HRH QUEEN ELIZABETH II  -  80 FACTS

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80 ROYAL FACTS

Without any doubt HRH Queen Elizabeth II is one of the most popular British monarchs and deservedly so.  Queen Elizabeth II has steadfastly gone about her business since before her coronation day in June of 1953.  The public adore her so, they would not like to see her go.  She is a pillar or society and a rock in terms of keeping her family pointed in the right direction.

Perhaps more importantly, the Queen plays an important role as the head of state and as an ambassador for the United Kingdom and colonies.  Who wouldn't want such representation and balanced opinion in their public relations.  But the Queen is ore than that, she is the genuine article.  A good wife, mother and a stupendous grandmother to boot.

The Queen at 80- looking good your Majesty

HERE are 80 facts about the Queen released by Buckingham Palace to mark her 80th birthday.

1. Queen Elizabeth II is the fortieth monarch since William the Conqueror obtained the crown of England.

2. In 2002 at 76 years of age the Queen was the oldest monarch to celebrate a Golden Jubilee. The youngest was James I (James VI of Scotland) at 51 years.

3. Since 1952 the Queen has conferred over 387,700 honours and awards.

4. The Queen has personally held over 540 Investitures.

5. The Queen speaks fluent French and often uses the language for audiences and state visits.

6. The Queen has received over 3 million items of correspondence during her reign.

7. Over the course of her reign, around 1.1 million people have attended garden parties at Buckingham Palace or the Palace of Holyroodhouse (the Queen ended presentation parties in 1958).

8. Over the reign, the Queen has given regular Tuesday evening audiences to 10 British Prime Ministers. They are: Winston Churchill 1951-55, Sir Anthony Eden 1955-57, Harold Macmillan 1957-63, Sir Alec Douglas-Home 1963-64, Harold Wilson 1964-70 and 1974-76, Edward Heath 1970-74, James Callaghan 1976-79, Margaret Thatcher 1979-90, John Major 1990-97, Tony Blair 1997-present.

There have also been 10 US Presidents during the Queen's reign.

9. Tony Blair is the first Prime Minister to have been born during the Queen's reign. He was born in early May 1953 - a month before the Coronation.

10. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh introduced small, informal luncheon parties at Buckingham Palace to meet distinguished people from all professions, trades and vocations. The first lunch was held on May 11 1956 and the tradition continues to this day. There are usually 6-8 guests and two members of the household attending.

11. The Queen is patron of more than 620 charities and organisations.

12. During her reign, the Queen has undertaken over 256 official overseas visits to 129 different countries.

13. Many of the Queen's official tours were undertaken on the Royal Yacht Britannia. It was launched by the Queen on 16 April 1953 and was commissioned for service on 7 January 1954. It was de-commissioned in December 1997. During this time, Britannia travelled more than a million miles on Royal and official duties.

14. The Royal Yacht Britannia was first used by the Queen when she embarked with the Duke of Edinburgh on May 1 1954 at Tobruk for the final stage of their Commonwealth Tour returning to the Pool of London. The last time the Queen was on board Britannia for an official visit was on August 9 1997 for a visit to Arran.

15. The Queen has visited Australia 15 times, Canada 23 times, Jamaica six times and New Zealand 10 times. The Queen most recently visited Australia in March 2006 to open the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.

16. Since her accession to the throne in 1952, the Queen has visited Edinburgh nearly every year, taking up residence in the Palace of Holyroodhouse during Holyrood Week.

17. During her reign, the Queen has received many unusual gifts including live animals. The more unusual animals have been placed in the care of the London zoo, among them jaguars and sloths from Brazil, and two black beavers from Canada. The Queen has also received gifts of pineapples, eggs, a box of snail shells, a grove of maple trees and 7kg of prawns.

18. The Queen has sent around 100,000 telegrams to centenarians in the UK and the Commonwealth.

19. The Queen has sent more than 280,000 telegrams to couples in the UK and the Commonwealth celebrating their diamond wedding anniversaries.

20. The Queen's real birthday is on April 21, but it is celebrated officially in June.

21. The Queen has attended 34 Royal Variety performances.

22. The Queen has opened 15 bridges in the United Kingdom.

23. The Queen has given over 91 State banquets during her reign.

24. Since 1952 the Queen has undertaken 78 State Visits accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh with the most recent being to Singapore in March 2006.

