The Queen has visited more than 100 countries and sat for more than 200 official portraits (Picture: Getty) The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations are underway, with street parties up and down the country set to bring millions of people together to mark the historic occasion. Her Majesty thanked the nation on the eve of the festivities, saying in a special message that she hoped ‘many happy memories’ will be formed over the long bank holiday weekend. The nation’s longest reigning monarch, 96, also said it would provide an opportunity to reflect on the achievements of the last 70 years.
During that time, she has visited more than 100 countries and sat for more than 200 official portraits. The Queen has also been served by 14 Prime Ministers and met 13 of the 14 US Presidents who have held office over the course of her reign. She has sent 300,000 cards to people celebrating their 100th birthday and more than 900,000 messages to couple’s toasting their Diamond (60th) Wedding Anniversaries.
Here, Metro. co. uk explores 70 facts about the Queen to mark her 70 years on the throne: – 1.
On September 9, 2015, the Queen became the longest reigning monarch in British history, surpassing the reign of her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria. In a speech given on the historic day during an engagement in the Scottish Borders, the Queen said: ‘Inevitably a long life can pass by many milestones, my own is no exception, but I thank you all and the many others at home and overseas for your touching messages of great kindness. ’ – 2.
Within the Commonwealth alone, the Queen has made more than 150 visits during her reign. – 3. The Queen has visited more than 100 countries as monarch, including Canada 22 times, more than any other country in the world, and France 13 times, more than any other country in Europe.
The Queen on her way to the Houses of Parliament to perform the first State Opening Ceremony of her reign (Picture: Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis via Getty Images) The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh preparing for their state visit to India, Pakistan, Nepal and Iran, (Picture: Bettmann Archive) – 4. The Queen’s first solo public engagement (as Princess Elizabeth) was on April 21, 1942, her 16th birthday, when she inspected the Grenadier Guards at Windsor Castle. – 5.
The Queen has carried out more than 21,000 engagements over the course of her reign. – 6. The Queen has given Royal Assent to approximately 4,000 Acts of Parliament.
– 7. The Queen has hosted 112 incoming state visits to the United Kingdom, including Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia (1954), Emperor Hirohito of Japan (1971), President Lech Walesa of Poland (1991) and President Barack Obama of the US (2011). – 8.
The Queen is currently patron of more than 500 organisations, including: more than 70 education and training organisations; over 60 sports and recreational organisation; more than 30 faith organisations; and over 40 arts and cultural organisations. – 9. The Queen has sent over 300,000 congratulatory cards to people celebrating their 100th birthdays, and over 900,000 messages to couples marking their Diamond (60th) Wedding Anniversaries.
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh attended the rehearsal of the Coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey (Picture: mediadrumimages/TopFoto) A number of special events are being held in Windsor to mark the very special occasion (Picture: Maureen McLean/Rex/Shutterstock) The Queen beams during a picture-taking session in the salon at Sandringham House (Picture: Bettmann Archive) This photo was included in the royal tribute. It shows the Queen marking the start of her Platinum Jubilee Year at Sandringham House (Picture: Chris Jackson/Getty) – 10. At least 35 countries have issued coinage with the image of the Queen.
– 11. The Queen has held over 50 ranks and appointments in the British and Commonwealth Armed Services during her lifetime. – 12.
The Queen holds the title ‘Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church of England’. These titles date back to the reign of King Henry VIII, who was initially granted the title Defender of the Faith in 1521, by Pope Leo X. – 13.
The Queen is a committed Christian and churchgoer and has often spoken of her faith in her speeches and broadcasts. ‘For me, the life of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, whose birth we celebrate today, is an inspiration and an anchor in my life,’ she said in her 2014 Christmas Broadcast. ‘A role model of reconciliation and forgiveness, he stretched out his hands in love, acceptance and healing.
‘Christ’s example has taught me to seek to respect and value all people of whatever faith or none. ’ – 14. The Queen has sat for over 200 official portraits during her reign, the first was in 1933 when she was seven-years old and was a portrait painted by Anglo-Hungarian artist Philip Alexius de Laszlo.
Chris Levine’s portrait of Queen Elizabeth II titled ‘Lightness of Being’ (Picture: Ray Tang/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) – 15. The Royal Collection, held in trust by the Queen for her successors and the nation, is estimated to have over a million individual pieces, including over 8,000 paintings, 160,000 watercolours, prints and drawings, 200,000 photographs, 300,000 items of decorative art and 200,000 books and manuscripts. – 16.
More than 180 garden parties have been held at Buckingham Palace since 1952 and over 1. 5 million people have attended a Garden Party during the Queen’s reign. – 17.
There have been 14 presidents of the United States during the Queen’s reign, and, with the exception of President Lyndon B Johnson (1963-9), she has met each one. – 18. The Queen has been served by 14 Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom during her reign – her first PM was Winston Churchill.
The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh with American President John F Kennedy and his wife, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy (Picture: Photoquest/Getty Images) President Ronald Reagan laughs following a joke by Queen Elizabeth II (Picture: Bettmann/Getty Images) The Queen and US President Barack Obama (Picture: Rota/Anwar Hussein/Getty Images) Sir WInston Churchill opens the door of Queen Elizabeth’s car, as she leaves after dining with him and the Duke of Edinburgh (Picture: PA) – 19. The Queen has owned more than 30 Corgis and Dorgis during her reign, most of which have been descended from her first Corgi, Susan, who was gifted to her on her 18th birthday in 1944. – 20.
