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Britain’s longest-reigning monarch Queen Elizabeth II died at her home in Scotland on Thursday, aged 96. Her eldest son and heir, Prince Charles, 73, has become King Charles III.
The U.K.’s national anthem, “God Save the Queen.” will now change to “God Save the King” with Charles on the throne.
Similarly, currencies in the U.K. featuring the queen’s portrait will eventually be replaced with the King’s portrait.
Let us look at some of the lesser-known facts about Elizabeth.
No driving license for the Queen
The queen had many benefits as the country’s sovereign. One of them was that she did not need a driver’s license to drive on public roads in the U.K. Although Elizabeth had several staff to take her to various destinations, she was known to enjoy getting behind the wheel. She was very fond of driving.
Multiple Birthdays for Queen Elizabeth
Elizabeth was born on April 21, 1926, but there was no unanimously fixed day for her “official birthday.” It’s either the first, second or third Saturday in June, and was decided by the government. In Canada, her birthday was marked on a Monday, either on or before May 24, Queen Victoria’s birthday. In Australia, her birthday was celebrated on the second Monday of June.
Queen, a great mimicker
The queen had a mischievous sense of humor and a talent for mimicry in private company. Bishop Michael Mann, the monarch’s domestic chaplain, once said, “the queen imitating the Concorde landing is one of the funniest things you could see.” She recently starred in a funny video alongside an animated Paddington Bear and spoke of hiding marmalade sandwiches in her purse.
A personal ATM for the Queen
Elizabeth had a private ATM in the basement of Buckingham Palace. The ATM was from Coutts bank and was strictly for members of the Royal Family only. According to Tatler, banking at Coutts is free if you have around £1.3 million in your account.
Queen’s pet name was ‘Cabbage’
According to a media report, the queen was reportedly known as “Cabbage”, which only Prince Philip used to call her. In 2006, British biographer and historical consultant on Netflix’s “The Crown,” Robert Lacey, confirmed that the prince often borrowed the name of the leafy vegetable to refer to his wife.
Queen bought her wedding dress with ration coupons
According to British Heritage, Elizabeth used clothing ration coupons to purchase the material for her wedding dress during World War II. However, with the austerity measures, the government allowed her 200 extra ration coupons to buy her dress.
Queen as a truck driver
During World War II, Elizabeth volunteered as a truck driver. As a result, she briefly became known as No. 230873, Second Subaltern Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor of the Auxiliary Transport Service No. 1. She used to drive service ambulances. Within a few months, she rose to the rank of honorary Junior Commander.
Only seven inches of water for Queen to take a bath
According to the Daily Mail, the queen’s former personal assistant once said she was very particular regarding bathing. The tub had to be precisely the right temperature: tested with a wooden-cased thermometer and no more than seven inches of water.
Queen sent a message to the Moon
With NASA’s help, Elizabeth sent a message to the Moon to congratulate the Apollo 11 astronauts on the first moon landing. The queen’s goodwill message and quotes from other dignitaries were etched onto a silicon disk. The disk was about the size of a 50-cent piece, and the etchings on it could only be read by microscope.
Photo: Philip Mallis on flickr
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Image and article originally from www.benzinga.com. Read the original article here.