25. The Queen has launched 23 ships in her lifetime. The first was HMS Vanguard which she launched, as Princess Elizabeth, on November 30 1944 in Clydebank. The first ship which she launched as Queen was the Queen's Yacht Britannia, which was also launched from Clydebank.

26. The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh have sent about 37,500 Christmas cards during the Queen's reign.

27. The Queen has given out about 78,000 Christmas puddings to staff continuing the custom of King George V and King George VI. In addition, the Queen gives all her staff a gift at Christmas time.

28. Every year the Queen sends Christmas trees to Westminster Abbey, Wellington Barracks, St Paul's Cathedral, St Giles, Edinburgh, The Canongate Kirk, Edinburgh, Crathie Church and local schools and churches in the Sandringham area.

29. The Queen learnt to drive in 1945 when she joined the Army.

30. The Queen was a Girl Guide (1937) and Sea Ranger (1943).

31. Princess Elizabeth travelled on the London Underground for the first time in May 1939 with her governess Marion Crawford and Princess Margaret.

32. The Queen is a keen photographer and enjoys taking photographs of her family. The Duke of York is also a keen photographer and has taken a number of photographs of the Queen, including an official photograph for the Queen's Golden Jubilee in 2002.

33. The Queen was born at 17 Bruton St, London W1 on 21 April 1926, was christened on 29 May 1926 in the private chapel at Buckingham Palace. She was confirmed on 28 March 1942 in the private chapel at Windsor Castle.

34. With the birth of Prince Andrew in 1960, the Queen became the first reigning sovereign to have a child since Queen Victoria, who had her youngest child, Princess Beatrice, in 1857.

35. The Queen has 30 godchildren.

36. The first football match the Queen attended was the 1953 FA Cup Final.

37. The Queen has taken the salute in every Trooping the Colour ceremony since the start of her reign, with the exception of 1955, when a national rail strike forced the cancellation of the parade.

38. The Queen has sat for 139 official portraits during her lifetime, two of which were with The Duke of Edinburgh. The most recent sitting was for Rolf Harris (2005). The Queen was just seven years old when she sat for her first portrait in 1933, which was commissioned by her mother and painted by the Hungarian artist Philip Alexius de Laszls.

39. The Queen sat for the first and only hologram portrait in 2003.

40. There have been 11 sculptures of the Queen. The most recent was in 2005 by Miss Angela Conner for St George's Chapel, Windsor.

41. The first 'Royal walkabout' took place during the visit by the Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh to Australia and New Zealand in 1970. The practice was introduced to allow them to meet a greater number of people, not simply officials and dignitaries.

42. In 1969 the first television film about the family life of the Royal Family was made, and shown on the eve of the Investiture of Prince Charles as Prince of Wales.

43. An important innovation during the Queen's reign was the opening in 1962 of a new gallery at Buckingham Palace to display items from the Royal Collection. The brainchild of The Duke of Edinburgh, the new Queen's Gallery occupied the space of the Palace's bomb-damaged private chapel. It was the first time that parts of the Palace had been opened to the general public.

44. The only time the Queen has had to interrupt an overseas tour was in 1974 during a tour of Australia and Indonesia. the Queen was called back from Australia when a general election was called suddenly. The Duke of Edinburgh continued the programme in Australia, and the Queen re-joined the tour in Indonesia.

HRH Queen Elizabeth II during OBE ceremony 2004

45. The Queen has opened Parliament every year except 1959 and 1963, when she was expecting Prince Andrew and Prince Edward respectively.

46. The Queen went on her first state visit as Princess Elizabeth, to South Africa with her mother and father, then King and Queen, from February to May 1947. The tour included Rhodesia and Bechuanaland, Swaziland and Basutoland (now Lesotho). The Princess celebrated her 21st birthday in Cape Town. The Queen's first State Visit as Queen was technically to Kenya, as King George VI died and the Queen acceded the throne during the tour. The tour had to be abandoned.

47. The Queen's first Commonwealth tour began on 24 November 1953, and included visits to Bermuda, Jamaica, Panama, Fiji, Tonga, New Zealand, Australia, the Cocos Islands, Ceylon, Aden, Uganda, Libya, Malta and Gibraltar. The total distance covered was 43,618 miles.

