Queen Elizabeth II is remembered on what would have been her 100th birthday as the epitome of dignity and grace – but it’s also true that she liked a good laugh. So in celebrating this milestone, we’re revisiting her fashions and passions, her pets and pet peeves in this compendium of 100 fun and lesser-known facts – our own version of Trivial Pursuit, Royal Edition. It’s suitable for all ages, but with one warning: When it comes to the Queen, there is as much myth and lore as there are hard facts. Part of the allure of such a remarkable woman was that in her 96 years, she remained beloved, while still intriguingly unknowable.

1 | She can dance, she can jive, Elizabeth was a fan of Abba’s song Dancing Queen, and her long-time stylist, Angela Kelly, revealed that the Queen would sing and dance to it – as it played during one of her favourite programs on Radio 2 – while getting dressed in the morning. 

2 | The Queen named a total of six U.K. poet laureates during her reign and “paid” them in sherry (a barrel-full, or about 720 bottles), while the government added a £5000+ annual stipend.

3 | Her drink of choice was Gin and Dubonnet. The gin was always Gordon’s London Dry.

4 | The Queen saved rubber bands, and supposedly had a giant ball made of those that she reserved over the years.

5 | As she walked through the palaces, she could often be found turning lights off to conserve energy.

6 | She was a tree hugger, too. Elizabeth has personally planted more than 1,500 trees all over the world. 

7 | The Queen carried a set of keys with her at all times – the Dispatch Keys, which opened the boxes from her ministers – on a St. Christopher keyring given to her by her father.

8 | She kept a pad in NYC, a condo near the UN that cost her US$7.9 million circa 2015.

9 | When the Queen visited the Game of Thrones set in Belfast, she declined to sit on the Iron Throne – after all, royal protocol dictates the monarch never sit on a “foreign” throne as a sign of sovereignty. Plus, according to the actors, she said it looked uncomfortable.

10 | Likely the largest landowner in the world, the Queen counted at least 30 castles among her properties, including Hampton Court, Henry VIII’s favoured hangout, and actively used at least six of them, including Holyrood House in Edinburgh and Kensington Palace in London.

11 | While the image of King Charles III will eventually be introduced onto Canadian currency, most of watched the Queen “age” on our $20 dollar bill and coins thanks to updated portraits over the years. Even when she was just an eight-year-old princess in 1935, she graced the front of Canada’s $20 bank notes. Move over Benjamins, we’ve got Elizabeths. 

12 | She liked mimicry and had her own version of a Cockney accent, and could imitate the sound of a Concord jet landing.

13 | KitKat, with its origins in York, England, was the Queen’s favourite chocolate bar.

14 | At Buckingham Palace, the Queen woke to live bagpipes, which continued playing through breakfast. 

15 | What was in the Queen’s pot at teatime? Earl Grey.

16 | While relaxing at Balmoral, Prince Philip would man the grill while the Queen handled the sides. During a visit to the Scottish vacation castle to meet the queen, former Governor-General Michaëlle Jean recalled Prince Philip giving her a pro tip: make sure to praise the salad dressing, because the Queen made it herself and was proud of her recipe.

17 | The Queen spoke fluent French.

18 | She was godmother to 30 children.

19 | And great-grandma to 14 youngsters – 12 of whom she spent time with and two who were born after she died. When the great-grandkids would visit Balmoral, “Gan Gan” as Prince George called her, would personally leave small, wrapped gifts in their rooms for them to discover before bedtime.

20 | Her parents and sister called her Lilibet because as a toddler, Elizabeth couldn’t say her own name. Prince Philip preferred that nickname, too. When her grandson, Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, had a daughter in 2021, they used it as a first name, calling her “Lili.”

21 | More than 100 actors have portrayed the Queen on stage and screen.

22 | It’s a mathematical equation many have tried to solve: how many hands did the Queen shake during her reign? Some put it at roughly 500,000 while others are sure it’s over a million. What most agree is that her most significant handshake took place in 2012 with former IRA commander turned Northern Ireland’s Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, who called their hand-to-hand contact a symbol of “peace-building.” 

23 | The Queen is a fan of Scottish country dancing, and hosted an annual dance at Balmoral, the Gillies’ Ball, for locals, neighbours and estate staff.

24 | Almost a third of Britons say they saw the Queen in person.

25 | Aside from Her Majesty, the Queen is also known as the Duke of Lancaster — in the county of Lancashire (where the Monarch’s private income comes from). In this Duchy, monarchs always maintain the male title. 

