Ten facts you probably never knew about the Queen

This weekend sees the Trooping of the Colour parade to mark the Queen’s official birthday.

It’s been a busy year for the Royal family, with the excitement of the Royal wedding, the birth of Prince William and Kate’s third child, and Her Majesty’s Sapphire Coronation Jubilee.

To celebrate Her Majesty’s 65th Trooping of the Colour, specialist coin firm Hattons of London has pulled together some of the most fascinating facts about the Queen.

A leading authority in the coin collecting world, Hattons of London has also just released a stunning world-first gold sovereign collection to mark 65 years since Her Majesty’s coronation.

The exceptional range of seven gold coins feature a triple-proof quality finish comprising frosted, matte, and mirror detailing.

In view of the importance of this collection and the very low mintages, the coins feature an innovative security feature – a ‘Holo-Proof’ silhouette of the Queen – making it the first sovereign of its kind in the world.

Each different denomination replicates the different portraits of the Queen on the coinage at the time of each of her major jubilees, from her coronation year of 1953 right through to the 2012 Diamond Jubilee.

Specialist coin firm Hattons of London has released a stunning world-first gold sovereign collection to mark 65 years since Her Majesty’s coronation

Here’s 10 fascinating facts:

Trooping of the Colour is an event at which the Queen has taken the salute every year since her reign began. But did you know the event was cancelled in 1955 due to a national rail strike?

On a recent low-key trip to Scotland in 2015, the Queen met some American tourists while walking. She was asked if she lived round here, she mentioned that she had a house nearby, and when asked if she’d ever met the Queen, she simply pointed at her policeman and said, ‘No, but he has’. The group were none the wiser and left without realising they had met the Queen.

She has a keen interest in Scottish country dancing and hosts annual dances known as Gillies’ Balls for neighbours, estate workers and members of the local community when she stays at her Balmoral Castle.

The Queen owns an elephant, two giant turtles, a jaguar and a pair of sloths which now live at London Zoo. They are just a few of the many unusual gifts she’s received over the years.

Her Majesty is responsible for introducing a new dog breed, a ‘dorgi’. It occurred when one of her corgis mated with a dachshund named Pipkin, which belonged to Princess Margaret.

The Queen was the first member of the Royal Family to be awarded a gold disc from the recording industry. This is after 100,000 copies of the CD of the Party at the Palace, produced by EMI, were sold within the first week of release in 2002.

Her Majesty had to collect clothing coupons for her wedding dress when she married Prince Philip in 1947 due to clothes rationing.

The first football match the Queen attended was the 1953 FA Cup Final, and according to former Arsenal player Cesc Fabregas, she is a Gunners fan.

The Queen undertook a car-maintenance course during her Auxiliary Territorial Service in World War II, and it’s said that she is the only British monarch able to change a spark plug.

Her Majesty once demoted a royal footman after it was discovered he had been getting the corgis drunk by mixing whisky and gin to their food and water.

Hattons of London director Simon Mellinger added: ‘With such a remarkable year for the Royal Family, we thought it was fitting to release our second Royal sovereign collection. The Sapphire Jubilee collection features a triple-proof quality finish along with a high-tech Holo-Proof security feature – it is the first sovereign of its kind in the world to do so. It’s the first time a British monarch has celebrated this 65-year milestone and it is unlikely to be matched.’