48. The Queen was the first British Monarch to go to China when she visited in 1986.

49. The Queen has made a Christmas Broadcast to the Commonwealth every year of her reign except 1969, when a repeat of the film 'Royal Family' was shown and a written message from the Queen issued.

50. In 1953, the Queen made the first Christmas Broadcast from overseas, (rather than from the UK), broadcasting live from New Zealand. The first televised broadcast was in 1957, made live. The first pre-recorded broadcast took place in 1960 to allow transmission around the world.

51. The Queen sent a message of congratulations to Apollo 11 astronauts for the first moon landing on July 21 1969. The message was micro-filmed and deposited on the moon in a metal container.

52. The Queen has met the following astronauts at Buckingham Palace:

The first astronaut to go into space - Russian - Major Yuri Gagarin.

The first woman in space - Russian - Mrs Valentina Tereschkova.

The first man on the moon - American - Neil Armstrong - and the other American astronauts, Michael Collins and Edwin Aldrin.

53. The Queen sent her first email in 1976 from an Army base.

54. There have been six Archbishops of Canterbury during the Queen's reign (Archbishops Geoffrey Fisher, Michael Ramsey, Donald Coggan, Robert Runcie, George Carey and Rowan Williams).

55. History was made in 1982 when Pope John Paul II visited Britain, the first Pope to do so for 450 years. the Queen, titular head of the Church of England, received him at Buckingham Palace.

56. The Queen first visited a mosque in the UK for the first time in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire in July 2002.

57. The Queen has attended 50 Royal Maundy services during her reign at more than 39 different cathedrals. The Queen has only missed four services - two for official tours and two for the births of Prince Andrew and Prince Edward.

58. The Queen has owned more than 30 corgis during her reign, starting with Susan who was a present for her 18th birthday in 1944. A good proportion of these have been direct descendants from Susan. the Queen currently has five corgis, Emma, Linnet, Monty, Holly and Willow.

59. The Queen also introduced a new breed of dog known as the "dorgi" when one of the Queen's corgis was mated with a dachshund named Pipkin which belonged to Princess Margaret. The Queen currently has four dorgis, Cider, Berry, Candy and Vulcan.

60. As well as corgis and dorgis, the Queen also breeds and trains labradors and cocker spaniels at Sandringham. There is a special Sandringham strain of black labrador founded in 1911.

61. The Queen takes a keen interest in horses and racing. The Queen's first pony was given to her by her grandfather, King George V, when she was four years old. This was a Shetland pony called Peggy. The Queen continues to ride at Sandringham, Balmoral and Windsor.

62. The Queen also takes a keen interest in horse breeding. Horses bred at the Royal studs over the last 200 years have won virtually every major race in Britain. The Queen has about 25 horses in training each season.

63. The Queen's racing colours are: purple body with gold braid, scarlet sleeves and Black velvet cap with gold fringe.

64. The Queen continues the Royal Family's long association with racing pigeons which began in 1886 when King Leopold II of Belgium made a gift of racing pigeons to the Royal Family. In 1990, one of the Queen's birds took part in the Pau race, coming first in the Section 5th Open and was subsequently named "Sandringham Lightning". In recognition of her interest in the sport, the Queen is patron of a number of racing societies, including the Royal Pigeon Racing Association.

65. The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh were married on 20 November 20 1947 in Westminster Abbey. The Queen's wedding dress was designed by Sir Norman Hartnell and was woven at Winterthur Silks Limited, Dunfermline, in the Canmore factory, using silk that had come from Chinese silkworms at Lullingstone Castle.

66. The Queen's dressmakers over the years have included Sir Hardy Amies, Sir Norman Hartnell, Karl-Ludwig Couture and Maureen Rose. The Queen's milliners have been Frederick Fox, Philip Somerville and Marie O'Regan.

67. The Queen's wedding ring was made from a nugget of Welsh gold which came from the Clogau St David's mine near Dolgellau. The official wedding cake was made by McVitie and Price Ltd, using ingredients given as a wedding gift by Australian Girl Guides.

68. The Queen has an extensive collection of jewellery, most of which are Crown Jewels, some inherited and some gifts, including the largest pink diamond in the world. Some well known pieces include; a brooch of diamonds forming a spray of wattle presented by the Australian government in 1954; and a necklace of large square cut aquamarines and diamonds with earrings as a gift in coronation year by the ambassador of Brazil, which the Queen wore on the French state visit in 2004.