26 | There is a message from the Queen on the moon, etched on a silicon disc left by Apollo 11 astronauts, which reads: “On behalf of the British people, I salute the skills and courage which have brought man to the moon. May this endeavour increase the knowledge and well-being of mankind.” 

27 | Some 3.5 million people wrote to her during her reign at Her Majesty The Queen, Buckingham Palace, London SW1A 1AA. She did read her letters, and would at times write back (via a lady-in-waiting).

28 | The house the Queen was born in — 17 Bruton Street in Mayfair — became a fancy Cantonese restaurant called Hakkasan.

29 | The Queen made more than 250 overseas trips during her reign without a passport – since passports were issued in her name, she could fly through customs without one.

30 | In her last years, the Queen stepped down from many day-to-day duties, but still undertook 113 engagements in 2021, the year before she died. Two days before her death, she met with incoming Prime Minister Liz Truss and made a last entry in her journal: “Edward came to see me” in reference to her private secretary Sir Edward Young.

31 | The Queen was a patron to more than 600 charities, a Royal record. Some of them were inherited from her father, King George VI, who reigned for 15 years, and she continued with them throughout her own 70-year reign. 

32 | With a net worth estimated at US$500 million, the Queen had a private ATM at Buckingham Palace.

33 | A love of animals dates back to her first pony, Peggy, a gift from King George V, her grandfather. She went on to breed racehorses – including some winners. In one week at Ascot in the late ’50s, four of her horses took first place.

34 | Emma, the Queen’s faithful Fell pony, became a viral sensation for “bowing” as her funeral procession passed. At 30 years old, Emma is still thriving at the Royal Mews – and in honour of the centenary is being immortalized as the model for a rocking horse carved from 8,000-year-old bog oak.

35 | The Queen’s favourite horse racing manager, Lord Porchester (“Porchie”), was the father of the 8th Earl of Carnarvon, of Highclere Castle, where Downton Abbey is filmed. There are photos of the Queen on the piano.

36 | The Queen was an avid pigeon racer.

37 | The Queen bred more than 30 dogs in the span of her reign. Her corgi breeding lineage dated back to her very first corgi, Susan, who was a gift for the then princess’s 18th birthday. 

38 | The Queen also created the dorgi breed (a dachshund-corgi mix), when one of her corgis mated with a dachshund belonging to her sister, Princess Margaret.

39 | The most corgis she had at one time was nine.  

40 | In her last few years, she added a new breed to the mix: a cocker spaniel — Kate and William are fans — called Lissy.

41 | The Queen’s dogs ate a hand-minced mixture of chicken, beef, rabbit, liver and cabbage, prepared by the Queen’s Royal chefs. The food, according to staff, was put into individual bowls and brought to the Queen on a silver tray. She would then hand out dinner to her pups – in order of seniority.

42 | We most associate the late Queen and Duke of Edinburgh with the Land Rover brand, as they were often seen bouncing along the heath in Scotland at Balmoral, or when the Queen would take a spin around Windsor Great Park to visit the stables. 

43 | The Queen also used a Range Rover Landaulet with an open top for processions so she could wave at crowds.

44 | She also had a personal Jaguar, which she was photographed driving on her estate when she was 95. Previous versions of this car have featured a specially designed cubby in the centre armrest to hold the Queen’s handbag, and keep it from falling onto the floor of the car. 

45 | The Queen’s state cars, painted in “royal livery claret” — how British is that? — had no license plates. The fleet included three Rolls Royce’s, two Bentley’s and two Daimlers, and some were equipped with a phone so she could call up to the driver. 

46 One of her favourite modes of transportation was by boat. The Royal Britannia launched in 1953 and sailed over 1,000,000 nautical miles (averaging once around the globe for every year in service) until it was decommissioned in 1997, at which time the Queen shed a tear. She said that on board, she could truly relax.

47 | Obviously a fan of slow travel, the Queen enjoyed taking the train – often riding the rails to Balmoral. The British Royal Train came into service in 1977, and King Charles III has said he will decommission it in 2027. 

48 | There were more than 100 carriages in the Queen’s collection, which has now passed to King Charles III, The oldest carriage is the Gold State Coach, used for coronations, dating back to 1760 and the reign of King George III. 

49 | The Gold State Coach weighs four tonnes and takes eight horses to pull it. It really is “made of gold” and features golden carvings of dolphins, mermaids and various cherubs.

