We're sure celebrations are in full swing for Queen Elizabeth, who turns 92 today.
Of course, the regal leader doesn't just blow out candles on a birthday cake. She and members of the royal are set to attend a special concert tonight at London's Royal Albert Hall tonight to celebrate the monarch becoming another year older.
Happy 92nd Birthday to Her Majesty The Queen!#QueensBirthday #HappyBirthdayHerMajesty pic.twitter.com/6FqHbsJmyN
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) 21 April 2018
The show will feature performers Sting, Shaggy and Kylie Minogue, and will be broadcast live.
And, to mark the happy occasion of the Queen's birthday, we have nine fascinating facts about Her Majesty:
1) Her childhood nickname was Lilibet.
Like many of us with pet names, Mental Floss says Elizabeth was called 'Lilibet' by her family because Princess Margaret couldn't pronounce her big sister's name.
2) She is the only female royal family member to have entered the armed forces.
When World War II began in 1939, young Elizabeth felt compelled to aid the war effort. However, she was just a teenager, so the princess contributed by making radio broadcasts to instil courage and boost the morale of her fellow young people, Mental Floss reports.
However, eventually she enlisted as a member of the Auxiliary Territorial Service. The then-18-year-old trained as a truck driver and mechanic in 1945. This duty makes her the only living head of state in the world who officially served in World War II.
3) Queen Elizabeth is the first British monarch to have reached her platinum wedding anniversary, or 70 years of marriage.
The 92-year-old and her husband Prince Philip celebrated 70 years together on November 20 last year.
4) Her Majesty officially celebrates her birthday in June.
This is a tradition that many other sovereigns before her have followed. The official celebrations tend to be during the summer because, as the royal family's website explains, there is better weather for the Birthday Parade, or Trooping the Colour.
The parade traipses between Buckingham Palace, The Mall and Horseguards’ Parade.
5) The mum-of-four is an avid photographer.
As mums we know what it's like to want to document every significant family moment, and the Queen is no different. According to Time, she loves photography and taking snaps of her growing family.
6) She's the only person in the UK who doesn't need a license to drive.
Her Majesty loves driving, a skill she picked up while in the Auxiliary Territorial Service. However, she never needs a license in order to get behind the wheel because it's a part of the 'royal prerogative' (powers and rights that only the sovereign has).
It's quite funny though, because all UK licenses are issued in her name, as Hello! Magazine notes. The Queen never needed to take a driving test, either, and doesn't need numbers on the license plate of her state car.
7) Queen Elizabeth is the first British monarch to visit China.
She visited the country in 1986, and was sure to visit the Forbidden City in Beijing and the Great Wall during the state visit, China Daily reports.
8) The monarch uses her purse to send signals to her staffers.
Considering the amount of social gatherings the Queen must attend, it's no wonder that she has a secret code with her staff.
As the Queen, she obviously doesn't want to seem rude, so these signals are the perfect solution. Apparently, if she moves her purse from one hand to the other, it means that she wants to end the conversation she is currently in.
"It would be very worrying if you were talking to the Queen and saw the handbag move from one hand to the other,” royal historian Hugo Vickers told People. Of course, the ending of the conversation would be a very subtle and polite affair.
“It would be done very nicely,” Hugo shared “Someone would come along and say, ‘Sir, the Archbishop of Canterbury would very much like to meet you.'”
9) She drinks a glass of champagne every evening.
The Independent reports that, according to the Queen's cousin Margaret Rhodes, Her Majesty never fails to indulge in some bubbly every night, along with gin at lunchtime.
And we can raise a glass to her now! Here's a toast to Britain's longest reigning monarch and all of her FABULOUS hats.
