II received many gifts, some of them unusual. She was given a grove of maple trees, 2 black beavers, a sloth and 7 kg of prawns.
- The Queen opened over 12 bridges in the UK, and launched over 20 ships. She has posed for over 120 official portraits and enjoyed more than 100 state banquets.
- Queen Elizabeth II had four children, King Charles (formerly the Prince of Wales), Andrew (Duke of York), Anne (Princess Royal) and Edward (Earl of Wessex).
- Queen Elizabeth II died on 8th September 2022. She was 96 years old. She was succeeded by her son King Charles III.
