Table of contents:
- Here are the strangest things that Queen Elizabeth possesses
- 1. London's first shopping street
- 2. All the swans on the River Thames
- 3. Your personal ATM
- 4. All dolphins in English waters
- 5. A (winning) team of racehorses
- 6. The Tower of London
- 7. A McDonald's
- 8. A colony of bats
- 9. More than 150 thousand works of art (of inestimable value)
- 10. The largest diamond in the world
- 11. Hyde Park and other parks
- 12. A collection of cars worth 10 million
- 13. A collection of Fabergè eggs
- 14. Two Seychelles turtles
- 15. His own personal flag
Video: The strangest things that Queen Elizabeth possesses
2024 Author: Devin Ellington | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-01 08:58
From the swans of the Thames to the Seychelles turtles, but also a personal ATM and a McDonald's. Here are the strangest things that Queen Elizabeth possesses
As the world's most famous head of state and monarch, it goes without saying that Queen Elizabeth owns a lot of things.
We all know that His Majesty lives in the huge Buckingham Palace, and that he owns many other residences. We know she is an incredibly wealthy woman, known for wearing a variety of designer hats and bags at every public event she attends. Not to mention the impressive jewelry collection.
** 15 facts about Queen Elizabeth you (probably) don't know **
But what even fans of the royal family don't know is that Queen Elizabeth possesses some rather bizarre and unexpected things.
From animals to shopping malls, but also collections of cars and racing horses.
Here are the strangest things that Queen Elizabeth possesses
** The zodiac sign of Queen Elizabeth (and the other Windsors) explains a lot **
1. London's first shopping street
A huge amount of historic properties in the UK are owned by the British monarchy and managed by the Crown Estate.
This includes the whole of London's Regent Street, one of the most famous streets in the world.
Located in the heart of the city's West End, Regent Street alone attracts more than 7.5 million visitors a year.
In 1819, Regent Street became London's first shopping street built specifically for these reasons. Today it is home to international brands, albeit the queen has no income on the numerous shop windows.
2. All the swans on the River Thames
Queen Elizabeth is known for her love of dogs, but her collection of "pets" doesn't stop with her corgis.
Technically, in fact, the queen owns all open water swans in England and Wales.
Officially, Her Majesty "retains the right to claim ownership of any swan swimming in open water, but this right is mainly exercised on certain stretches of the River Thames."
In 2009, the queen became the first monarch in the world to take part in Swan Upping, a centuries-old tradition that provides for an annual count of the royal brood of swans.
3. Your personal ATM
There is nothing worse than running out of cash when you need it.
While this is probably not the case with the Queen at all, Elizabeth II still has a private ATM in the basement of Buckingham Palace.
The service is available to all members of the royal family.
** 6 things you wouldn't think you'd find inside Buckingham Palace (and there are) **
4. All dolphins in English waters
Dolphins, sturgeons and whales. Just like swans, the queen boasts possession over many of the country's aquatic creatures.
This bizarre property derives from a statute dating back to 1324, which originated during the reign of King Edward II, and states: "The king will have sea wrecks throughout the kingdom, whales and sturgeons caught at sea or elsewhere within the kingdom. ".
The law is still valid today and includes not only whales and sturgeons, but also porpoises and dolphins.
5. A (winning) team of racehorses
Horses have long been one of the queen's great passions. It is well known that Elizabeth II has always liked to ride a horse.
Precisely for this reason, it is also a ' experienced investor in racehorses and owns around 30.
According to some rumors, at the end of 2017, the impressive list of racehorses earned the Queen nearly £ 8 million over the past three decades with a total of 451 wins.
6. The Tower of London
The mighty Tower of London, built by William the Conqueror in 1070, houses the Crown Jewels and is one of the London's most popular tourist attractions.
Its official name is Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Tower of London Fortress.
However, the queen is not only the owner of the Tower, but also of the jewels inside it and also of flock of seven crows living inside the towers (according to legend, the kingdom and the Tower of London will fall if six of the seven ravens leave the fortress).