50 | Up until 1986, the Queen rode on horseback during the Trooping the Colour procession — and her horse of choice for 18 consecutive years was Burmese, a Canadian mare gifted to her in 1969 by the RCMP. In 1987, she switched to attending the event in a coach.

51 | The choice of royal wedding carriage is as deliberate as the choice of tiara. And the Queen made the carriage selection for her children and grandchildren. She put William and Kate in the 1902 State Landau that Charles and Diana also embarked upon after their own wedding. While Harry and Meghan were given the Ascot Landau carriage, drawn by six grey Windsor horses, for their procession through the streets of Windsor.

52 | Speaking of tiaras … the Queen was known to break from tradition from time to time. For the opening of Parliament in 2019, she wore the George IV State Diadem — the same one she wore on the way to her coronation. This was a surprise considering the usual choice for Parliament is the Imperial State Crown, which is the crown “lite” that serves in place of the much heavier (almost 5 pounds!) St. Edward’s Crown, which was placed on her head at the moment she was anointed Queen.

53 | Elizabeth wore the Fringe Tiara on her wedding day: something borrowed from the Queen Mother. It was made by jeweller Garrard & Co.; originally commissioned and worn by Queen Mary, grandmother to Queen Elizabeth. It snapped in two a few hours before the ceremony. But Garrard glued it back together again just in time.

54 | The Queen preferred the all-diamond Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara, one of her favourites, for her portraits for British currency. 

55 | The Queen’s umbrella of favour was by Fulton. It is clear (so people can see her), with a coloured rim made specially to match her outfit – and cost about $35 each.

56 | The Queen was sustainability personified, and re-wore her outfits regularly (and over decades). However, she wore her hats no more than 10 times each. 

57 | Her hat was always fastened with three pins.

58 | There were also rules about how tall her hats could be, so she was never caught hitting her head on the car’s roof.

59 | Since 1947, Cornelia James was the provider of the Queen’s gloves. The monarch often changed gloves multiple times per day. For evening, the company developed a special light nylon version.

60 | For 50 years, the Queen’s “work” shoe came from London footwear company Anello & Davide, who had a shoemaking team dedicated to her. But she wore custom Roger Vivier for her coronation.

61 | The Queen’s heel was always exactly 2 1/4 inches high — a stable chunkier shape, never a wedge.  

62 | She kept about 10 pairs in rotation over the year, and staffers (including her longtime trusted dresser, Angela Kelly) would break in the shoes for her. 

63 | The Queen preferred Hermès scarves. Don’t we all? 

64 | Her manicure of choice was a neutral nail polish, said to be Essie’s Ballet Slipper!

65 | The most famous purse in history? It’s got to be the Launer bag of the Queen’s – and she had 200 of them. 

66 | But what was inside the purse? The Queen is said to have carried a penknife – a throwback to her Girl Scout days – lozenges, reading glasses, lipstick and a metal makeup case, a gift from her husband.

67 | But the best thing in her bag? Treats for the corgis. 

68 | It was used as more than a fashion statement: the Queen had various handbag moves, such as shifting between crooks of different arms, that she used to signal to her handlers. While the bag usually sat under the table on a s-hook that she carried, if the Queen moved her bag onto the table, that meant she wanted to wrap things up in the next five minutes. And according to some Royal biographers, if she actually put, or dropped, the bag on the floor, that was a 911. Her staff knew she wanted to be whisked away at once.

69 | During the Blitz in the Second World War, at age 14, she moved to Windsor. After that, it was her safe haven, and during the pandemic, her main residence. 

70 | When she turned 19, Elizabeth enlisted and served in the military — the first female Royal to join the armed services, as a mechanic. It’s where she learned how to drive, regularly commandeering a lorry. 

71 | For their wedding, Elizabeth and Philip were sent some 2,500 gifts from the world over. These were put on display in the British capital for six months, drawing 200,000 visitors to admire the bounty.

72 | As it was wartime, the then princess was sent 131 pairs of nylons, 13 pairs of silk stockings, 38 handbags and 24 pairs of gloves, in case she was short.

73 | She was gifted many exotic pets over the years, including sloths, giant turtles, an elephant from Cameroon and a jaguar; these all went to live at the London Zoo.

74 | Australia gave the Queen 500 tins of pineapple for her wedding.

75 | The U.S. government had custom cowboy boots made for Her Majesty in 1991.

76 | Canada sent her a 60-foot-high totem pole.

77 | Not to be outdone, the government of France sent over a wine cooler — in the shape of a grasshopper, for reasons unknown. Perhaps an inside joke?

