Queen Elizabeth Owns Some Surprising Things

Since her ascent to the throne in 1952, Queen Elizabeth II has built a reputation in her more than 70 years on the throne as a dutiful and dependable monarch (via the official site of the British royal family). She has been quoted as having promised the English people, "my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service." Besides her sense of duty to English citizens, the queen also has in her possession some downright surprising things. Other than all her magnificent castles and royal grandchildren, what stuff can the queen of England actually call her own?

From the oldest living queen award to all the dolphins in her reach, Queen Elizabeth II is a genuinely notable monarch. Here are some of the most interesting and surprising things owned by the queen of England.

Queen Elizabeth has a soft spot for clutches and bags, especially English-made pieces. The classic brand Launer has been making artfully crafted leather bags in England since the 1940s and supplying the queen with her personal collection since 1968 (via Royal Central). Now, she owns more than 200 Launer bags, according to royal expert Phil Dampier (and author of "What's in the Queen's Handbag? And Other Royal Secrets"), speaking with The Cut. She loves the brand so much, she awarded it a Royal Warrant in 1981 as "Manufacturer of Handbags and Leather Goods."  

The bags are sold to the general public at Fortnum & Mason, with a price tag worthy of a queen's ransom – most are worth well over $2000. Nevertheless, Queen Elizabeth orders four new Launer bags a year (via Royal Central).

As far as what the queen carries in her purse, Dampier details the frequent possessions kept in one of her famous bags, including a makeup case made for her by Prince Philip, pictures of her family, and mints in case she needs them.

Queen Elizabeth also has a secret purse language she uses to communicate with her security guards. Royal Central reports that she often uses small signals with her bags to tell her staff she is ready to leave a situation. She even places her bag on a table or desk as a five-minute warning.

British monarchs have since the mid-1700s celebrated two birthdays a year, one for the public and one for the home, according to CNN. Queen Elizabeth's actual birthday falls on April 21, but she reserves this day to celebrate with her close friends and family, reports the BBC. According to CNN, English monarchs such as Queen Elizabeth have since the 1740s held public birthday celebrations in the summer to ensure good weather. All about tradition, the queen upholds this one in spite of having a spring birthday.

In 1760, King George III officialized the Trooping the Colour parade as the royal birthday parade, and it has remained so ever since. This parade takes place in June each year and is usually accompanied by gun salutes in England's great parks.

And what about the private birthday celebration? Not much is known about how Queen Elizabeth spends her private birthdays, but she does spend each one with family, with the exception of 2020, which was spent on video calls with family members instead of in person due to the COVID pandemic.

There is a convention among the English aristocrats wherein one is almost expected to have a home in the country for getting away and one in the city specifically used for entertaining and accepting guests. If Balmoral is Queen Elizabeth's "get away," so to speak, then Buckingham Palace is the queen's London hub. 

According to the "Secrets of The Royal Palaces" documentary, the castle, positioned in the middle of London for all to see, is the most visited spot in all of the city. Reconstructed from an old building in the early 19th century for King George IV, Buckingham Palace has housed all English royals since its construction, and the palace is the venue for a wide variety of royal celebrations, including birthdays, milestone celebrations, concerts, meetings with other world leaders, garden parties, and more. 

Buckingham Palace is famous for its large balcony on the front facade of the building. Here, the royal family stands together as a united group to be viewed by the world, and here some famous historical moments have taken place. For example, Prince George and Princess Diana waved to the public from the balcony in 1981 and became the first royal couple to kiss there in front of the whole of London. Buckingham Palace is no ordinary London home. It is a palace filled with royal history and many firsts for the royal family. Queen Elizabeth not only employs the palace as a place of celebration but as a home for herself and her loved ones, making this a special possession indeed.

Like something out of a Victor Hugo novel, a colony of bats resides inside one of the queen's oldest and most expensive castles — Balmoral. This is the same castle where Princess Diana was introduced to the family, as per the "Secrets of The Royal Palaces" documentary. Balmoral is private and secluded, which makes it the perfect place to escape the world or introduce a new member to the royal family.

Princesses and family events aside, the queen's most recent guests at Balmoral have provided her with plenty of entertainment. Adam Helliker, the royal editor, spoke to The Sun about the bats. Helliker said the bats have been there for more than 30 years, and that, in her more spritely days, the queen would wield a butterfly net and help her staff catch the little creatures, safely returning them to the outside. Helliker also told The Sun that, although she no longer runs about catching them herself, the animal-loving queen always leaves the castle windows open in case the bats return.

That's right. Queen Elizabeth II owns a sketchbook. Surprised? Well, this is no ordinary sketchbook. The queen owns the very books in which her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria used to draw, which are part of the Royal Collection, as per the Royal Collection Trust. As an article in the Journal of the Royal Society of the Arts notes, Victoria was quite a talented artist, sketching from an early age, recognizable figures in her life, including, later, her own husband, Prince Albert. She also used art as a medium to chronicle her travels and daily life. 

It is not recorded how Queen Elizabeth feels about the sketchbooks, but it serves as a beautiful reminder of the past and an excellent demonstration of her grandmother's family values.

The queen also owns her grandmother's personal diaries, as per the official website of the royal family. Something as private as a diary seems like an odd family relic, but, as history has proven, the lives of royals are often more public than private. In her journals, Queen Victoria wrote about everything from her breakfast plans to waging wars, with each moment of her reign unfolding in the pages of this antique diary. 

Family heirlooms are the bread and butter of European aristocracy. Queen Elizabeth II's vast collection of heirlooms includes pieces of armor worn by her ancestor Henry VIII, as per the Royal Collection Trust.

Created at the Royal Armoury for Henry VIII in 1539, this particular set of armor is made of steel and once dazzled men on the jousting field with heavily decorative detailing (via Google Arts&Culture). One notable aspect of this particular suit is its rather large waistline, as by the time this armor was fashioned, Henry had gained considerable weight. The armor itself was likely made in celebration and for a bit of pageantry to commemorate his marrigae to Anne of Cleves.