Queen Elizabeth Britain's Longest-serving Monarch: 10 Facts You Never Knew

The queen, Britain's longest-serving monarch passed away in  Balmoral Castle today. She faced "episodic mobility problems" since the end of 2017. Following further evaluation this morning, the Queen's doctors were concerned for Her Majesty’s health and have recommended she remain under medical supervision, the palace said in a statement.

The fact that Queen Elizabeth II was an extremely private person just added to the intrigue surrounding her.

Here are 10 interesting and lesser-known facts about the head of state of Canada.

Queen Elizabeth II lesser known facts:

- Queen Elizabeth II’s full name is Elizabeth Alexandra Mary. Her grandfather, King George V, gave the Queen her first horse, a Shetland pony named Peggy.

- After her father became King in 1936, Princess Elizabeth began studying constitutional history and law. When Her Majesty received her education at home, she also took French, German and music lessons.

- The began speaking on the radio when she was just 14 years old.

- British Heritage claims that the Queen had to return donations from women all over the UK and used ration coupons to pay for the fabric for her bridal gown.

- Only the Queen is exempt from the requirement for a driver's license to operate a vehicle on public roads in the UK.

- According to the Royal Family's official website, Her Majesty has travelled more than any British monarch before her. During her reign, she has travelled more than 150 times just inside the Commonwealth.

Suggested Reading: Having Female Friendly Public Spaces Doesn’t Mean Special Treatment, It Is A Need

- The Queen has visited more than 100 nations during her reign. She visited France 13 times and Canada 22 times.

-Princess Elizabeth served in World War II as a volunteer mechanic and truck driver before becoming Queen Elizabeth. She became the first female royal family member to serve in the military as a result.

- There have been seven popes, twelve Canadian prime ministers, and fourteen governors general throughout the Queen's seven decades in power.

- Close relatives used to refer to Princess Elizabeth as "Lilibet" since she had trouble pronouncing her own name while her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, is rumoured to have called her "Cabbage" back when she was still a princess. The Duchess of Cambridge stated in a BBC TV special interview a few years ago that Prince George started calling her "Gan-gan" when he was two-and-a-half-years old. Finally, her Uncle Edward gave the Queen a moniker that wasn't quite endearing. He referred to his niece as "Shirley Temple" on account of her "dumpy" frame and curly hair, which looked similar to that of the child star.