78 | Fiji thought sperm whale teeth would make a great new necklace for the British monarch.

79 | The president of Slovenia got Her Majesty a 24-carat horse comb.

80 | The Queen liked to give houses as wedding presents to her nearest and dearest: Will and Kate got Anmer Hall when they walked down the aisle; Sophie and Edward were gifted Bagshot Park; Andrew and Sarah received Sunninghill Park (later sold to a dictator for a scandalous above-market rate); and Harry and Meghan were presented with Frogmore Cottage.

81 | As a child, the Queen’s presents from her parents (and Father Christmas) were much more modest: comic books, whistles, small tin frying pans, were among the items listed in a book written by her nanny, Marion Crawford (who was later banished for spilling the Royal beans).

82 | It is said that the Queen’s favourite gift was a bracelet Prince Philip designed himself for her, and gave to her on the happy occasion of their wedding.

83 | The Queen’s National Collection of art (which is held in trust for future monarchs, now sitting with King Charles III) is considered priceless art collection: in addition to tapestries, ceramics, furniture, books and manuscripts collected by her ancestors, there are more than 7,000 paintings, from Old Masters (including Leonardo da Vinci and Rembrandt) to modern works by Lucien Freud, David Hockney and Tracey Emin. 

84 | Andy Warhol was obsessed with Elizabeth, saying, “I want to be as famous as the Queen of England.” Too bad he wasn’t alive in 2012, when the Monarch bought four of Warhol’s “Royal Edition” prints of her image (from 1989), which are sprinkled with crushed glass, a.k.a. “diamond dust.” It was the first time the Palace ever purchased portraits of her that she hadn’t commissioned herself.  

85 | The Queen, apparently, does not sit still when posing for portrait painters or photographers. And she calls the shots, as celebrity U.S. photographer Annie Leibovitz found out when she asked her to “try without the crown,” adding, “It will look better, less dressy.” To which the Queen replied: “Less dressy! What do you think this is?”

86 | More than 70 stamps have been issued featuring the Queen’s likeness since her coronation.

87 | While she seldom let her opinion be known, when presented with a portrait of herself and King George VI, painted from a photograph dated 1935, she asked, “Is that meant to be my father?” Replying to the question as to whether she recognized him, she simply said, “No.”

88 | The Royal Collection holds 600 Leonardo da Vinci drawings and 20 sketches by Michelangelo.

89 | In 2006, a Caravaggio — The Calling of Saints Peter and Andrew — was found after 400 years missing, in a royal storeroom. 

90 | The largest clear-cut diamond in the world, the Culinan I weighing in at 530 carats, belonged to the Queen.

91 | The whole lot of the Queen’s art collection was estimated to be worth some £10 billion (about $16.3 billion in our tally). 

92 | When it came to television, the Queen enjoyed political shows, Antiques Roadshow and classics like Benny Hill – and Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie as Jeeves and Wooster were known to tickle the royal funny bone.

93 | The Queen was a natural straightman who took up acting late in her career. Whether she was welcoming 007 with a perfectly deadpan, “Good evening, Mr. Bond” in a video for the London Olympics in 2012 or pulling a spare marmalade sandwich out of her handbag for Paddington Bear in a Platinum Jubilee skit, she always hit her mark.

94 | The Queen was a football fan, favouring Arsenal.

95 | She also supported Philip’s great love of cricket. And there were rumours she would occasionally catch wrestling matches on Wide World of Sport on a Saturday afternoon.

96 | Up until her 90th birthday, the Queen was patron of the RFU, England’s national rugby league, a position she held for 60 years.

97 | At the Queen’s behest, the Royal Family were known to play charades, most often over Christmas at Sandringham. 

98 | The Queen’s grandson and heir to the throne, Prince William, described her as having an “inner calm.” When giving Canadian actor Eugene Levy a tour of Windsor Castle (on The Reluctant Traveller), William said she told him not get caught up in the 24-hour news cycle: “She had this incredible perspective … a way of seeing the long-term arc of things rather than just the crisis of the day.”

99 | There remains an unopened letter from Elizabeth II sealed in a glass case at the Queen Victoria Building, in Sydney, Australia, with instructions for the mayor: “On a suitable day to be selected by you in the year 2085 AD, would you please open this envelope and convey to the citizens of Sydney my message to them.” 

100 | Canadians have one more surprise to come from the Queen – it’s under a rock at Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Park. She buried a time capsule on a trip in 1954 – to be opened in 2054. Shovels up!