The Queen travelled on the London Underground for the first time in May 1939 with her governess Marion Crawford and her sister Princess Margaret. Since then, she has opened the new section of the Victoria Line (1969); opened the Piccadilly Line extension to Heathrow Airport (1977); visited Baker Street Station to mark the 150th anniversary of the London Underground (2013); and made a surprise visit to Paddington earlier this month to open the new Elizabeth Line. {"@context":"https:\/\/schema.
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‘We are trying to do all we can to help our gallant sailors, soldiers and airmen, and we are trying, too, to bear our own share of the danger and sadness of war. ’ – 22. The Queen joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service (the women’s branch of the British Army during the Second World War) in 1945, becoming the first female member of the Royal Family to join the armed services as a full-time, active member.
As a Subaltern, she learned to drive and maintain vehicles. – 23. The Queen’s official overseas visit was in 1947 as Princess Elizabeth, when she toured South Africa, Southern Rhodesia (modern-day Zimbabwe) and the British Protectorate of Bechuanaland (Botswana) with King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.
The Queen celebrated her 21st birthday in South Africa, which was marked by a speech broadcast across the Commonwealth. In the speech the Princess pledged nothing less than her life’s work to her subjects, saying: ‘I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service. ’ {"@context":"https:\/\/schema.
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mp4","height":270,"width":480} To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video – 24. The Queen’s first military appointment was as Colonel of the Grenadier Guards. The appointment was made in February 1942 following the death of her great uncle and Godfather, The Duke of Connaught.
– 25. In 1953 she made the first Christmas broadcast from overseas, broadcasting live from New Zealand. In the broadcast, the Queen spoke of how welcomed she felt: ‘I have travelled some thousands of miles through many changing scenes and climates on my voyage here.
‘Despite all that, however, I find myself today completely and most happily at home. ’ – 26. The Royal Yacht Britannia was first used by the Queen when she embarked with the Duke of Edinburgh on May 1, 1954, at Tobruk, Libya, for the final stage of their Commonwealth Tour, returning to the Pool of London.
The last time the Queen was on board Britannia for an official visit was on August 9, 1997, for a visit to the Isle of Arran. – 27. On March 26, 1976, the Queen sent her first email during a visit to the Royal Radar Establishment, Malvern, now known as the Royal Signals and Radar Establishment.
The email was sent to the US Secretary of Defence to formally open the UK/US collaboration on a military programming language. Princess Elizabeth square dancing at Ottawa Government House reception (Picture: mediadrumimages/TopFoto) The Queen opening the newly re-furbished Somerset House East Wing, King’s College, London (Picture: Eddie Mulholland/Pool/AFP via Getty Images) – 28. In 1986 the Queen became the first British Monarch to visit China.
– 29. The Queen was the first British Monarch to address the United States House of Congress, on May 16, 1991. – 30.
In 1997 the Queen launched Buckingham Palace’s first official website, in 2014 she sent her first tweet and in 2019 published her first Instagram post. – 31. In 2009, the Queen witnessed Swan Upping for the first time.
This annual event on the River Thames includes the weighing and measuring of the swans and checks are made on their health and well-being. Since the 12th Century, the Monarch has retained the right to claim ownership of all unmarked mute swans found in a particular section of the River Thames. – 32.
The Queen introduced the Elizabeth Cross in 2009. It was the first medal to which she had put her name. The award was instituted to give special recognition to the families of those who have died on military operations or as a result of terrorism since 1948.
On announcing the Cross, she said: ‘This seems to me a right and proper way of showing our enduring debt to those who are killed while actively protecting what is most dear to us all. ’ {"@context":"https:\/\/schema. org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Metro.
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co. uk\/video\/met\/2022\/01\/30\/8606559965880759692\/480x270_MP4_8606559965880759692. mp4","height":270,"width":480} To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video – 33.
The Queen made a State Visit to Ireland in 2011, the first time a reigning British Monarch has visited the country since its separation from the United Kingdom. She began the speech that she gave at the State Banquet in Irish, saying: ‘A Uachtarain agus a chairde’ (President and friends). – 34.
In 2013, the Queen became the first Monarch to be presented with an Honorary Bafta award in recognition of a lifetime’s support of British film and television. – 35. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh celebrated their Platinum Wedding Anniversary in 2017, the first time a reigning monarch had done so.
– 36. To mark the Diamond Jubilee in 2012, the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant was held on June 3, 2012. 670 boats took part in the parade on the Tideway of the River Thames, making it the largest ever parade of boats, surpassing the previous world record of 327 vessels set in Bremerhaven, Germany, in 2011.
– 37. The longest overseas tour that the Queen has undertaken began in Bermuda in November 1953 and ended in Gibraltar in May 1954. She was away for 168 days and visited 13 different countries.
– 38. The greatest number of countries that the Queen has visited in one trip is 14. This was during her 1966 trip to the Caribbean.
Presenting the Jule
