[imagesource: Carl Court/Getty]
Every family has its issues, but the Royals seem to have accumulated some extremely interesting ones over the years.
Christmas dinner must be very entertaining, and even more so this year, now that Prince Andrew is officially that creepy uncle who nobody wanted to invite, but who has nowhere else to go, so he’s there.
As one of the world’s most famous families, and monarchies (yes, there are indeed other monarchies out there), every move that they make is documented by the press, so you’d be forgiven for thinking that you already know everything that there is to know.
Per Ranker, here are 10 facts that will both expose and fill the gaps in your knowledge:
Queen Elizabeth snuck out of Buckingham Palace to celebrate the end of WWII
She was still a teenager when the war ended, and it would be some time before she took the crown, so her parents let her and her sister break out of the palace to go and have some fun.
Another interesting fact: she drove trucks and worked as a mechanic during the war
The Queen and Prince Philip are third cousins
At least they aren’t first cousins, although that would explain Charles.
The Queen is head of 16 of the world’s 44 monarchies
I told you there were other monarchies.
The Queen heads up, among others, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the Bahamas, Belize, Jamaica, and Papua New Guinea.
Her list of kingdoms, however, will shrink in 2021. Barbados will officially remove her from her position and become a republic by November.
The Queen Mother was afforded the title of the ‘most dangerous woman in Europe’
In England, she was called the “Smiling Duchess” because she was always happy.
Hitler, one the other hand, was terrified of her, calling her “the most dangerous woman in Europe”, because of her resistance during WWII, which included refusing to evacuate or leave her husband’s side during the conflict.
Princess Diana wouldn’t wear Chanel because the ‘CC’ reminded her of Charles and Camilla
In 1996, right after her divorce from Prince Charles, Diana confided in designer Jayson Brundson:
She came out holding, like, handfuls of shoes and bags and just dumped them all down on the couch, then said, “What do you think?” So I went through them all and I found a pair of Chanel shoes and I said, “Well, these would look great with the Versace.” And she said, “No, I can’t wear linked C’s, the double C.” So I asked why, and she said, “It’s Camilla and Charles.”
Poor Coco Chanel.
Wallis Simpson was named TIME’s ‘Woman of the Year’ in 1936
Wallis Simpson is largely blamed for Edward VIII abdicating his throne.
Simpson could hold her own, though, and in 1936, TIME magazine named her its “Woman of the Year,” even though the honour was traditionally given to a man.
The Queen travels with a bag of her own blood
The Queen likes to be prepared, and if she needs a transfusion, she is not going to mix her blue blood with that of a commoner.
Boys in the Royal Family don’t wear pants until they’re eight
Don’t panic – they wear shorts. It’s tradition, and it’s also weird.
Princess Diana was a nanny before she married Charles
In 1980, Diana worked as a nanny for Mary Robertson, an American working in London. She washed dishes, ran loads of laundry, and took care of a kid named Patrick. “She was wonderful with my child,” said Robertson.
The Royal Family weighs holiday guests to make sure that they’re well-fed
And, we’ve come full circle to that awkward family dinner.
Nothing puts people at ease more than stepping on a scale before and after a meal to ensure that they ate enough.
Nothing to see here.
Everything is normal.
[source:ranker]
