- Was the first member of the British royal family to reach age 100.
- Adolf Hitler called her Europe's most dangerous woman for her ability to boost the morale of the British people during the London blitz.
- On her wedding day, Elizabeth laid her bouquet at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on her way into Westminster Abbey, a gesture that every royal bride since has copied, though on the way back from the altar rather than to it.
- Her funeral preparations began in 1969, 33 years before her death.
- Died less than two months after the death of her daughter, Princess Margaret, who died on February 7, 2002, of a stroke.
- When Prince Albert, the future King George VI, proposed to Elizabeth in 1921, she turned him down: "afraid never, never again to be free to think, speak and act as I feel I really ought to." When he declared he would marry no other, his mother, the formidable Queen Mary - after visiting Glamis to see for herself the girl who had stolen her son's heart - arranged for Albert's rival, the Earl of Moray, to be conveniently dispatched to a post overseas, clearing the prince's way.
- Her favorite actor was John Wayne.
- Was of Scottish heritage.
- Had 2 children: Elizabeth Alexandra Mary (Queen Elizabeth II) (b. 21 April 1926) and Princess Margaret Rose (b. 21 August 1930).
- Became Queen Consort on husband King George VI's accession to the throne in December 1936.
- Her older brother, Fergus, was killed at the Battle of Loos. Another brother, Michael, was reported missing in action in May 1917. But he had actually been captured after being wounded and remained in a POW camp for the rest of the War.
- Fluent in French.
- Grandchildren: 'Prince Charles' (b. 14 November 1948), Princess Anne (b. 12 August 1950), Prince Andrew (b. 19 February 1960), David Armstrong-Jones [Viscount Linley] (b. 3 November 1961), Prince Edward (Prince Edward) (b. 10 March 1964) and Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones (b. 1 May 1964).
- Born at her father's summer home.
- Is portrayed by Helena Bonham Carter in The King's Speech (2010). Writer David Seidler, who suffered from a stutter as a child, found inspiration in her husband King George VI's ability to overcome it, and asked her permission to write a play about it. Elizabeth gave her permission on one condition: it could not be produced until after her death, as she found the memories quite painful. Seidler agreed, and after her death, producers found his script for a play and proposed turning into a film instead.
- She was a fan of the US sitcom The Golden Girls (1985) and requested its four stars - Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty - to perform at the 1988 Royal Variety Performance.
- After the accession of her daughter to the throne as Queen Elizabeth II, she was given the title of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.
- Great-grandchildren: Peter Phillips (b. 15 November 1977), Zara Tindall (b. 15 May 1981), Prince William of Wales (b. 21 June 1982), Prince Harry (b. 15 September 1984), Princess Beatrice of York (b. 8 August 1988), Princess Eugenie of York (b. 23 March 1990) and Lady Louise Windsor (b. 8 November 2003). Viscount Severn (b. 17 December 2007).
- The fourth daughter and the ninth of ten children of the 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne.
- Sister of David Bowes-Lyon.
- Upon the death of her husband, King George VI, in 1952 she took up residence in the Royal Lodge at Windsor.
- She was a fan of the sitcom Keeping Up Appearances (1990) and of the series' star, Patricia Routledge.
- She was awarded the C.C. (Companion of the Order of Canada) on August 1, 2000 for her services to Canada.
- Was a fourth cousin of Oswald Mosley.
- Held the office of Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports from 1978 to 2002 (her death), succeeding Sir Robert Gordon Menzies and Sir Winston Churchill to this ancient post.
- Attended the Royal Variety Performance on November 24th, 1986 where she saw among other things David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst and Buster Merryfield in character as Del Boy, Rodney Trotter and Uncle Albert from Only Fools and Horses (1981) in a four-minute sketch written by the show's creator, John Sullivan, where she was mistaken for Del's employer. When she waved to Jason, he almost dried because he wasn't expecting that. When they later met her, she said thank you; Jason was deeply touched, for five seconds when she said the exact same thing in the exact same tone to everyone else in the line. But Jason still said it was a lovely interlude.
- Her favourite comedy performers were Frankie Howerd and The Crazy Gang and she was a big fan of the sitcom Dad's Army (1968).
- Portrayed by Gabrielle Blunt in Diana: Her True Story (1993).
- She was a fan of the television comedy Steptoe and Son (1962).
- She was actively performing royal duties and attending public engagements until November 2001, at the age of 101.
- Was born at 12:30 AM (GMT).
- In 1995, upon learning that Princess Diana had taped an interview with Martin Bashir about her troubled marriage, Elizabeth scheduled a needed hip-replacement surgery for the same week as the broadcast, that should she die of complications from the surgery the media coverage would eclipse Diana's interview.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content