15 fun facts about Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II reigned for 70 years, from 1953 to 2022. Join us on a trip back through history to discover our favourite facts about her reign…

15 facts about the Queen

1. Queen Elizabeth II was born at 2.40am on 21 April 1926.

Her parents were the Duke and Duchess of York, who later became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother).

2. She was crowned Queen on 2 June 1953.

The ceremony was watched by a TV audience of 20 million people. Her reign ended on 8 September 2022, when she passed away peacefully at Balmoral Castle, Scotland, and her son, King Charles III, was crowned.

Did you know that we have a FREE downloadable Queen Elizabeth II primary resource? Great for teachers, homeschoolers and parents alike!

3. She was the longest reigning monarch ever in Britain.

Queen Elizabeth II was on the throne for 70 years, beating even Queen Victoria (her great-great-grandma!).

4. As Queen, she was served by 15 UK Prime Ministers.

These included Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher and more recently, Boris Johnson.

5. Her favourite dogs were corgis.

She even invented a new breed of dog when her corgi mated with a dachshund belonging to her sister, Princess Margaret. It was called the “dorgi”.

6. She was the only person in the UK allowed to drive without a licence.

And she kept driving even in her later years!

7. Queen Elizabeth II had two birthdays.

Her actual birthday was 21 April, but her ‘official’ birthday was held on a Saturday in June – when the weather was better!

8. Her birthplace is now a fancy Cantonese restaurant.

It’s called Hakkasan, at 17 Bruton Street in Mayfair – we hope she liked a takeaway!

9. Queen Elizabeth II first sent an email in 1976…

… and published her first Instagram post in 2019!

10. She had many hobbies.

These included horse riding, pigeon racing and football – she was an Arsenal supporter!

11. Queen Elizabeth became a homeowner at just six years old.

Her first property was a house in the grounds of Windsor’s Royal Lodge, gifted to her by the people of Wales. It was named Y Bwthyn Bach, which means “little cottage”.

 12. In her lifetime, Queen Elizabeth II sent around 50,000 Christmas cards.

What a lot of post! 

13. She owned an elephant, two giant turtles, a jaguar and a pair of sloths.

These creatures were all gift from other countries. They now live in London Zoo.

14. Princess Elizabeth made her first radio broadcast in October 1940, during the Second World War.

15. Even the monarch went undercover sometimes…

On a low-key trip to Scotland, she met some American tourists while walking. When the tourists asked if she lived locally, she mentioned that she had a house nearby, and when asked if she’d ever met the Queen she simply pointed at her security guard and said, “No, but he has!”

Check out our cool comic about Queen Elizabeth II

… and print it out, here!

If you enjoyed this article, make sure you check out some of our other awesome history pages, too! Go back in time to discover Queen Elizabeth I or Queen Victoria, then jump to present day to learn about King Charles III…

What do you think of our facts about Queen Elizabeth II? Let us know by leaving a comment below!