I’ve always liked period movies and series, which mostly feature a lot of drama about the Royal Family, which is obviously not all true. But this has lead me to always having an interest in Queen Elizabeth II. Not so much with the entire Royal Family -although Kate Middleton’s hair should be a national treasure- but I’ve always found the Queen intriguing. She has managed to rule the country without any major scandals or issues and despite many obstacles she’s kept going. So here are 10 reasons why the Queen is as hard as the rocks in her tiara:
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She served during WWII: She served as a mechanic and a truck driver when she was 18 years old. While men were off fighting, she joined the Women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service and learned how to drive a military truck, during which time she also acquired some serious engine-fixing skills. She is also the only female member of the royal family to have joined the armed forces.
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She has two birthdays: Do you really think the Queen would only celebrate one birthday like us regular folks? Lilibet was born on April 21, but her “official” birthday is actually held in early June on a Saturday, during which she hits the town for the Trooping the Colour parade.
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She sent out emails before any of us ever did: In case you need a quick reminder, we ain’t got nothing on the Queen. Yes, it’s true she only got on the Twitter game less than 5 years ago, but she sent her first email from an Army base in 1976 -and became the first Monarch to do so, may I add.
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She’s not afraid to photobomb: During the Commonwealth Games in 2014, Australian hockey player Jayde Taylor was pleasantly surprised and proceeded to tweet one of the best selfies -featuring an adorable, grinning Queen in the back photobombing their picture.
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She kept her cool during an attempted assassination: During Her Majesty’s birthday celebrations on June 13, 1981, a 17-year-old named Marcus Sarjeant fired six blank shots in the Queen’s direction. While she was startled, she simply calmed her horse and carried on with the parade.
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She doesn’t need a passport to travel: The Queen has traveled to 116 countries so far -and she’s never needed a passport. Since the British passport in issued in her name, she doesn’t need one! However, all other members of the Royal Family, including The Duke of Edinburgh and The Prince of Wales, have passports.
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She knows how to fire a gun: This is without a doubt one of the coolest photos I’ve seen/ever taken of anyone, ever. It was taken during a royal visit to Surrey’s National Centre in 1993.
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She decided to keep her family name: Yet another reason why she’s so great, Queen Elizabeth II decided to keep her family name instead of taking her husband’s. Although it was what her family wanted, it was ultimately her choice. Plus, there’s no denying that it’s pretty cool that during a time when tradition meant everything, she decided to follow her own beat.
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She hung out with James Bond: So, she can fire a gun, survives attempted assassinations, can fix an engine and drive a truck like a badass and she hangs out with James Bond? She’s basically a secret agent!! In a clip filmed as a part of the opening ceremony for the London 2012 Olympic Games, we can see Daniel Craig -current James Bond- escorting Her Majesty out of Buckingham Palace and into a helicopter, before they made an amazing entrance by skydiving into the Olympic Stadium. Now, the Queen obviously had a stunt double for this, but it’s still pretty badass
https://giphy.com/gifs/office-bathroom-stall-M8Oyl5kERXxv2
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She’s a kickass Ali G impersonator: Maybe not a kickass impersonator, but in an interview, Prince Harry and Prince William described Christmas around the turn of the Millennium when the Queen Mother came across them watching Ali G on TV, and they showed her how to click her fingers and say ‘Respec’.
“It was at the end of the meal, and she stood up and said: ‘Darling, lunch was marvelous – respec,’ and clicked her fingers,” said Prince Harry, before William went on to describe how the whole family burst out laughing – including the Queen, who the impression had been directed at.
Clearly being a badass is something that runs in the family.