69. The Queen has laid her wreath at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday every year of her reign, except in 1959, 1961, 1963, 1968, 1983 and 1999 when she was either pregnant or overseas on an official visit.

70. The Queen has visited the sets of a number of British soap operas including Coronation Street, East Enders and Emmerdale.

71. In 1997, the Queen launched Buckingham Palace's first official website.

72. In 1998, the Queen introduced "theme days" to promote and celebrate aspects of British culture. The first theme day was "City Day" focusing on financial institutions. Other themes have included Publishing, Broadcasting, Tourism, Emergency Services, Maritime Day, Music, Young Achievers, British Design, and Pioneers.

73. In June, 2002, the Queen hosted the first public concerts in the garden of Buckingham Palace to celebrate her Golden Jubilee. the Queen attended both the classical and pop concerts. The 'Party at the Palace' pop concert was one of the most watched pop concerts in history, attracting around 200 million viewers over the world.

74. The Queen is the first member of the Royal Family to be awarded a gold disc from the recording industry. 100,000 copies of the CD of the 'Party at the Palace', produced by EMI, were sold within the first week of release.

75. The Queen hosted the first women's only event "Women of Achievement" at Buckingham Palace in March, 2004.

76. In November 2004, the Queen invited the cast of Les Miserables in the West End to perform for French President Jacques Chirac at Windsor Castle. It was the first time the cast of a West End musical had performed at a Royal residence.

77. As a young girl, the Queen acted in a number of Pantomimes during World War Two including playing the part of Prince Florizel in Cinderella in 1941. These pantomimes took place every year in the Waterloo Chamber at Windsor Castle.

78. In 2005 the Queen claimed ownership of 88 cygnets on the Thames. They are looked after by the Swan Marker. The first Royal Swan Keeper was appointed around the 12th Century.

79. Technically the Queen still owns the sturgeons, whales and dolphins in the waters around the UK. A statute from 1324, at the time of the reign of King Edward II, states that: "Also the King shall have ... whales and sturgeons taken in the sea or elsewhere within the realm." This statute is still valid today, and sturgeons, porpoises, whales and dolphins are recognised as 'Fishes Royal'. When captured within three miles of UK shores, or washed ashore either dead or alive, they may be claimed on behalf of the Crown. Generally, when brought into port, a sturgeon is sold in the usual way, and the purchaser, as a gesture of loyalty, requests the honour of its being accepted by the Queen.

80. In summer 2005, the Queen opened the first "children's trail" in the Buckingham Palace garden for the summer opening.

The Queen and President Ford

LINKS:

Website reveals 80 Queen facts

Queen gives Maundy coins

CELEBRATORY EVENTS

Fifties portrait tops Queen poll

Home movies reveal Queen's life

Gowns and gems displayed

Rolf shows off Queen's portrait

Exhibition to chart Queen's life

Queen's birthday events unveiled

BBC COVERAGE

TV and radio listings

Profile - Queen Elizabeth II

2 June 1953: Queen Elizabeth takes coronation oath

British Monarchy web site
This web site provides information on the work of The Queen today, biographies of the Royal Family, a history of kings and queens through the ages, background on Royal residences and art collections, and coverage of recent Royal events.

Royal Insight
The online news magazine of the British Monarchy website, featuring news, stories and pictures from all the latest Royal visits and events.

The Prince of Wales's web site
The official web site for The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, Prince William and Prince Harry.

The Royal Collection
The Royal Collection is responsible for the management of works of art and Royal residences held in trust by The Queen as Sovereign. This web site features information about visiting Royal residences and an e-gallery of selected items from the collection.

Balmoral Castle
Information about The Queen's summer residence, including how to visit the estate.

Sandringham Estate
Web site featuring information about the history of the house and estate and public access to The Queen's Christmas residence.

Crown Estate
The Crown Estate manages property owned by The Queen "in right of the Crown" with origins dating back almost 1000 years. This official web site provides detailed information on the estates and their history.

Royal Ascot
Information about the annual race meet which is opened and attended by The Queen and other members of the Royal Family.

The Royal Windsor Horse Show
Information about the annual international horse show held at Windsor and patronised by The Queen.

Help the Aged
Information about the charity behind the living legends award ceremony at Windsor Castle.

