Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning British
monarch, turns 90 Thursday. In celebration of her
birthday, here are 90 facts about her life:

1. She was born at 2:40 a.m. on April 21, 1926, at
17 Burton St. in Mayfair, London.

2. She was christened Elizabeth Alexandra Mary at
Buckingham Palace on May 29, 1926.

3. Elizabeth was named after her mother.

4. In 1930, then-Princess Elizabeth's sister
Margaret Rose was born.

5. When King Edward VIII abdicated the throne to
marry Wallis Simpson, Elizabeth's father became
King George VI.

6. After the 1936 abdication, Princess Elizabeth
became first in line to the throne.

7. During World War II, Elizabeth and sister
Margaret moved to Windsor Castle for their safety.

8. Elizabeth was educated at home.

9. She studied constitutional history and law,
preparing for her future role as queen.

10. She was also instructed in religion by the
Archbishop of Canterbury.

11. Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip met at a
wedding in 1934.

12. Elizabeth learned how to drive in 1945.

13. Elizabeth and Philip, the Duke of
Edinburgh, were married at Westminster Abbey on
November 20, 1947.

14. For a while, Elizabeth and Philip enjoyed a
somewhat normal existence in Malta between 1949
and 1951. Philip was an officer in the
Mediterranean Fleet.

15. Elizabeth became queen when King George VI
died in February 1952.

16. In 1953, Elizabeth II attended her first football
match (FA Cup Final).

17. Elizabeth have four children (Prince
Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince
Edward).

18. She has made five official visits to the United
States during her reign.

19. Elizabeth II has answered over 3.5 million items
of correspondence.

20. She has owned over 30 corgis. Her first dog
was named Susan.

21. Elizabeth says Prince Phillip has been her
"strength and stay" during her reign.

22. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh became
the first couple in the Royal Family to celebrate 60
years of marriage, also known as their diamond
wedding anniversary.

23. For her Diamond Jubilee in 2012, the queen
received over 120,000 cards, letter and gifts.

24. Her coronation was the first to be televised in
England.

25. Her great-grandson Prince George calls her
"Gan-Gan."

26. The oldest recipient of a message from the
queen was a man from Canada who turned 116 in
December 1984.

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

28. The queen learned of her father's death while
she was in Kenya.

29. The last British governor of New South Wales
made three films, entitled Long to reign over
us about Elizabeth's accession and coronation

30. She was coronated in Westminster Abbey in
June 1953.

31. It was raining during her coronation.

32. Drives through London, visits to Scotland,
Northern Ireland and Wales, and a review of the
fleet at Spithead followed the coronation.

33. In three months in 1977, to celebrate the 25th
anniversary of her accession, Elizabeth went on six
tours that took her through 36 counties in the
UK and Northern Ireland.

34. In that same year, her travels continued
overseas to countries including Australia, New
Zealand, Papua New Guinea and other countries.

35. That year, it's estimated that the queen and
the Duke of Edinburgh traveled 56,000 miles.

36. That June, she lit a a bonfire beacon that
began a chain of celebratory beacons across the
country.

37. The next day, after making a speech during
which she declared she had no regrets in taking on
her responsibilities, 4,000 street and village parties
were reported to have been held across the
country.

38. In 2002, she celebrated 50 years of reign.

39. During that year, she visited every region of the
UK, as well as many other countries.

40. June 2002 was the main focus of the
celebration, and involved services as well as two
concerts including artists such as Paul McCartney
and Elton John.

41. During Elizabeth's 80th-birthday celebrations,
she held a "Children's Party at the Palace" and
invited 2,000 kids.

42. On April 19, two days before her birthday, she
invited guests who also turned 80 years old
to Buckingham Palace.

43. She spent April 21 meeting the crowds in
Windsor before a family dinner, with fireworks.

44. During the year, she received almost 40,000
birthday messages from the public.

45. For the queen's 60th wedding anniversary, she
returned to her honeymoon location, Broadlands in
Hampshire; she and Philip recreated their wedding
photos.

46. The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Trust took
donations for initiatives like Queen's Young
Leaders.

47. The queen's favorite animals are horses and
dogs.

48. She regularly attends both the Derby at Epsom
and the Summer Race Meeting at Ascot.

49. Elizabeth owns and breeds thoroughbreds and
often watches her horses race at other events,
where they have won numerous times.

50. She also is interested in Scottish country
dancing, and she gives annual dances for the
community.

51. She gives to almost 40 animal-related
organizations as well as almost 90 medical and
health-care charities, in addition to the hundreds of
other organizations she is involved with.

52. The queen celebrates her birthday twice —
once in April and once in June — because
sovereign birthdays are often celebrated twice
when not naturally in the summer.

53. Once a week for an hour, she meets with
Britain's prime minister.

54. The queen speaks fluent French.

55. Norman Hartnell designed the queen's wedding
and coronation gowns, as well as her dress for her
first visit to the U.S. as monarch.

56. Queen Elizabeth II is the 40th monarch since
William the Conqueror was crowned in 1066.

57. There have been 12 U.S. presidents since she
first began her reign.

58. There have been seven Roman Catholic popes
during her time as monarch.

59. The queen was a Girl Guide as a child, as well
as a Sea Ranger (a portion of Girl Guides dedicated
to sailing).

60. Elizabeth has 30 godchildren.

61. Queen Elizabeth II became the first British
monarch to visit China in 1986.

62. She sent her first email in 1976 from a British
research facility.

63. Since she began her reign, there have been
six Archbishops of Canterbury.

64. She bred a corgi with a dachshund and created
the dorgi, and has continued to breed them since.

65. The queen once had to demote a footman for
putting whiskey and gin in one of her corgi's water
bowls.

66. She is the oldest to celebrate 60 years in the
crown, second only to Queen Victoria who
celebrated the milestone at 77.

