on Thursday September 8th the United Kingdom lost its longest reigning monarch
Queen Elizabeth II passed away leaving behind a much stronger and much more stable country than
the one she inherited she handled the UK and the royal family with honor and dignity there were at
times controversies and Scandals but even in those times her composure and Grace were ever on display
while we didn't intend on this being the first official of our comeback lists here
at list25 we thought it would be appropriate to honor the queen
I'm Mike from list25 and today I present to you 25 facts about Queen Elizabeth II
25. the queen knew James Bond personally sort of to celebrate the opening of the
2012 Olympics which were held in London and across England the queen appeared in an
opening film in which she was protected by the International Super Spy himself
well I mean Daniel Craig who was the current James Bond at the time now you know what I'm I'm
just gonna say it was Bond at one point it even looked like her majesty jumped from a helicopter
when first asked if she would like to participate Elizabeth jumped at the chance when asked and she
would like a speaking part she answered of course I must say something after all he is coming
to rescue me she even made suggestions to the filmmakers and did some improvisation Craig was
quoted later of working with her she sort of acted a bit that was all her own stuff it was amazing
24. she could dish out a little dark humor while attending the 2016 Chelsea flower show one of her
gardeners Jacka McVicker was showing her around and talking with her about various plants and
flower species when they came to a lily of the valley McVicker told her that for centuries
the flower had been used as a poison never one to miss an opportunity with a straight face the queen
replied I've been given two bunches this week perhaps they want me dead 23. she teased George
W bush at a welcome ceremony held for her at the White House Then President George W bush misspoke
he was speaking about previous times that she had visited the US and how great it was to welcome her
back he stated that she had been to our country to help celebrate our Bicentennial in 1776.
when asked about how she reacted Bush said she gave me a look that only a mother could give
a child later while speaking at a state dinner the queen said I wonder whether
I should start this toast by saying when I was here in 1776 later while toasting the
queen Bush remarked your majesty I can't top that one 22. Elizabeth was an animal lover
Queen Elizabeth loved animals with a special place in her heart for dogs over the course of her life
Elizabeth had over 30 Pets the vast majority of these dogs were Pembroke Welsh Corgis although the
royal family had corgis since Elizabeth's early years she was gifted one for her 18th birthday she
named her Susan and cared for her until the dog's death at the time of her death the queen had four
corgis all all descended from her beloved Susan although no one is sure what will happen to the
dogs it's believed that they will either be split up and given to family members or left with the
Queen's staff who have helped care for them since birth 21. first Monarch in the age of television
Queen Elizabeth's coronation occurred on June 2nd 1953 although the television was invented
in 1927 live broadcasts had begun just two years earlier not everyone had a television in 1953 but
that didn't keep British citizens from watching it's estimated that over 27 million people across
the UK watch the broadcast out of a population of 36 million it was the first time regular citizens
were able to see the coordination of a member of their royal family officially taking the throne
this quite possibly contributed to the reason that she soon became so beloved amongst her subjects
many felt closer to her than any who had preceded because they had this connection with her from the
very beginning of her Reign 20. she never actually thought she would be Queen Elizabeth's father was
the second son of King George V and was not in line to take the throne his older brother King
Edward VII was made king after the death of their father but King Edward VII Elizabeth's
Uncle abdicated his throne for love King Edward with the eighth met and fell in love with an
American socialite named Wallace Simpson in order to marry her he had to give up the throne which he
did making his younger brother the new king this put Elizabeth in direct line of succession after
the death of her father King George VI Elizabeth was crowned queen 19. her full official name is
quite long Elizabeth's given name at Birth was Elizabeth Alexander Mary it's a perfectly lovely
and very fitting name oddly later in life she was able to choose the surname Windsor her official
name at the time of her death however was quite a bit longer Elizabeth II by the grace of God of
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of other Realms and territories Queen
head of the Commonwealth defender of the faith although that's got nothing on chambe Airport
being in Wales that fact is still somehow connected so I didn't go too off the rails
there 18. hers was the longest reign of any Monarch in British history Elizabeth held
the crown for over 70 years she took the crown when she was 25. and held it until she was 96.
that was the longest reign of any British monarch in history in world history Elizabeth held the
crown for the second longest Reign surpassing King Rama IX of Thailand only 88 days before her death
the only person to remain on the throne longer than Elizabeth was King Louis XIV
of France he held the crown for 72 years 111 days from May 13 1643 to September 1st 1715.
