In general, I am not particularly a royalist; however, I have immense respect for our current Queen and, should you happen to be at my house on Christmas Day, EVERYTHING STOPS for the Queen's speech to the nation!
This year we celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee; 70 years of loyal service to her nation.
Elizabeth was born on April 21st 1926. Her parents were the Duke & Duchess of York. Her father later became King George VI.
On 6th February 1952, Princess Elizabeth was away in Kenya when she learned of her father's death. At the age of 25, she was crowned Queen in Westminster Abbey, 2nd June 1953.
She was the first female member of the royal family to serve full-time in the Armed Forces. During WWII she learned to drive and service military vehicles.
When she married Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in 1947, they received over 2,500 wedding presents 😵
She is the longest serving monarch Britain has ever had. Her reign has spanned 14 different Prime Ministers. She is also the most well-travelled monarch, having visited more than 120 countries.
She is Head of a Commonwealth of 54 different nations.
Her favourite breed of dog is the corgi ... but you probably already knew that 😀
BUT, DID YOU KNOW ... she's the only person in the UK allowed to drive without a license or travel without a passport! She owns an elephant, two giant turtles, a jaguar and a pair of sloths ... all gifts from other countries and looked after in London Zoo. She also owns all the swans in UK waters.
At the London Olympics in 2012 the Queen made a cameo sequence alongside Daniel Craig for the opening ceremony.
At the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012, BBC South East commissioned a piece of artwork entitled 'The People's Monarch'. Artist Helen Marshall created the mosaic below out of over 5,000 photos sent in by the general public. The work is 38 square metres and the size of a double decker bus!! After a tour that included Rochester Cathedral, the artwork now resides somewhere at Gatwick airport.
On April 21st, 2022 Queen Elizabeth II turned 96 years old.
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