10 little known things about the Queen that will make you smile

Queen Elizabeth is about become the longest reigning royal in history on September 9, and tonight we decided we want to know more about the Queen on a personal level!

There are 10 little known things you didn’t know about the Queen that will make you smile!

1. When the Queen needs to practise for the State Opening of Parliament, she can’t use the State Crown (as it is on display at the Tower of London), the Queen will then use a sack of flour on her head of equivalent weight.

2. In 1953/54 when the Queen set on her Coronation tour and visited some warm countries like Australia. The Queen would hold her pearl necklace up from her neck to avoid an unfortunate tan-line.

3. Elizabeth as a young Princess was sick of writing out columns of verbs in her French classes that she decided to pour a bottle of ink over her head in protest.

4. Despite being crowned Queen for a while, Elizabeth didn’t truly feel like a queen until she saw the emblazoned E.R. legend on the Windsor milk bottles.

5. When the Queen has finished her dinner, instead of chatting, she will read letters from the members of the public. Elizabeth enjoys reading about their lives, like ducklings that have hatched, that a drain cover has not been replaced by the local authority, that they don’t like the government or monarchy and so on.

6. A courtier once told the young Prince Harry “The Queen will be here at teatime” to which he responded, “Who’s the Queen”?

7. One Christmas day, after the royals finished their meal, a junior footman, Fraser Marlton Thomas, thought that The Queen was getting up from the table, while he moved her chair, she sat right back down and immediately feel to the floor. Luckily unhurt, the Queen found the act as amusing as the rest of her family.

8. The Queen will use her handbag as a vital signalling device. If the Queen places her bag on the dinner table it means: I want to leave in five minutes. If Elizabeth moves her handbag from arm to arm it means it is time to talk to someone else.

9. When the Queen met The Beatles in 1963 at the Royal Variety Show she was more then excited. She asked Paul McCartney where their next show was and he replied with “Slough, Ma’am”. Elizabeth was delighted and as the view of Slough can be seen from the royal residence at Windsor. “Oh, that near us”, she said!

10. As Windsor is right next to Heathrow and planes roar over the castle. The Queen can identify each type of plane by its sounds. When friends have lunch with The Queen, she says “Boeing 717” Then responds with “That’s an airbus”.

Extracted from What A Thing To Say To The Queen: A Collection Of Royal Anecdotes From The House Of Windsor by Thomas Blaikie.

Tell us, which of these made you smile? Do you have another