7. A McDonald's
That's right, you got it right: Her Majesty owns a McDonald's complete with a drive in!
Technically, Elizabeth II owns the land on which the McDonald's restaurant is located at Banbury Gateway Shopping Park in Oxfordshire, approximately 130 kilometers from London.
But as you can easily imagine, as the land is owned by the Crown Estate, this is not the classic McDonald's we are used to.
This branch, open to the public, is absolutely worthy of a queen: it has leather sofas, Eames chairs, laminate floors and table service.
8. A colony of bats
Among the swans, dolphins, horses and corgis, the queen is clearly an animal lover … which may explain why Balmoral Castle (one of the Queen's other properties) houses a colony of bats.
Legend has it that Elizabeth II, as a young man, chased bats and caught them with a butterfly net as they flew around the house.
9. More than 150 thousand works of art (of inestimable value)
The queen is in charge of the Royal Collection, one of the largest and most impressive art collections in the world (although she does not own it personally, it is entrusted to her).
Of the millions of pieces included in the collection there there are about 150 miles of works of art by some of the greatest masters of all time; for example Rembrandt, Rubens and Raphael.
While some of these pieces are exhibited in museums or otherwise made available for public viewing, many of them hang in royal palaces and estates.
10. The largest diamond in the world
At 530 carats, the Great Star of Africa, commonly known as Cullinan I (named after South African mining magnate Sir Thomas Cullinan), is the largest diamond in the world, with a worth approximately 51 million dollars.
In 1910, this incredible diamond was presented and given to Mary of Teck (the consort of George V and the grandmother of Elizabeth II).
Once you arrive in the UK, the diamond was then incorporated into the Sovereign's Scepter with the Cross, the meter-long staff held by the monarch during his coronation.
As such, the diamond is now part of the Crown Jewels, which therefore, technically, are owned by the queen.
11. Hyde Park and other parks
With so many royal residences to choose from, the royal family needed a place to stretch their legs and socialize with ordinary people.
Here then is that the queen owns some of the most famous green spaces in England, including Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, The Regent's Park and Primrose Hill and Green Park.
12. A collection of cars worth 10 million
Very few are aware that Queen Elizabeth is one qualified military mechanic.
He learned these skills while serving in auxiliary service during World War II - he is the only head of state still alive to have served in uniform during the war.
From here, love for four wheels.
Although she is most often seen out and about with her beloved Land Rover Defender - she has owned 30 - his car collection goes way beyond and is estimated to be worth around 10 million pounds.
Among the models in his collection: three Rolls-Royces, two Bentleys and a customized Range Rover LWB Landaulet.
** Queen Elizabeth does not have a license but drives anyway. Here because**
13. A collection of Fabergè eggs
For centuries, British royalty have had a very luxurious passion, that of collecting Fabergè eggs and accessories.
Also part of the Royal Collection, the collection was started by Queen Alexandra of Denmark and Edward VII in the late 19th century, and now it is estimated to include over 600 pieces.
Many of the eggs were put on display to the public, including a blue cigarette case that was given to Edward VII by one of his many mistresses, Alice Keppel.
14. Two Seychelles turtles
One of the most bizarre gifts the queen was able to take home with her from her travels abroad was a pair of indigenous Aldabra giant tortoises, presented them during an official visit to the Seychelles in 1972.
They are currently found at the London Zoo, and - as these turtles reportedly can live to be over 200 years old - they will probably outlive the queen herself.
15. His own personal flag
The queen has her own state coat of arms and the monarchy is an integral part of the British flag, the Union Jack.
However, Her Majesty also has her own flag, depicting one letter E crowned in a circle of roses, on a dark blue background.
The royal family can choose to use this flag on any building or vehicle in which the queen is staying or traveling.
The flag was reportedly designed in 1960 at the request of Queen Elizabeth to symbolize her as an individual, separated from her role as sovereign or head of state.
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