Little-Known Facts About Queen Elizabeth II That Were Kept From the Public

While most of us are rudely awoken by the sound of our phone alarms, Queen Elizabeth II didn’t rely on an iPhone to wake her up in the morning. Instead, she relied on a royal bagpiper who played “Piper to the Sovereign” every single morning at 9 am for 15 minutes. It’s reported that the Queen loved this song and loved being reminded of her love for Scotland every single morning. 

It’s no secret that the late Queen Elizabeth II liked a drink. But what you might not realize is that she actually started drinking pretty early on in the day. Every day, she would finish off her breakfast with an ice-cold gin and Dubonnet cocktail with lemon – and according to the former chef of the royal family, the Queen rarely strayed from this tradition. She was a creature of habit. 

When Queen Elizabeth helped during the war efforts, her family was worried and refused her request to enlist for a whole year before they gave in. Not only was she a young royal, but she was also a young woman – and this didn’t sit well with her father. In fact, when she was eventually allowed to become a full-time active member of the armed forces, she became the first female royal in history to do so.

If you’ve ever been to England, you’ll know that this country is full of swans. These birds can be found in lakes and rivers, and one thing you might have noticed is that they are often unmarked. That’s because these swans aren’t owned by John Smith down the street. Instead, they’re owned by the monarch! During her reign, Queen Elizabeth II owned all of the unmarked British swans in British waters. 

You probably don’t need us to tell you that the Queen loved dogs. She was particularly fond of the corgi breed, and she welcomed over 30 corgis into her home over the course of her life. But while everyone knows that the Queen loved corgis, very few people know that she actually invented a whole new dog breed that was a cross between her beloved corgis and a dachshund (sausage dog).

It’s not uncommon for people around the world to have nicknames for their significant others. While most people stick to the usual ‘babe’ or ‘sweetheart,’ it seems as though Prince Philip went down a different route when it came to the nickname for Queen Elizabeth II. All throughout their seven-decade marriage, he called her his “Cabbage.” Of course, it’s believed that he was the only person to ever call her this. 

Most people hope that their wedding day will be the most perfect day of their lives. And, for many, it is! But occasionally something is bound to go wrong, and it might be interesting to learn that something went gravely wrong at the wedding of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. Just before the ceremony was about to begin, the Queen Mary Russian Fringe Tiara that she was due to wear snapped! 

If we wanted to travel the world, we’d need to have a passport. This passport would allow us to pass through other countries and would serve as a form of identification used in security checks. However, the Queen didn’t need a passport! Technically, all passports are dished out by the current monarch – so she had no need to issue one out to herself when she was on the throne. 

When you’re in the public eye, you need to be extremely careful. One wrong word to a reporter or cameraman, and you’re blasted in the media and being torn to shreds. Of course, Queen Elizabeth II couldn’t afford for her reputation to be tarnished – so she decided to come up with a way to communicate to her staff without actually saying a word! And she used her handbag to do it. 

When you’re the Queen of England and forced to travel so much for work, being able to speak multiple languages definitely works in your favor. And while the young Princess Elizabeth had no idea that she would one day become queen, she still understood the importance of these languages. Because of this, she started learning the likes of French, German, Welsh, and Spanish from a very young age and enjoyed every minute. 

As well as serving her country as a monarch and member of the Royal Family, Queen Elizabeth also served her country by joining the war efforts. This resulted in a lot of pushback from her father and it took her a whole year to convince him – but she wanted to do her part and support her country during World War II. So, she trained as a mechanic and served as part of the Auxiliary Territorial Service. 

What’s so intriguing about the royal family is the fact that we only see the public side of their personalities. We have no idea what they’re really like behind closed doors, and the same was also the case for Queen Elizabeth II. However, it’s been noted that the late Queen was a prankster at heart and loved to play tricks on people when she could. On one occasion, she even pranked some unsuspecting American tourists. 

Unlike the rest of the world, the Queen didn’t have a traditional education. In fact, Elizabeth and her sister were both homeschooled. But what many people don’t realize is that the late monarch had a real thirst for knowledge. She loved learning knew things and expanding her mind, and she actively asked for deeper and more thought-provoking lessons on history and law – and she continued to have these lessons after she ascended the throne.