17. she was extremely private Elizabeth was one of the most recognizable individuals in the world
yet very few really knew her at all she never did an interview she almost never shared her personal
opinions in the picture for him she believed her position should not focus on her but should be
a symbol of the strength and perseverance of the British people well the intention was good
didn't always work to her Advantage rarely showing emotion she was sometimes thought to be cold in
the loop this was especially true after the death of Princess Diana when she remained silent and
refused to let the British flag fly at half mast over Buckingham Palace it's teen she wanted to do
her part in the mid 90s during a nationwide recession there was much criticism aimed at
the Royal Family about their lavish lifestyle she understood the frustration that people felt
and even though she was exempt declared that she would pay the proper taxes on her personal wealth
she also removed some members of the royal family who are getting salaries from the government
15. she didn't take herself too seriously while in public Elizabeth II was always proper and the
perfect representative of the British people but in private she never took herself too seriously
in an interview in early 2022 one of her protection officers Richard Griffin told a
story about accompanying Her Majesty on a walk near her residence in Balmoral in aberdeenshire
Scotland according to Griffin they came across an American couple on holiday and stopped the chat
they didn't realize they were standing before the Queen the cup asked how long she lived there and
she replied by telling them she had lived there for over 80 years they said wow you must admit
the queen many times she told them she hadn't but her companion knew the queen personally
so the couple asked if she could take a photo of them with Griffin and she happily agreed
after the picture was taken Griffin suggested that they also get a picture with Elizabeth
still having no idea who she was they agreed after Taurus Departed the queen said to
Griffin I would love to be a fly on the wall when they show that picture to their friends
oh I miss her already now 14. she served during World War II
during World War II as was her nature she served her country she became a member of the auxiliary
territorial service the ATS was formed in 1938 as a women's voluntary service eventually merging
into the women's Royal Air corps while serving Elizabeth learned to be a driver and a mechanic
then she wasn't doing the job symbolically either she took her duties seriously and didn't mind
getting filthy and greasy at all she felt it was an honor to be able to help her fellow citizens
13. while she never attended an actual brick and mortar school she and her sister Princess
Margaret were privately tutored by the very best tutors of London one of whom became the
Provost of Eaton College her courses in religion were taught by the Archbishop of Canterbury 12.
she didn't like many of the trappings of the monarchy while she kept proper protocol in public
behind closed doors she preferred a simpler life in a documentary made for her Platinum Jubilee the
public celebration of the 70th anniversary of a Reign her daughter-in-law Kate spoke of this
you would expect a lot of grandeur and a lot of fuss Kate said but what actually resonates with
me is her love for little things the lack of fuss and I think that's a special quality to have 11.
she acted in more than just a James Bond short in a video recorded for the opening of her Platinum
Jubilee she won praise for her performance in a short film with an iconic British star
Paddington Bear in the video the two are having tea and marmalade sandwiches together
stay Paddington tells the queen that it's his favorite and then he always keeps one hidden under
his hat the queen then confines in Paddington that she too loves them and always keeps one in
her handbag this wasn't the first time Paddington and the queen crossed paths one of the Paddington
books is entitled Paddington at the palace in which the bear goes to Buckingham Palace
and sees the queen through one of the windows you know what I'm gonna keep him he's this is
this is about you know British stuff and can't get much more British than Paddington so he's staying
for the rest of this list 10. she had a special wake-up call whenever she was a Balmoral Castle
everyone needs a pleasant way to start the day for queen for Queen Elizabeth II it was bagpipes
at 7 30 every morning a bagpiper would stand outside under her window and play bagpipes for
15 minutes while she listened to the bagpipes she would start her day with a gin cocktail although
this habit may have fallen off over in her final years as her health declined 9. a royal love story
Elizabeth had a 74-year marriage to Philip the son of the prince of Greece she met Phillip when she
was just eight years old and he was 14. they met at the wedding of her uncle and his aunt over the
years they would see each other occasionally and they communicated through letters she eventually
found herself quite enamored with him one day while Philip was visiting Balmoral he proposed to
her this was unconventional at the time as usually a man would ask for permission to propose from the
woman's father who would then either approve or disapprove of the Union Elizabeth skipped
the tradition of Parental approval and accepted Philip's proposal on the spot oh eight she was a