St George's Chapel
Includes an extensive history of the chapel as well as information about contemporary worship.

How to contact The Queen

There are various ways to contact The Queen:

You can write to Her Majesty at the following address:

Her Majesty The Queen
Buckingham Palace
London SW1A 1AA

You can also email The Queen through this web site.   Send an email to Her Majesty    (opens in new window). Please note that, due to the volume of messages received by e-mail, it is impossible to provide individual replies. If you would like to receive a reply, you should write a letter to The Queen at the above address.

Further information about the Crown Jewels can be found in the Official Crown Jewels Guidebook.

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The Queen's portrait - by Rolf Harris

BIRTHDAY LINKS:

Poll: Queen Elizabeth "Most Popular Royal"
All Headline News - 18 April 2006

London, England - Britain's Queen Elizabeth is the most popular ... showed strong support for the Queen to stay on ... for the monarch - who turns 80 on Saturday ...
The Queen at 80: Reserved yet revered International Herald Tribune
Queen's birthday celebrations begin CNN International
Queen Elizabeth still going strong at 80 China Daily
Angus Reid Global Scan - all 58 related »

The Queen and I
Scotsman, United Kingdom - 3 hours ago
TODAY a hundred 80-year-olds from across Britain will gather at Buckingham Palace for an 80th birthday lunch with ... 1926 - on the same day as Queen Elizabeth II. ...

IN FOCUS: 80 great royal memories
Peterborough Evening Telegraph, UK - 15 hours ago
Here, we publish 80 facts about the Queen – with a ... 1 There are 332,016 people called Elizabeth in the UK – and 841 of them live in the Peterborough ...

A birthday fit for a queen
Hartford Courant, United States - 14 hours ago
... She is, of course, Queen Elizabeth, who will mark her ... Chapel in Windsor to celebrate the Queen's birthday. ... Buckingham Palace has released 80 facts celebrating ...
Queen to start 80th celebrations BBC News
all 7 related »   BBC News

Elizabeth: 80 Glorious Years
50 Connect, UK - Apr 15, 2006
... In 2006, her eightieth birthday will be celebrated ... BBC Royal Correspondent Jennie Bond, Elizabeth: 80 Glorious Years looks back over the Queen’s incredible ...

Queen Elizabeth II: If the crown fits
Independent, UK - Apr 15, 2006
... At the age of 80 she will still be inspecting ... The Queen's day then begins and, like every other day, she ... In 1947, when Princess Elizabeth came of age, in a ...

Two Canadian couples invited to dine with Queen
CTV.ca, Canada - Apr 17, 2006
... addition to the luncheon, Buckingham Palace also released 80 little-known facts about the Queen to mark her 80th birthday. They include: Elizabeth learned to ...

"Vibrant" photo marks Queen Elizabeth's 80 years
Reuters - Apr 3, 2006
LONDON (Reuters) - A new photographic portrait of Queen Elizabeth went on show at Windsor Castle on Monday to celebrate her ... The queen turns 80 on April ...

HM at 80. Simply majestic
Times Online, UK - Apr 17, 2006
... on to the heir, but the longer Queen Elizabeth II reigns ... and offer advice and perspective — as the Queen does in ... Your monarch is 80 and still smiling at the ...

The Queen's portrait - by Christian Furr

Four faces of 80
Sunday Herald, UK - Apr 15, 2006
... As the Queen celebrates a landmark birthday, we compare her experiences with those ... Sixty years ago Princess Elizabeth Windsor’s life seemed a very different ...

In search of Elizabeth
The Age, Australia - Apr 14, 2006
... 130 official portraits, it was painted to mark her 80th birthday. ... Mortimore of pollsters Ipsos MORI says that when Queen Elizabeth II turns 80 on Friday she ...

Queen Elizabeth II to distribute 'Maundy Money' in traditional ...
Hindu, India - Apr 13, 2006
13 (AP): Queen Elizabeth II distributed specially minted silver coins known ... four-penny coins to 80 men and 80 women _ in honor of her 80th birthday on April ...

Palace releases Queen Elizabeth trivia
The Age, Australia - Apr 10, 2006
As Britain's monarch approaches her 80th birthday, Buckingham Palace has released 80 little known facts about Queen Elizabeth II. ...

