Get Regal With This Quiz on Queen Elizabeth II

Because of her lifelong support of the arts, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts bestowed an honorary BAFTA — the British equivalent to an Oscar — upon the queen in 2013. Elizabeth played a significant role in the academy's history, attending the opening of the BAFTA headquarters in 1976, and later introducing British programming to the U.S. during a state visit in 1991.

Darren McGrady, who served as Queen Elizabeth’s personal chef for 15 years, revealed in 2017 that Her Royal Highness did not like food prepared with garlic or too many onions. Her daughter-in-law Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall (now known as the queen consort or Queen Camilla) confirmed the anti-garlic stance during an appearance on “MasterChef Australia,” saying it is common among royals due to their frequent public appearances.

On April 21, 1942 — her 16th birthday — the future queen, then Princess Elizabeth, was tasked with inspecting the Grenadier Guards at Windsor Castle. This event marked her first solo public engagement for the royal family, and she would go on to carry out more than 21,000 engagements throughout her illustrious reign.

The queen was known to honor many famous faces in the music industry by bestowing a knighthood upon them. Among those she honored included Paul McCartney, Elton John, and Rod Stewart. However, not everyone was willing to accept the honor, as musician David Bowie famously turned down a knighthood in 2003, saying, “I would never have any intention of accepting anything like that. I seriously don’t know what it’s for.”

During her reign, the queen visited every member of the Commonwealth except for Cameroon and Rwanda. At the top of the list was Canada, which she visited 24 times. Up next on the list were several countries in Oceania including Australia (19 visits) and New Zealand (10 visits).

17 Bruton Street in Mayfair, London marks the location where Queen Elizabeth II was born in 1926, as her parents moved into the townhouse that previously sat on that site just a few weeks prior to her birth. However, the building was later razed by property developers, and the location is now home to a Chinese restaurant and an office building.

Flanked by Speaker of the House Tom Foley and Vice President Dan Quayle, on May 16, 1991, Queen Elizabeth II became the first British monarch to address Congress. Wearing a peach dress and hat with pearls — with her husband, Prince Philip, at her side — the queen said, “I do hope you can see me from where you are,” poking fun at her 5-foot-4 height.

Queen Elizabeth's record-setting reign began in 1952 and Her Majesty had meetings with 13 out of the 14 U.S. Presidents during her time at the helm: Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden. The odd man out is Lyndon B. Johnson, who never met the Queen.

In addition to her nightly glass of champagne, the queen was quite fond of several other libations. She would often consume a gin and Dubonnet in the morning, a glass of wine with her lunch, and a dry martini later in the evening. Then, to cap it all off, Elizabeth would enjoy a pre-bedtime flute of her favorite champagne, which was typically the brand Bollinger.

In 2011, Queen Elizabeth II became the first British monarch to visit Ireland in 100 years. Her grandfather King George V made the trip in 1911 while Ireland was still a part of the United Kingdom, which made the queen the first reigning royal to visit Ireland as an independent nation. Prior to her trip, Northern Ireland and Ireland were at odds for many decades over the violent period known as “the Troubles.”

In 1935, the future queen's face appeared on the Canadian $20 denomination while she was still Princess Elizabeth. She wouldn't appear on English currency until 1960, becoming the first monarch to appear on the £1 note. In total, she appeared on the currency of more than 33 countries during her life.

Queen Elizabeth II starred alongside James Bond (portrayed by Daniel Craig) in a video package for the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony. Ten years later, she showed off her acting chops again when she appeared in a 2022 sketch alongside the beloved animated character Paddington Bear to commemorate her Platinum Jubilee. Both videos were co-written by Frank Cottrell-Boyce, and the former was directed by filmmaker Danny Boyle (“Slumdog Millionaire”).

The queen's trusty handbag wasn't just for carrying personal items, but also for sending discreet signals to her staff. If the queen placed her handbag on the table during a dinner, it meant she wanted the event to end promptly. If she placed the bag on the floor, that meant she wanted to be rescued from a rather unenjoyable conversation.

The royal practice of celebrating jubilees, which commemorate milestones in the length of a monarch's reign, began in 1809 during the 50th year of King George III's reign. Having originally assumed the throne in 1952, Elizabeth II commemorated 70 years as English monarch in 2022 with her Platinum Jubilee celebration — a lengthy feat that no other English monarch had ever achieved.

Every morning at 9 am, the Piper to the Sovereign would greet Queen Elizabeth II with a live 15-minute bagpipe performance outside her window. The tradition began with Queen Victoria in 1843, and continued throughout the second Elizabethan era. The bagpiper was tasked with memorizing over 700 songs, as the queen generally didn't like repeat performances.

While the royal family is required to follow an extensive list of rules and protocols, driving without a license was no problem for Queen Elizabeth II. In fact, the queen was never issued a driver’s license and under law, didn’t need one. The rest of the royal family, however, do need to have their license in order to drive. The queen was also exempt from needing a license plate on her car and was never required to take a driving test before hitting the road for the first time.

