Elizabeth II
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[[File:Elizabeth II.jpg|right|thumb|225px|Liz "Queenie" Windsor in 2006.]] | [[File:Elizabeth II.jpg|right|thumb|225px|Liz "Queenie" Windsor in 2006.]] | ||
| − | '''Elizabeth II''', "'''the Queen'''" (if you're one of her subjects, at least, unless you live in the Channel Islands, where she is the Duke of Normandy) is an old lady who is the [[ | + | '''Elizabeth II''', "'''the Queen'''" (if you're one of her subjects, at least, unless you live in the Channel Islands, where she is the Duke of Normandy) is an old lady who is the [[Monarch|Queen]] of the following countries: |
* The [[United Kingdom]] | * The [[United Kingdom]] | ||
Revision as of 20:08, 7 April 2013
Elizabeth II, "the Queen" (if you're one of her subjects, at least, unless you live in the Channel Islands, where she is the Duke of Normandy) is an old lady who is the Queen of the following countries:
- The United Kingdom
- The Isle of Man
- The Channel Islands
- Antigua & Barbuda
- Australia
- The Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belize
- Canada
- Grenada
- Jamaica
- New Zealand
- Papua New Guinea
- St. Kitts & Nevis
- St. Lucia
- St. Vincent & the Grenadines
- Solomon Islands
- Tuvalu
She has been, at one point or another, the ruler of 40 independent nations, all of which were at one point in time British colonies or possessions (except, of course, for the UK itself).
Other info of relevance/snark
When she first ascended to the throne in 1952, there was some confusion as to her royal title, since Elizabeth I had ruled England and Wales in the sixteenth century, prior to the Union of Crowns, while there had never been a Queen Elizabeth of Scotland. There were even a few bewildering lawsuits from angry Scottish people.[1] This is why postboxes in Scotland bear only a crown and not the "E II R" insignia seen elsewhere in the UK. Not a lot of people (outside of Scotland, obviously) know that.
Interestingly, she was the one who insisted upon televising her own coronation, and has happily embraced new technologies and shown appreciable support for science. She served in World War II as a mechanic and an ambulance driver, which may partly explain her interest in technology. She is also known to be a somewhat avid fan of the BBC science-fiction series Doctor Who. In fact, the only BBC director to not be knighted during Elizabeth II's tenure as monarch is the one responsible for the show's cancellation in the late 1980s. There is some suspicion that this may partly explain her apparent boredom during the opening ceremonies of the London 2012 Olympics (one episode of Doctor Who had the titular Doctor light the cauldron for the 2012 olympics). She is also somewhat known for having a rather "wicked" sense of humour, which was shown quite amusingly by the way her entry into the stadium was portrayed (with the help of a stunt-double) at the aforementioned 2012 Olympic Games' opening ceremonies as seen here. This may have more to do with the nature of British humor and wit in general than with the Queen's wit in particular, however.
She currently lives in a palace in England with her dogs and her bitch, Prince Phillip. As she refuses to give interviews, her political opinions, as well as any religious beliefs she has, if any, are pretty much unknown to anyone outside her close family and friends (she is, of course, head of the Church of England, but since this position is hereditary, it doesn't necessarily mean she actually believes in God). With respect to previous monarchs of the United Kingdom, however, she is characterised by her relative sanity; her ancestors were mostly ego-hungry, power-mad and generally off-the-wall mental (also known as German) while one of her direct offspring is considered a bit of a buffoon who has been behind several anti-science law suits and seems to think homeopathy works.[2] Hence we hope good Queen Bess reigns for many years to come, or at least that she outlives Charlie and skips down to William, who has yet to prove himself insane.[3] The Queen is also the subject of a very good movie starring Helen Mirren.
Since 1993 she has been a full-fledged UK tax payer.[4] So she basically pays herself 63 pence per year to host parties and wave, which is a nice job if you can get it.
Other usage
The Queen Elizabeth 2 (Arabic rather than Roman numeral, colloquially, the QE2) was a big boat that sailed the oceans blue from roughly 1969 to 2006 or so. At least one RationalWikian was transported from the old world to the new stowed aboard her decks.[5]
Footnotes
- ↑ See the Wikipedia article on MacCormick v. Lord Advocate.
- ↑ WSWS.org - Britain's Prince Charles attacks science
- ↑ Who, up until the appearance of Edward Cullen, seemed to be the no.1 fancy piece for tweenage girls everywhere.
- ↑ http://www.royal.gov.uk/TheRoyalHousehold/Royalfinances/Taxation.aspx
- ↑ This guy's been on it too.