Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her 90th birthday this week, a feat celebrated with an official set of royal stamps [1] and loads of congratulations from fans around the world. Last year, the Queen broke an astounding record when she became the United Kingdom's longest reigning British monarch [2] (the previous record of 23,226 days was held by Queen Victoria). To celebrate, we've unearthed a score of little-known facts about her [3], examined her at times humorous relationship with Kate Middleton [4], and even imagined her as Miranda Priestly [5] from The Devil Wears Prada. Now, we're going back over her time on the throne with a list of interesting numbers. Keep reading to see just how her reign breaks down.
— Additional reporting by Marcia Moody
- 1: Number of species of sea creature named after her: the Askenasia regina.
- 1: Number of times she survived an assassination attempt. In Australia, 1970 a log was deliberately laid on the track in front of the Queen's train. The detective in charge of the case said if the train had been traveling at its normal speed, 'it would have plunged off the tracks.'
- 2: Number of middle names she has — Alexander after her great-grandmother and Mary after her grandmother.
- 2: Number of years she lived in Malta with Prince Philip when he was an officer in the navy — before she became Queen and they returned to live in London.
- 2 1/4: Height in inches of the heels on her shoes.
- 3: The weight of the Imperial State Crown [6], in pounds.
- 3: number of carats in the solitaire diamond of her engagement ring.
- 4: Number of children she has; Prince Charles of Wales; Anne, Princess Royal; Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex; and Prince Andrew, Duke of York.
- 4: Number of working beehives at Buckingham Palace.
- 4: Number of dogs she currently has — 2 corgis named Willow and Holly, and two 'dorgis' (a dachshund/corgi mix) called Candy and Vulcan.
- 5'4: Her height in feet and inches.
- 6: Her shoe size.
- 7: The number of both archbishops and popes [7] who have been appointed since she first took power on Feb. 6, 1952.
- 8: Number of grandchildren she has; Peter Mark Andrew Phillips, Zara Anne Elizabeth Phillips, Prince William of Wales, Prince Henry of Wales, Princess Beatrice of York, Princess Eugenie of York, Lady Louise Windsor, and James, Viscount Severn.
- 8: Number of carriages in the royal train.
- 10: Number of hours spent delivering queen's speeches since she took power in 1952.
- 10: The age she was when she knew she would one day be Queen.
- 12: Number of prime ministers who have been in office since the queen began her reign. Margaret Thatcher's run was the longest, at 11 years.
- 13: The age she was when she first met Prince Philip.
- 21: Age upon marrying Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, on Nov. 20, 1947.
- 25: Age when she first became queen in 1952.
- 30: Number of horses in the royal mews.
- 56: Number of Christmas messages delivered to the nation.
- 68: Years married to Prince Philip. Elizabeth II is the only monarch to celebrate a diamond wedding anniversary for 60 years of marriage. She and Philip reached it in 2007.
- 129: Number of countries she has visited during her reign, including Canada 27 times — her most frequently-visited destination.
- 139: Number of official portraits she has sat for.
- 145: Her house number on Piccadilly when she was a child — it is now The InterContinental Hotel [8].
- 177: The age in years of the queen's Imperial State Crown.
- 237: Number of roads in the United Kingdom that have been named after Queen Elizabeth II.
- 317: Number of carats in the Imperial State Crown's massive Cullinan Diamond.
- 341: Numer of official engagements she undertook in 2015.
- 628: Number of charities and organisations she is patron of, including Cancer Research UK, Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, The NSPCC, and Battersea Dogs and Cat's Home.
- 686: Number of Royal Warrants she has granted — including those to Kelloggs, Schweppes, Cadbury, Waitrose, Yardley, Clarins, Coca Cola, Boots and Heinz.
- 775: Number of rooms in Buckingham Palace, including 19 state rooms, 240 bedrooms and 78 bathrooms.
- 2,153: Price of her favorite Launer handbag, in dollars.
- 2,868: Number of diamonds in the Imperial State Crown.
- 3,500: Number of times she has given Royal Assent to an Act of Parliament.
- 23,225: Length of reign in days as of Sept. 8, 2015.
- 27,000,000: Number of TV viewers who watched the coronation on June 2, 1953.
- 340,000,000: Net worth [9], in Great British pounds.
- 6,600,000,000: Acres of land owned [10] worldwide. The queen owns more land than any other person in the world.