Queen Elizabeth’s real birthday was April 21, but anyone familiar with the weather in the U.K. knows that springtime can be chilly. To hold the proper festivities for the queen’s big day, the official celebration of her birthday was moved to the summertime, typically the second Saturday in June. The British monarch’s birthday was celebrated by the Trooping the Colour parade, a tradition for more than 260 years. Elizabeth was not the only monarch to have two birthdays; the queen's great-grandfather, Edward VII, was born in November and also moved his observed birthdate to a different day during the summer.

Elizabeth’s father, King George VI, brought home the first Windsor family corgi, Dookie, in 1933. On her 18th birthday, the future queen was gifted a corgi of her own, named Susan, who would be her constant companion. Elizabeth loved Susan so much that she bred corgi puppies from her lineage for the next 80 years. The queen has owned at least 30 Pembroke Welsh corgis to date, all descendants of Susan.

The Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh has been central to Scottish history for centuries. Built 500 years ago, it was home to Mary, Queen of Scots, from 1561 to 1567. Today, the palace is used by Queen Elizabeth II to carry out official engagements whenever she is in Scotland. The residence is located at one end of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile and is open to the public for tours.

Princess Elizabeth was 13 years old when World War II broke out in 1939. She took an immediate interest in helping families impacting by bombings. When she turned 18 she insisted on joining the women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) branch of the British Army, becoming the first female royal to join the armed forces. Elizabeth began her training as a mechanic in March 1945, just before the end of the war.

Following their wedding on November 20, 1947, the royal newlyweds moved to Malta, where Prince Philip was deployed in the Royal Navy’s Mediterranean Fleet onboard the HMS Magpie. The couple moved into their townhouse, Villa Guardamangia, in 1949. They remained on the island until February 6, 1952, when the untimely death of Elizabeth’s father, King George VI, caused her to accede to the throne.

Followers of the royal family — and fans of the Netflix series “The Crown” — will recognize the nickname “Lilibet.” It was given to Elizabeth when she was very young, because she had trouble pronouncing her name. The nickname stuck, and her closest family members, including her parents and her husband, Prince Philip, used the name as a term of endearment.

On June 2, 1953, Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation was watched by 27 million people in the U.K. and millions more worldwide as the first-ever televised coronation. The event, attended by 8,251 guests, lasted for three hours. Like all of Britain’s coronations since 1066, it was held at Westminster Abbey in London.

In a tradition that began with King George V in 1932, Britain's reigning monarch delivered an annual Christmas message. Queen Elizabeth II delivered her first message in 1952 over the radio. The speech was first broadcast on television in 1957, and in 1967, it was broadcast in color for the first time. The queen did a Christmas broadcast every year of her reign except for 1969 because a royal family documentary was previously scheduled.

Queen Elizabeth II has had a lifelong passion for racehorses. She has been known to escape to her stables throughout her reign as queen, but her love of horses started long before the crown. At the age of four, Elizabeth and her sister Margaret got their first ponies, sparking Elizabeth’s love for both the animals and the sport.

Elizabeth had little chance of becoming queen until her uncle, King Edward VIII, famously abdicated the throne. Edward VIII renounced his position so that he could marry divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson. His younger brother Albert took the throne, becoming King George VI. Elizabeth was Albert's oldest daughter, which made her the new heir apparent and first in line to become queen.

Elizabeth II learned French at a young age, and in 2004, she even gave a speech to the French senate in their native tongue, which earned praise for her natural rhythm and delivery. Her grandson, Prince William, also possesses conversational abilities in French but is more proficient in German — a language that his grandfather, Prince Philip, also spoke fluently.

Queen Elizabeth II was born in 1926 during the reign of her grandfather, George V. Elizabeth’s father, George VI, reigned from 1936 until his death in 1952, at which point Elizabeth ascended to the throne. Four years before her coronation, Elizabeth gave birth to a son, Charles, the first of four children. After Elizabeth passed away in 2022, Charles succeeded his mother as Britain’s monarch and took the name Charles III.

Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor was born in 1926 to the Duke and Duchess of York. In 1917, her grandfather, King George V, changed his house's name from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor, and designated Windsor as the official family surname of his descendants. Elizabeth was born into the royal house of Windsor, making her last name Windsor, though it is rarely used.

Princess Anne — her formal title is Anne, Princess Royal — was born in 1950, just two years after her older brother, Charles. Anne is an avid equestrian, and in 1976, became the first British royal to participate in the Olympics when she placed 24th overall in equestrianism at the Montreal games. In addition to Anne and Charles, the queen had two other children: Prince Andrew (b. 1960) and Prince Edward (b. 1964).

Sir Winston Churchill is rumored to be one of Queen Elizabeth II’s favorite prime ministers. The pair formed a partnership that grew into an enduring friendship during the few years that their roles overlapped. Elizabeth ascended the throne during Churchill’s 1951 to 1955 term, making him the first leader that she worked with and learned from.