67. In summer 2005, she opened the first children's
trail in the Buckingham Palace garden.

68. The British Monarchy Youtube channel
launched in 2007 and has almost 56 million
views and more than 150,000 subscribers.

69. The queen is the only person in the UK who
doesn't need a driver's license or a license plate to
drive.

70. Elizabeth also does not need a passport to
travel internationally.

71. As a princess, Elizabeth drove a truck and
trained as a mechanic in World War II.

72. Whales, dolphins, porpoises and sturgeons are
considered “Fishes Royal" and therefore the
property of the monarch when caught within three
miles of the UK coast.

73. The queen, when gifted rare animals such as
jaguars, donates them to the London Zoo.

74. To pay for her wedding dress materials, she
collected rationing coupons.

75. She has visited more than 115 countries.

76. After visiting Belfast in 2014, she referenced
her June Game of Thrones set tour in her
Christmas message. She even met some of the
actors.

78. Her love of dogs came from her great-
great grandmother Queen Victoria, who owned
dachshunds and Scottish collies.

79. Only five other British kings and queens have
ruled for 50 years or more.

80. Since her rule began, she has visited Edinburgh
nearly every year during Holyrood Week. She stays
in the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

81. Queen Elizabeth II has given royal assent to, or
passed, more than 3,500 Acts of Parliament after
passed by the houses of Lords and Commons.

82. The queen has visited the Vatican three times,
most recently to visit Pope Francis in 2014.

83. The Royal Yacht Britannia traveled over
1 million miles in the more than 40 years it was in
use by the royal family — that's an average of
25,000 miles a year.

84. The queen has traveled overseas more than
250 times.

85. Elizabeth has attended every Parliament
opening with the exception of two, during which
she was expecting two of her children.

86. Two of the more recent prime ministers were
born during her reign: Tony Blair and David
Cameron were born in 1953 and 1966, respectively.

87. Her love of horses began with a gift of a pony
for her third birthday.

88. The queen usually receives around 60,000
letters a year.

89. She made a radio broadcast in 1940 at the age
of 14.

90. The queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have
sent more than 45,000 Christmas cards.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Sources: Royal.gov.uk; USA TODAY research

what do you mean by had?


17. Elizabeth had four children (Prince
Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince
Edward).

I cant celebrate her for travelling to 115 countries wen i have a president who has toured over 148 countries!
Na joke i dey o, before some people go come for my head o

Hmmm

God bless the Queen

Whatever before God we are equal

It's more than 60yrs nah! 1953 till now is what?


66. She is the oldest to celebrate 60 years behind Queen Victoria @ 77 as a monarch

God save the queen!

ORACLE1975:
God bless the Queen

Happy Birthday our good mother of the Commonwealth!!!! And your 91st Credit, a 90 year old Allen woman in your neighborhood is Pregnant.

How nlers, l just buy am #250 per litre.
Let me on ma generator. We are the GENERATOR REPUBLIC aka Nigera

84. The queen has traveled overseas more than
250 times.



Buhari 30 in less a year....he has to beat ds

Happy Birthday to the queen....

i can't help but wonder how come its only the queens that rules longer than the kings?...wetin dey kill the kings wey no make them fit rule past 50yrs o

Sexytemi:
Happy Birthday to the queen....

i can't help but wonder how come its only the queens that rules longer than the kings?...wetin dey kill the kings wey no make them fit rule past 50yrs o

wars, adventure, and concubines. in fact kings are too serious on throne.... this queen takes life easy plus she is ceremonial.

McTobe:
wars, adventure, and concubines. in fact kings are too serious on throne.... this queen takes life easy plus she is ceremonial.

Lol....how is she ceremonial

Sexytemi:



Lol....how is she ceremonial

because she does not have actual powers like most of her predecessors, today the Queen cannot take serious political decisions as in the good old days. after the glorious revolution their powers started declining with the people & the members of the house of common cutting down the throne political powers & transferring it either to the prime minister or to the House of common (I.e democratization of what use to be her powers) leaving her with little actual or no political powers. But she can still influence any matter of politics to a great extent where she have vested interest but that is where it stops INFLUENCE. Anybody with a fair knowledge of what their power use to be will know that it has really depreciated to nothing.

McTobe:
because she does not have actual powers like most of her predecessors, today the Queen cannot take serious political decisions as in the good old days. after the glorious revolution their powers started declining with the people & the members of the house of common cutting down the throne political powers & transferring it either to the prime minister or to the House of common (I.e democratization of what use to be her powers) leaving her with little actual or no political powers. But she can still influence any matter of politics to a great extent where she have vested interest but that is where it stops INFLUENCE. Anybody with a fair knowledge of what their power use to be will know that it has really depreciated to nothing.

hmmmm....you right.....cox i read it were it was said that the french revolution of 1789 had great impact in europe, i guess this is one of it.

have always wondered y the queen still existed if the french revolution was to eradicate monarchy.

Sexytemi:



hmmmm....you right.....cox i read it were it was said that the french revolution of 1789 had great impact in europe, i guess this is one of it.

have always wondered y the queen still existed if the french revolution was to eradicate monarchy.

The French revolution was in France and it influenced the course of events in many parts of the world United state of America inclusive at least the writings of Montesquieu a French scholar of the revolution era on separation of power influenced the development of US Democracy but not much on Britain. the decline of the Monarchs power in England started with the signing of the Magna Carta by king John in 1215 and later by the Glorious revolution and the English civil war which led to the killing of king Charles 1in 1648/1649. the French revolution was in 1780s like u said so their powers have even started declining before 100 yrs before then.