It’s no secret that Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip were together for a long time. They were married for almost seven decades and were by each other’s side through thick and thin. However, their love story went back even further than that. In fact, they first set eyes on each other when Elizabeth was just eight years old, when they both attended the wedding of Princess Marina of Greece and Prince George, Duke of Kent. 

While the rest of the world was celebrating just one birthday, Queen Elizabeth II was celebrating two! Of course, it wouldn’t make any biological sense for her to have two official days of birth – but that didn’t stop her from adding another celebration into the mix. In fact, Elizabeth’s official day of birth was April 21, but she also celebrated on a Saturday in June every single year, as well. 

Over the course of her reign, Queen Elizabeth II was required to travel across the globe. She visited all of the countries within her Commonwealth and regularly traveled outside of the Commonwealth for royal visits, high-profile events, and even the odd vacation. But do you know exactly how many miles she traveled over the course of her reign? Well, she flew over 1 million miles – which definitely sounds like a lot. 

When Elizabeth was six years old, she had no idea that she would one day become Queen. At the time, her uncle was on the throne – but that didn’t stop her from enjoying the perks of being a member of the Royal Family. On her sixth birthday, the young princess was gifted a small cottage by the generous people of Wales. It could be found in the Royal Lodge at Windsor, and the young princess loved it. 

Queen Elizabeth II was just 27 years old when she was coronated, and there’s no doubt about the fact that there was a buzz around this event. On June 2, 1953, millions of people traveled from across the UK and across the globe to watch her take her place on the throne. But this event also changed the course of history from a technological point of view. After all, the event was televised.

Everyone knew Queen Elizabeth II as the Queen of England, but this role doesn’t end at the English border. She was also the leader of the Commonwealth, which meant that she technically ruled over 15 countries in total – including Jamaica, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. Of course, she had no power over them as they were now independent countries, but they were still members of the Commonwealth and, therefore, were dear to the Queen’s heart. 

It’s easy to assume that the Queen spent her days working on official business and attending official events. But it seems as though her downtime was incredibly important to her, and she always made time to do the things that she loved. In fact, she loved to race pigeons! She had over 200 pigeons at her home in Sandringham and regularly made her way up to Scotland to race them.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip’s wedding was a momentous occasion, and the whole world joined in to celebrate their nuptials. And while they certainly received gifts from their close friends and the rest of the royal family, what you might not realize is that they also received gifts from members of the public. In total, they received over 2,500 wedding gifts – despite the fact that the wartime rations were in place. 

Queen Elizabeth II wasn’t the kind of woman to have KFC for lunch, but have you ever wondered what kind of food she did eat? According to a former royal chef, the late Queen had very specific food requests and tried to avoid eating carbs at all costs. In fact, she absolutely hated pizza! When she was eating by herself and not attending state dinners, she would ask the chef to prepare her healthier meals, instead. 

For her own safety, Queen Elizabeth II couldn’t go anywhere without security by her side – and this was also the case when she was a little girl. But it seems as though Elizabeth couldn’t resist the pull of the outside world when World War II came to an end. From inside Buckingham Palace, the teenage process could hear the celebrations and the cheers from those outside, and she knew she had to get involved. 

We live in a world where nail art and fake nails are extremely popular, but look back at any photo of Queen Elizabeth II, and you’ll realize that she didn’t conform to these nail trends. Over the course of her life, she only ever wore one color of nail polish – and she wasn’t one to stray from tradition. She started wearing a pale pink nail polish called “Ballet Slippers” by Essie in 1989, and she never looked back.

As Queen, Elizabeth had to make countless radio and television broadcasts. That was all part and parcel of her job, and it became second nature over the course of her rein. However, what you might not know is that she actually made her first radio broadcast when she was just 14 years old. She was just a young princess at the time, but fans raved about her poised personality and her confidence during her Children’s Hour segment.

Over the course of history, royals have tried to keep their royal lineage strong. Because of this, many kings and queens have married members of their own families – and this was no different for Queen Elizabeth II. And what you might not realize is that Prince Philip was actually the Queen’s cousin and they were distantly related through their shared relative of Queen Victoria. In fact, they were third cousins. 

