Here are 10 interesting facts about the late monarch:
1. She was not born in a palace
Although she was the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York, the future King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother) — and the eldest granddaughter of King George V, Queen Elizabeth II was not born in a palace, she was instead born in a townhouse in London that belonged to her Scottish maternal grandparents, the Earl and Countess of Strathmore on 21 April 1926.
2. She was homeschooled
Queen Elizabeth II was educated at home alongside her only sibling Princess Margaret who was born in 1930. The two princesses were educated under the supervision of their mother and their governess, Marion Crawford. They were taught lessons concentrated on history, language, literature, and music.
3. She was in Kenya when her father died
Queen Elizabeth II was in Kenya with her husband Prince Philip when her father King George VI died in 1952. Philip broke the news of King George VI’s death to his wife while they were alone during a trip to Kenya.
4. She became queen at 25
Her father king George VI died at the age of 56 on February 6, 1952, while Elizabeth was visiting Kenya with her husband, Prince Philip. Queen Elizabeth II was crowned at Westminster Abbey in central London on June 2, 1953.
5. She became head of seven independent Commonwealth countries after her coronation
The 25-year-old Queen Elizabeth II became queen regnant of seven independent Commonwealth countries. These countries were the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon (known today as Sri Lanka), as well as the Head of the Commonwealth.
6. She was the first British Monarch to visit the Republic of Ireland
Queen Elizabeth II became visited the Republic of Ireland in 2011, with the highly-charged visit making her the first British monarch to visit the country since it won independence in 1922.
7. She toured every region of Britain ahead of her diamond jubilee
Queen Elizabeth II toured every region of Britain ahead of the four-day party in June to mark the jubilee, while other royals made visits across the Commonwealth.
8. She was the head of 54 Commonwealth nations
The Commonwealth comprises 54 nations and Queen Elizabeth II was the head of these nations before her death. Her father, King George VI, was the first monarch to be formally styled as Head of the Commonwealth.
9. She was the most traveled monarch in history
Queen Elizabeth II holds the record for the most countries visited by an individual monarch. She visited more than 120 countries on six continents. Canada is the country she traveled to more than any other country outside the United Kingdom.
10. She was the longest-serving British monarch
Queen Elizabeth II’s reign of 70 years and seven months is the longest of any British monarch.
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