60 Fascinating Facts About Queen Elizabeth II

To celebrate The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, here are 60 remarkable facts about Queen Elizabeth II and her extraordinary reign.

1. Queen Elizabeth II was the second longest-reigning British monarch at the time of the Diamond Jubilee.
2. The Queen was the 40th monarch descended from William the Conqueror.
3. Since 1952, Her Majesty granted Royal Assent to more than 3,500 Acts of Parliament.
4. During her reign, The Queen held weekly audiences with 12 Prime Ministers, beginning with Winston Churchill and continuing through David Cameron.
5. Tony Blair was the first Prime Minister born during The Queen’s reign.
6. The Queen attended every State Opening of Parliament except in 1959 and 1963.
7. Six Archbishops of Canterbury served during her reign.
8. Six Popes served during her reign, from Pius XII to Benedict XVI.
9. The Queen welcomed two Popes on official UK visits: Pope John Paul II in 1982 and Pope Benedict XVI in 2010.
10. Her Majesty served as patron of more than 600 charities and organisations.
11. Since 1952, The Queen conferred over 404,500 honours and awards.
12. She personally conducted more than 610 Investitures.
13. The first Investiture of her reign took place at Buckingham Palace on 27 February 1952.
14. The Queen answered approximately 3.5 million items of correspondence.
15. She sent more than 175,000 congratulatory telegrams to centenarians across the UK and Commonwealth.
16. Nearly 540,000 couples celebrating their diamond wedding anniversaries received messages from The Queen.
17. The Queen and Prince Philip sent roughly 45,000 Christmas cards over the course of her reign.
18. More than 90,000 Christmas puddings were distributed to staff.
19. Over 60 years, The Queen undertook 261 overseas visits, including 96 State Visits, to 116 countries.
20. Many royal tours took place aboard HMY Britannia, which travelled over a million miles before being decommissioned in 1997.
21. The Queen first sailed aboard Britannia in 1954 and made her final official visit aboard the yacht in 1997.
22. Her Majesty visited Australia 16 times, Canada 22 times, Jamaica six times, and New Zealand 10 times.
23. Her travels ranged from the Cocos Islands to the People’s Republic of China.
24. Among the most unusual gifts presented to The Queen were tortoises, black beavers, and a seven-year-old elephant named Jumbo.
25. The only overseas tour interrupted during her reign occurred in 1974.
26. The Queen’s first Commonwealth tour as monarch began in November 1953 and covered 43,618 miles.
27. In May 2011, The Queen made a historic State Visit to the Republic of Ireland.
28. From 1952 to 2011, Britain hosted 102 inward State Visits.
29. The first football match attended by The Queen was the 1953 FA Cup Final.
30. The Queen laid a wreath at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday almost every year of her reign.
31. She attended 56 Royal Maundy services in 43 cathedrals.
32. The Queen appeared at every Trooping the Colour ceremony of her reign except in 1955.
33. Her Majesty attended 35 Royal Variety Performances.
34. The Queen launched 21 ships during her reign.
35. The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service recognised more than 750 voluntary organisations across the UK.
36. Almost 1.5 million people attended royal garden parties during her reign.
37. The Queen sat for 129 official portraits.
38. The first royal walkabout took place during a 1970 tour of Australia and New Zealand.
39. In 1969, the documentary Royal Family gave the public an unprecedented glimpse into royal family life.
40. The Queen’s Gallery opened at Buckingham Palace in 1962.
41. The Queen delivered a Christmas Broadcast every year of her reign except 1969.
42. Her first televised Christmas Broadcast aired live in 1957.
43. The Queen launched the monarchy’s official website in 1997.
44. Buckingham Palace regularly hosted themed receptions celebrating British culture.
45. In an average year, The Queen hosted more than 50,000 guests at banquets, receptions, and garden parties.
46. Queen Elizabeth II was born on 21 April 1926 at 17 Bruton Street in London.
47. She learned to drive in 1945 during the Second World War.
48. With the birth of Prince Andrew in 1960, The Queen became the first reigning monarch since Queen Victoria to give birth while on the throne.
49. Although her actual birthday was 21 April, The Queen’s official birthday was celebrated in June.
50. For both the Silver and Golden Jubilees, The Queen undertook extensive tours across the UK.
51. Her Jubilee overseas tours included destinations across the South Pacific and Commonwealth.
52. The Queen had 30 godchildren and a stairlift at Buckingham Palace.
53. Her Majesty owned more than 30 corgis during her reign.
54. The Queen also helped popularise the “dorgi”, a dachshund-corgi crossbreed.
55. The Queen and Prince Philip were married for more than 70 years after marrying at Westminster Abbey in 1947.
56. Her wedding ring was crafted from Welsh gold from the Clogau St David’s mine.
57. Their wedding was the first marriage of an heir presumptive in British history.
58. The Queen’s racing colours featured purple, gold braid, scarlet sleeves, and a black velvet cap with gold fringe.
59. Queen Victoria was the only British monarch before Elizabeth II to celebrate a Diamond Jubilee.
60. Only three other world leaders celebrated Diamond Jubilees during The Queen’s reign, including King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand and Emperor Hirohito of Japan.

Originally inspired by material from The Diamond Jubilee official archive.