--- title: Queen Elizabeth II 90th Birthday: See Surprising Facts description: As Queen Elizabeth II turns 90, some of the most surprising, unusual facts about her personality and her reign canonical: https://time.com/4297754/queen-elizabeth-ii-surprising-facts/ author: Olivia B. Waxman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-04-20T21:36:59.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-06-24T06:57:07.665Z og:title: 12 Surprising Facts About Queen Elizabeth II og:description: For her 90th birthday og:url: https://time.com/4297754/queen-elizabeth-ii-surprising-facts/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5ee2a708f77176da/698862b4f887dc4026e9240f/queen-elizabeth1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: &lt;&gt; on September 9, 2015 in Tweedbank, Scotland. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 12 Surprising Facts About Queen Elizabeth II twitter:description: For her 90th birthday twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5ee2a708f77176da/698862b4f887dc4026e9240f/queen-elizabeth1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 12 Surprising Facts About Queen Elizabeth II > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=1eacf87c-1c41-4b6d-bf86-a5d7edea5d8d&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Daily | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Tuesday and Saturday (2x per week) | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | Source: TIME, August 2026. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=1eacf87c-1c41-4b6d-bf86-a5d7edea5d8d&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=1eacf87c-1c41-4b6d-bf86-a5d7edea5d8d&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (daily health), Worth Your Time (culture, twice weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ## Video: This Video Is No Longer Available [Watch (HLS stream): This Video Is No Longer Available](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/fKodeUO6.m3u8) (0:10)  _Published 2026-06-23. For her 90th birthday_  by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer Apr 20, 2016 9:36 PM UTC  by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer Apr 20, 2016 9:36 PM UTC In honor of Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday, TIME has rounded up some of the most surprising facts about the personality of [Britain’s longest-reigning monarch](http://time.com/4024855/queen-elizabeth-longest-monarch/) and her reign in general: • She became the first reigning Sovereign to have a child since Queen Victoria when she gave birth to Prince Andrew in 1960. • She created a new dog breed—the “dorgi”—when Princess Margaret’s dachshund Pipkin mated with one of her corgis, according to the British Royal Family’s [website](https://www.royal.uk/50-facts-about-queens-reign): “There have been 8 dorgis—Tinker, Pickles, Chipper, Piper, Harris, Brandy, Cider and Berry.” • [Photography](https://twitter.com/BritishMonarchy/status/717709295060697088) is one of her hobbies. • Some of the most unusual gifts she has received during her reign include: two live tortoises and a 7-year-old bull elephant named “Jumbo.” • She [has](https://books.google.com/books?id=Q4zQCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT93&lpg=PT93&dq=%22queen+elizabeth%22+and+%22show+tunes%22&source=bl&ots=Mnb%5FlKwXWb&sig=WtYXGwRUxTkAvnF3yYQDJAke0TU&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj-2NbL2pvMAhUIXD4KHUR8CBsQ6AEIQjAJ#v=onepage&q=%22queen%20elizabeth%22%20and%20%22show%20tunes%22&f=false) about 200 racing pigeons. • A 116-year-old Canadian man was the oldest person she has ever written a letter to, and that was in December 1984. • In 1982, an intruder scaled Buckingham Palace and entered her bedroom. They had a 10-minute conversation before she called up security. Initially charged with burglary for drinking a bottle of Prince Charles’s wine, he was [acquitted](http://www.nytimes.com/1982/09/24/world/palace-intruder-is-acquitted-by-london-jury.html) by a London jury. • A “gin and Dubonnet” has been her cocktail of choice, former personal chefs to the Queen told [_The Telegraph_](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/11845020/Food-fit-for-royalty-what-does-the-Queen-really-like-to-eat.html)_._ • There is a practical reason for her monochromatic outfits. “You have to be able to see that figure in a lemon coat and hat from far away,” Hugo Vickers, author of _Elizabeth, The Queen Mother_, told the [New York](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/03/fashion/queen-elizabeth-ii-sets-a-style-standard.html)[ _Times_](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/03/fashion/queen-elizabeth-ii-sets-a-style-standard.html)_._ • She loves watching _Downton Abbey_ and revels in spotting historical errors on the show on occasion, biographer Brian Hoey, who wrote _At Home With The Queen_, [told ](http://www.people.com/people/package/article/0,,20395222%5F20950045,00.html)_People._ • And the Queen’s favorite Broadway show tune is “People Will Say We’re in Love” from _Oklahoma!,_ Hoey says in the [_LIFE_ ](https://books.google.com/books?id=Q4zQCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT93&lpg=PT93&dq=%22queen+elizabeth%22+and+%22show+tunes%22&source=bl&ots=Mnb%5FlKwXWb&sig=WtYXGwRUxTkAvnF3yYQDJAke0TU&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj-2NbL2pvMAhUIXD4KHUR8CBsQ6AEIQjAJ#v=onepage&q=%22queen%20elizabeth%22%20and%20%22show%20tunes%22&f=false)magazine book commemorating her 90th birthday. • She had a way of imitating the sound of the Concorde, the now-defunct supersonic jet, royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith [told _People._](http://www.people.com/people/package/article/0,,20395222%5F20950045,00.html) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4297754/queen-elizabeth-ii-surprising-facts/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4297754/queen-elizabeth-ii-surprising-facts/"},"headline":"12 Surprising Facts About Queen Elizabeth II","datePublished":"2016-04-20T21:36:59.000Z","dateModified":"2026-06-24T06:57:07.665Z","description":"For her 90th birthday","url":"https://time.com/4297754/queen-elizabeth-ii-surprising-facts/","keywords":["Newsfeed","World"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5ee2a708f77176da/698862b4f887dc4026e9240f/queen-elizabeth1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Olivia B. Waxman","jobTitle":"Staff Writer","url":"https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5ee2a708f77176da/698862b4f887dc4026e9240f/queen-elizabeth1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"<> on September 9, 2015 in Tweedbank, Scotland.","caption":"<> on September 9, 2015 in Tweedbank, Scotland.","creditText":"Chris Jackson—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4297754/queen-elizabeth-ii-surprising-facts/","name":"12 Surprising Facts About Queen Elizabeth II"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"This Video Is No Longer Available","description":"For her 90th birthday","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/fKodeUO6/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2026-06-23T15:00:44.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/fKodeUO6.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4297754/queen-elizabeth-ii-surprising-facts/","duration":"PT10S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4297754/queen-elizabeth-ii-surprising-facts/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```