Queen Elizabeth II was well known for her record-breaking reign, but did you know she was bilingual, raced pigeons and (kind of) owned a fast-food restaurant?
Here are a few things about the Queen that may surprise you.
1. She introduced a new dog breed named the ‘dorgi’
Loading Instagram content
Queen Elizabeth and her sister Princess Margaret bred a “dorgi” — a cross between her corgi and her sister’s dachshund.
At the time, the Kennel Club reportedly said: “The dachshund was evolved to chase badgers down holes, and the corgis to round up cattle.”
“If anyone loses a herd of cattle down a badger hole, then these are just the dogs to get them out.”
Although she owned more than 30 corgis during her reign, by 2017 she had two dorgis named Vulcan and Candy, and two corgis named Willow and Holly.
The pups featured on a 2016 Vanity Fair cover marking the Queen’s 90th birthday.
Incidentally, the Queen once demoted a footman after he gave her corgis whisky as a prank.
2. She opened the London Olympic Games
As you may or may not have seen, the Queen made a splash at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, when she appeared with actor Daniel Craig when he reprised his role as super spy James Bond for the opening ceremony.
In a brief clip during the ceremony, she met Bond at the palace before being flown to the stadium, where she appeared to parachute in.
She then appeared with Prince Philip in the stands to watch the ceremony unfold.
3. She raced pigeons
While the common pigeon is rarely considered regal, the birds have a long association with Britain’s monarchs.
According to the Royal Pigeon Racing Association (RPRA), King Leopold II of Belgium gave pigeons to the royal family as a gift in 1886 and they were used to start a racing loft at the Sandringham estate.
The royal birds were even used as carrier pigeons in WWI and WWII.
The Queen continued to maintain and regularly visit the Sandringham loft. She was also the patron of a number of pigeon-racing societies, including the RPRA and the National Flying Club.
In 2016, the Scottish SPCA reported finding one of the Queen’s racing pigeons near Edinburgh, about 650 kilometres away, after it became lost.
4. She hosted Buckingham Palace’s first women-only event
The Women of Achievement function was held in 2004, and attendees included model Kate Moss, author JK Rowling and singer Charlotte Church.
Other notable invitees included landmine awareness campaigner Heather Mills-McCartney, former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, barrister and writer Cherie Blair and fashion designer Vivienne Westwood.
5. She used ration coupons to pay for her wedding dress
Queen Elizabeth was married in 1947, following the end of World War II.
Because of austerity measures, she used clothing ration coupons to pay for the dress — the government allowed her 200 extra coupons, and people from around the country sent in coupons to help pay for it.
But because it was illegal to give them away, she had to return the coupons.
Her dress was designed by Norman Hartnell, the court designer.
6. She became the first British monarch to visit China
The Queen and Prince Philip visited China in 1986, soon after arrangements were made for Britain to eventually hand back sovereignty of Hong Kong.
The monarch wore “a wide-brimmed white hat and a lemon-yellow dress”, the New York Times reported, and told a welcome party she was “very glad to come to China”.
Years later, the Queen said she and Prince Philip remembered their visit with “great fondness”, recalling visits to the Great Wall and Forbidden City.
“It was China’s desire to shape a new future which captivated us the most,” she said in 2015.
“We were struck by the energy and enthusiasm with which China’s leaders were forging ahead with a new and ambitious future for the Chinese people.”
7. She learnt to drive during WWII
The then princess trained in London as a mechanic and military truck driver after joining the women’s branch of the British Army.
The Queen reportedly enjoyed driving, and in 1998 offered to take then Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia on a tour of her Balmoral estate in Scotland.
“To [the Crown Prince’s] surprise, the Queen climbed into the driving seat, turned the ignition and drove off,” former ambassador to Saudi Arabia Sherard Cowper Coles wrote in his memoir.
“His nervousness only increased as the Queen … accelerated the Land Rover along the narrow Scottish estate roads, talking all the time.”
The Queen did not require number plates or a licence while driving.
8. She spoke fluent French
She often used the language for audiences and state visits, rather than relying on an interpreter.
The Queen Mother was also fluent in French, according to the royal family’s official website.
9. She owned a McDonald’s (kind of) and the UK seabed
During her reign, the Queen owned the Crown Estate.
The estate is a large property portfolio. It is technically owned by the reigning monarch, but its profits go to the Treasury while the regent receives an annual payment.
Among the Crown Estate’s assets are a number of retail strips, including the Banbury Gateway Shopping Park north-west of London, in which you can find a McDonald’s, a Primark and a Marks & Spencer.
The estate also owns Regent Street and the entire UK seabed.
