Queen Elizabeth II is the world's longest-reigning queen and a symbol of dignity, elegance, and responsibility. Despite spending decades of her life in front of the camera, Her Majesty is an exceedingly private woman who believes in keeping the monarchy's mystique and has kept her tastes and personal life mostly hidden.

Queen Elizabeth's Little-Known Secrets

Maybe that's why these eight little-known facts about the loyal wife, adoring grandma, and self-sufficient woman are so endearing, as per Best Life.

1. The Queen and Prince Philip share great-great-grandparents, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, who were first cousins. As a result, they are third cousins.
2. The princess was helping Philip put on her coat for her cousin's wedding in 1946, and the press discovered the link between them. The couple had been secretly engaged for three years until Elizabeth turned 21 when the Palace made the official announcement.
3. Her husband lovingly refers to the Queen as cabbage. Nobody knows for sure, but The Sunday Times speculated in 2006 that it may have come from the French phrase 'mon petit chou,' which means both my 'little cabbage' and my little pastry puff.'
4. Her Majesty is believed to have a daily gin and Dubonnet drink before her noon meal.
5. During her lifetime, the Queen possessed more than 30 Pembroke Welsh corgis, all of which were offspring of Susan, her first corgi.
6. Her Majesty has never taken a driver's test, and her automobiles do not have license plates, but she has always enjoyed driving. She doesn't have a license for one simple reason: she doesn't need one; in the United Kingdom, all licenses are issued in her name. Her Majesty was reluctant to give up driving on public roads, according to the Sunday Times in 2019, but she did so at the urging of her security staff.
7. King George VI initially opposed his daughter joining the army, but he finally gave in. Princess Elizabeth became the first female member of the royal family to join the military when she enlisted in the Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service in 1945.
8. Princess Elizabeth met the dashing 18-year-old Philip Mountbatten, who was then a cadet in the British navy when she was merely a pre-teen. While he was at sea, they communicated for several years. Elizabeth knew he was the guy she wanted to marry by the time she was 17.

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Queen Elizabeth's Handbag Signals

On an official visit, Queen Elizabeth II uses her purse to communicate secret signals to members of her entourage, according to Newsweek's The Royal Report podcast.

Chief Royal Correspondent Jack Royston spoke with author and royal critic Kristen Meinzer on the delicate subtleties of the Queen's 'handbag code' in a special episode of the podcast investigating different examples of royal etiquette.

"The handbag is not just there to hold precious items for the Queen. It's also to send signals to her team," Meinzer told Royston.

If she wishes to make a hasty getaway, the 95-year-old monarch has a signal to use as a last option. Royston and Meinzer used the findings of the monarch's handbag signals as an illustration of broader royal etiquette.

The first tip to remember while meeting the Queen, according to Royston, is to avoid hugging her; no physical contact at all until she offers her hand for you to shake.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama's first visit to Buckingham Palace in 2011 was an example of a violation of royal hugging etiquette. Obama was photographed placing her arm around the monarch at a banquet for G20 leaders and their spouses, prompting headlines around the Western world accusing her of breaching royal tradition.

The Queen, on the other hand, seemed unfazed by this genuine display of affection and reciprocated the gesture by putting her arm around Obama, Newsweek reported.

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