Queen Elizabeth sent her first e-mail in 1976
Express Outlook, Mauritius - Apr 11, 2006
Queen Elizabeth sent her first e-mail as long as 40 years ago, according to a list of 80 facts about ... by Buckingham Palace to mark her 80th birthday on April ...

Queen Elizabeth to watch Prince Harry join Army
Zee News, India - Apr 12, 2006
Camberley, Apr 12: With her 80th birthday less than a fortnight away, Queen Elizabeth II was travelling to ... For Queen Elizabeth, who turns 80 on April 21 ...

God save the Queen
The Statesman, India - Apr 17, 2006
... are about to roll out the bunting and crack open the beer crates to celebrate 80 years of ... Her name is Elizabeth Windsor ... Her tormentors call her “The Queen”. ...

Website releases facts about queen's 80 years
People's Daily Online, China - Apr 11, 2006
... you have paid a recent visit to the Buckingham Palace website, where 80 facts about Queen Elizabeth have been posted in honour of her imminent 80th birthday. ...

The Queen's 80th Birthday Celebrated in Stamps
Gibbons Stamp Monthly, UK - Apr 13, 2006
... Corgi, Dookie, to his two young Princesses, Elizabeth and Margaret ... 80th Birthday of Her Majesty The Queen is an ... of Her Majesty during the past 80 years.’ Tim ...

80 Royal facts fit for a Queen
Manchester Evening News, UK - Apr 11, 2006
HERE are 80 facts about the Queen released by Buckingham Palace to mark her 80th birthday. 1. Queen Elizabeth II is the fortieth monarch since William the ...

What Does the Queen Do?
TIME - Apr 14, 2006
... What can a constitutional monarch like Elizabeth II, prohibited from exercising any real power, actually do to justify her ... The Queen is 80 on April 21, and ...

Here's to our birthday Queen
Toronto Star,  Canada - Apr 16, 2006
... That she was born 80 years ago this week in a house that no longer ... 29) Queen Mary — whose stern Hanoverian facial features Elizabeth inherited and ...

The Queen's portrait - Canberra

80 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT ONE
Mirror.co.uk, UK - Apr 10, 2006
ON April 21 the Queen will be 80 - and to ... the event, Buckingham Palace yesterday released 80 amazing facts ... being HMS Vanguard, in 1944 as Princess Elizabeth. ...

Red, white and blue, happy birthday to you
Gulf Times, Qatar - Apr 15, 2006
LONDON: Queen Elizabeth II is not the only one celebrating a landmark birthday this month. As she turns 80, the flag-waving crowds will have in their hands a ...

80 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About Queen Elizabeth
TIME - Apr 10, 2006
... her first State Visit as Princess Elizabeth , to South ... mother and father, then King and Queen, from February ... The Princess celebrated her 21st birthday in Cape ...

“Vibrant” photo marks Queen Elizabeth’s 80 years
Khaleej Times, United Arab Emirates - Apr 3, 2006
LONDON - A new photographic portrait of Queen Elizabeth went on show at ... It is a vibrant portrait and the queen certainly doesn’t look her 80 years.”.

The Queen: 80 facts
The Sun, UK - Apr 11, 2006
... 47. The Queen went on her first state visit as Princess Elizabeth to South Africa in ... In 2005, The Queen claimed ownership of 88 cygnets on the river Thames ... 80. ...

Queen Elizabeth's fact list
Monsters and Critics.com, UK - Apr 10, 2006
Britain's Queen Elizabeth once sent a message to the moon and has been given eggs for her birthday. These are just two of 80 facts about the monarch Buckingham ...

She could have been washing feet...
Independent Online, South Africa - Apr 14, 2006
... Britain's Queen Elizabeth 2 takes her public appearances very ... as she prepares for her 80th birthday next Friday ... commemorative coins worth all of 80 pence (about ...

Jockstrip: The world as we know it
DailyIndia.com, NY - Apr 11, 2006
... Buckingham Palace has listed 80 items of interest about Queen Elizabeth II, who's owned more than 30 corgis, as Britain prepares to mark her 80th birthday. ...

Queen gives 'Maundy Money' as Easter nears
People's Daily Online, China - Apr 13, 2006
British Queen Elizabeth II distributed specially minted silver coins known as ... penny coins to 80 men and 80 women in honour of her 80th birthday on April 21. ...

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