5 Surprising Facts About Queen Elizabeth II

She Was Never Supposed to be Queen

Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, born April 21st, 1926, was not destined for the throne. Her father, George, was second-in-line, with his older brother Edward VIII expected to produce heirs.

However, fate intervened in 1936 when Elizabeth was ten years old. King Edward VIII abdicated to marry Wallis Simpson, an American divorcee, unexpectedly making Elizabeth's father, George, king.

When George VI died in February 1952, 25-year-old Elizabeth became Queen. Her coronation on June 2nd, 1953, was a grand spectacle: 8000 guests filled Westminster Abbey, while millions worldwide watched the first-ever televised coronation.

She Broke Many Long-Standing Traditions

The Queen embraced modernity, breaking with her predecessors' traditions. In 1967, she initiated the first televised Christmas broadcast, addressing seven million Brits. This soon became a cherished British Christmas ritual, peaking in the 1980s with 28 million live viewers—half the nation's population.

In 1969, the Queen granted the BBC unprecedented access, allowing them to film a behind-the-scenes documentary of royal life. However, disliking the final product, she requested that it be withdrawn from broadcast.

Breaking another tradition in 1970, during an Australian tour, the Queen began greeting well-wishers on foot rather than from a car. This 'walkabout' approach would become a hallmark of royal visits.

She's very likeable. People talk about her wit, her warmth and her intelligence. She never lets the side down if she's meeting the public.

Dr Tracy Borman, royal historian and author of the book, Crown and Sceptre

The Queen Survived an Assassination Attempt… Well, Kind of.

Each year, the Queen’s official birthday is marked by a show of pageantry known as Trooping the Colour - a ceremony that dates back to 1748. Approximately 1,400 officers, 200 horses, and ten military bands are involved. Every year, thousands of people come to London to witness the display.

The same was true on June 13th, 1981. Among the throng was a teenager named Marcus Sarjeant. As the Queen made her way down the Mall, atop a black mare named Burmese, Marcus pulled out a Colt revolver. As Elizabeth II drew level, he fired six shots. Startled, Burmese flicked her tail and ran. A member of the Scots Guards spotted the gunman, and he was quickly subdued .

Thankfully, the teenager was armed only with a replica gun loaded with blanks. But his intent was real. He had tried to buy ammunition for his father’s service revolver but failed. He left letters about how he was inspired by the murder of John Lennon and the shootings of Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul the Second. He told police he wanted to be “the most famous teenager in the world”. Instead, he was convicted under the Treason Act and sent to prison for 5 years.

She Was an Animal Lover

The British are famously a nation of animal lovers, and the Queen was no exception. She became especially known for her Corgis. Elizabeth loved her first corgi, Susan, so much that the dog accompanied Elizabeth and Philip on their honeymoon.

The Queen also loved horses. She learned to ride when she was just three years old and still rode into her 90s. The hobby developed into a serious business, and the Queen became a respected owner of racehorses. In 2013, she was the first reigning monarch to breed the winner of the Royal Ascot Gold Cup.

The Queen's menagerie extended far beyond the palace gates. Gifts from foreign nations included an elephant, two giant turtles, a jaguar, and a pair of sloths, all housed in London Zoo. Her royal prerogatives were equally exotic: she held ownership of all unmarked mute swans in open waters across the realm. Even more surprisingly, a statute from 1324 granted her the right to claim sturgeons, porpoises, whales, and dolphins in British waters.

She Left a Message on the Moon

In 1969, NASA asked world leaders to send a special message to the moon. The idea may sound like one of cooperation and collaboration, but the Queen was not overly impressed. In fact, she considered it a gimmick. The government, however, thought it was a nice idea and a way to show support to their friends across the pond. They thought it would be “churlish” to decline.

As such, the Queen scribed the following message: “On behalf of the British people, I salute the skills and courage which have brought man to the moon. May this endeavour increase the knowledge and well-being of mankind.”

The message, along with 72 others, was etched on a small silicon disc. The disc was then taken on Apollo 11 and left on the moon’s surface by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, under the American flag.