Over the course of her 70-year rein, the world knew Queen Elizabeth II as Queen Elizabeth II. And while she was born Elizabeth Windsor, one of the perks of being part of the royal family is that you get to choose your own surname. So, that’s exactly what she did! When she married Prince Philip, she chose a name that celebrated the union of their two families and touched on her husband’s roots. 

While Queen Elizabeth II was proud of her role and took it extremely seriously, she was also fond of getting away from it all and immersing herself in nature. She loved being in Scotland and enjoying the natural world, and she loved surrounding herself with animals. This love of animals had been there since she was a youngster, and she was gifted her first horse (named Peggy) when she was just a child.

While there’s no doubt about the fact that the royal family is part of the upper echelon of society, they were treated like everyone else during World War II. Just as other families had to ration food and clothing, so did the royals! They had to buy everything they wanted and needed with ration coupons – even when Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were planning their wedding. She even had to buy her wedding dress material with these coupons.

Nowadays, young royals are sent to the best boarding schools in the world and then expected to go on to university to study subjects such as history, geography, literature, or art. But that wasn’t the norm back in the day, and Queen Elizabeth II didn’t step foot in a school at all. Instead, her parents chose to homeschool her and enlist some of the top minds in England to tutor her and her sister.

The Queen lived to an impressive age, and it seemed as though the older generation had a special place in her heart. In fact, she was known for sending out letters to those who reached impressive milestones in their lives – such as couples who had reached their 60th wedding anniversary and people who reached 100 years old. For many, receiving this letter was a huge honor that they didn’t take lightly. 

Literature and poetry have always been important to the Royal Family, so much so that the Queen had her very own poet at her disposal at all times. Of course, she didn’t use this poet every day, but they came in very handy when there were upcoming weddings, funerals, and other royal events. But what is this personal poet called? Well, they are known as the Poet Laureate, and it’s an honor many people can only dream of.

From the moment King Charles was born, the world knew that he would one day become King. As the first-born of the Queen, he instantly became the heir-apparent and would ultimately ascend the throne – as long as he didn’t abdicate. But that didn’t happen when Princess Elizabeth was born. Her uncle was the king, and her father was the second in line to the throne, and so she took third place in the line of succession.

Most of the famous people in the public eye chose to go down that route, but Queen Elizabeth II never asked to be famous. When she was younger, she preferred to be behind-the-scenes, and this continued as she got older. And while it was her duty to be in front of the cameras and command a crowd, she was actually incredibly camera shy and hated having photos taken of her.

While many people have claimed the Royal Family to be cold and unemotional, it’s fair to say that we don’t know what goes on behind closed doors. And it’s believed that the late Queen loved her family above all else. Over the course of her marriage to Prince Philip, the couple welcomed four children into the world; Charles, Prince Edward, Prince Andrew, and Princess Anne. As the first-born, Charles became King.

What were you doing when you were 25 years old? While most of us were figuring out our lives and wondering what our future held, Elizabeth II was being crowned queen. This was not something she had ever expected, as it was assumed that her uncle would have children and push her down the pecking order. But when he abdicated the throne and her father took his place, Elizabeth became the heir apparent. 

Being Queen of England means that you get certain privileges and opportunities that other people don’t have, and that was certainly the cast in 1969 when Apollo 11 was sent to the moon. At the time, leaders from across the world were asked to submit a message to send up in the spacecraft – and, as you can imagine, the Queen jumped at the opportunity to send a message to the moon.

No, Queen Elizabeth II wasn’t a secret sports star – but she did, in fact, take part in the 2012 Olympics in London. This all came about when Daniel Craig and the James Bond director asked the Royal Family whether they could use the Queen’s likeness for a skit that was going to be used as part of the opening ceremony. Much to their surprise, she told them that she didn’t want them to use her likeness… she wanted to do it herself! 

Over the course of her life, Queen Elizabeth II had the pleasure of officially opening numerous buildings – from hospitals to schools and even ships! But did you know that she also opened the Sydney Opera House? Often considered to be one of the most impressive buildings ever built, this building first opened its doors in 1973 – but not before Elizabeth II traveled to Australia to open it up to the public.