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Happy Sapphire Jubilee to Queen Elizabeth II

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Hello & welcome to this fortnight’s GK Nugget. On this edition I’m sharing some lesser known facts about the longest reigning monarch in the world – Queen Elizabeth II.

On February 6th 1952, at the young age of 25, Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary became Queen Elizabeth II. While we know that she is the longest serving monarch, here are some lesser known interesting facts about her and her reign.

The Queen doesn’t have a passport. (Imagine the trouble she must get into at Immigration) But on a serious note, British passports are issued in the name of the Queen and so she can’t have one in her own name. She also doesn’t require a driver’s license.

She was born on April 21, 1926. However, each Commonwealth country traditionally celebrates her birthday on a designated day in May or June.

The Queen is the only member of the British Royal Family to have joined the Armed Forces. In 1944, she joined the Women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service. Known as Second Subaltern Elizabeth Windsor, she donned a pair of coveralls and trained in London as a mechanic and military truck driver.

She sent an email even before the modern Internet appeared. On March 26, 1976, Queen Elizabeth sent her first email while taking part in a network technology demonstration at the Royal Signals and Radar Establishment. The message was transmitted over ARPANET, the forerunner of the modern Internet. She is considered the first head of state to have used electronic mail.

Queen Elizabeth carries cash in her purse only on Sundays; she donates money to her church on that day.

There have been 13 U.S. presidents since she first began her reign. The Queen has also seen 13 different Prime Ministers during her reign – from Sir Winston Churchill through to Theresa May.

In 2017, she became the 1st British monarch to celebrate a Sapphire Jubilee (65 years).

She speaks fluent French and often uses the language for audiences and state visits. She does not require an interpreter.

Elizabeth introduced a new breed of dog known as the dorgi when one of her corgis was mated with a dachshund named Pipkin that belonged to Princess Margaret. Elizabeth currently has four dorgis: Cider, Berry, Candy and Vulcan.

The Queen joined Facebook in November 2010, with a page called the British Monarchy, which features royal news, photos, videos and speeches. However, it is not possible to poke the royal family. She joined Twitter in July 2009, with teams at Buckingham Palace tweeting daily updates. None of the royals themselves tweet. The page follows only one other Twitter account: Clarence House, the royal home of the Prince of Wales.


That’s all this fortnight. See you next time with some more trivia. 
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