rebel behind the wheel after learning how to drive for her military service Elizabeth decided she
liked it and drove often she owned a jaguar and a Range Rover in which she would go for Joyrides the
thing is she never actually got a driver's license as the queen she wasn't required to have one
Elizabeth was also not required to put any plates on her vehicles and even more interesting
was the fact that she was also not required to have a passport for international travel
all passports from Great Britain aren't in the name of Queen Elizabeth II so
what's the point really seven she didn't break rules because of who she was
Elizabeth married Prince Philip in 1947. this was shortly after the end of World War II
and Europe was in the process of rebuilding as needed goods were less available and to ensure
that every citizen could get what they needed the country was on a coupon rationing system
the British government allowed her 200 coupons to get materials for her dress women who were
also engaged at the time sent their coupons to the queen as well hoping she would be able to have her
dream dress but as it was illegal to share coupons they were all returned 6. dressed for a purpose
the queen was known for her brightly colored outfits complete with matching headwear even
though she cared about looking well and keeping the perfect Royal image the outfits and hats had
a purpose Elizabeth always believed the monarchy was there for the people she wore the outfits so
that she could stand out and become the center of attention understanding how memorable and
important getting to see the queen could be she wore clothing that would make her easier to see 5.
the queen started an odd but touching tradition each year the queen would send a letter to anyone
celebrating their 100th birthday if they made it to 105 they would get another letter for that
birthday and every birthday following she also started sending letters of congratulations to
couples who were celebrating their 60th 65th and 70th wedding anniversaries although the
letters were pre-written the queen would always personally sign them four Queen on the moon
in 1969 prior to the Apollo 11 moon landing Mission many world leaders were invited to
record messages of Goodwill and unity these messages were put onto a disk and placed in
the Space Capsule before launch this disc still sits on the surface of the Moon at the base of
the American flag planted by the astronauts the queen accepted the invitation her message said on
behalf of the British people I salute the skill and courage which have brought man to the Moon
made this endeavor increase the knowledge and well-being of mankind three she is a real doll
to celebrate her birthday and her Platinum Jubilee the queen got her own Barbie doll
wanting to do a special line celebrating women of notoriety Mattel created a doll in the Queen's
image in a statement to USA Today Lisa McKnight a Mattel EVP stated the queen is a perfect addition
to the Barbie tribute collection intended to honor women whose contributions have had a great impact
we're proud to celebrate her historic Milestone and encourage kids to learn more about her Legacy
we got your back Mattel kids will learn about it now you're welcome two scary moments
there were a couple of moments in Elizabeth's life that were quite unnerving and could have
ended in tragedy the first happened in 1981 during the trooping of the color ceremony the queen was
heading to Buckingham Palace on Horseback leading the Royal procession suddenly shots rang out
seventeen-year-old Marcus Sargent had wanted to stun and mystify the whole world with nothing
more than a gun just as those he was obsessed with had assassinated John Lennon and John F Kennedy
because of England's strict gun laws Sergeant was only able to buy blanks and not live ammunition
for the weapon the second moment occurred a year after the first this time it happened inside
Buckingham Palace a man Michael Fagan managed to get over the barbed wire fencing that surrounds
the palace he was then able to make his way to a drain pipe near the Queen's quarters shimmy up
it and crawl into her bedroom Legend says that the queen was calm and had a long conversation
with the man until security arrived but fagin tells a different story in a later interview
with the independent fagin said she went past me and ran out of the room her little bare feet
running across the floor one compassion and Grace the queen prided herself on the tradition and Rich
history of England but on September 13 2001 she broke with the tradition established in 1660.
her reasons for this proved her compassion towards others two days after the World Trade
Center towers fell Queen Elizabeth ordered the United States national anthem to be
played during The Changing of the Guard her reason for this was to give support
and comfort to every American who was stranded in London wanting to be with their loved ones
Queen Elizabeth was a singular woman who led her country and her family through many difficult
times as previously stated she wasn't always perfect Nan had her fair share of controversy but
she was an exceptional leader and the best person to lead the United Kingdom into a new millennium
so what are some other facts about the late Queen Elizabeth we may have missed let us know in the
comments below or share your answers with us via social media links in the description below
including my Cameo if you want a personal shout out yeah it was a Shameless plug you know
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