Fun Facts!!!!

Today is all about fun facts!! So get excited! Warning: they're going to bounce all over the place; there will be no rhyme or reason, just whatever pops into my head at the time! 

I did a lot of research before I came to England and that is why I know so many awesome things! I have also picked up on some history along the way. Obviously, these facts are not my own, but I will not be citing anything or anybody. I am very sure about my facts, but if you're going to be competing a really important quiz bowl, or something of the sort, that is coming up soon, I would do my own research, if I were you! Let's get started!

• Most important fact! (Especially for those confused Americans) England, Britain, and the UK are not interchangeable! They are different! England is the country in the southern part of Britain; Britain is the name of the island. Great Britain is the political union of England, Scotland, and Wales. The United Kingdom adds Northern Ireland to Great Britain.
• The British Isles, which is NOT a political entity, includes the independent Republic of Ireland. 
• The British Commonwealth is the countries that follow the Queen (Australia, New Zealand, Canada, India, Pakistan, South Africa, Rwanda, Nigeria, Uganda, Zambia, many other, smaller African nations, Malaysia, Fiji and many other Pacific nations, the Bahamas, Jamaica, and many other islands). 
• The only British royal to reign longer than Queen Elizabeth (the current Queen) was Queen Victoria, by only 4 years! That's 64 years total for Victoria and 60 for Queen Elizabeth. 
• The Queen owns all unmarked swans in open waters!
• Swan Upping is the annual census of the swans on the Thames in Middlesex, Surrey, Buckinghamshire, Bershire, and Oxfordshire.
• The Queen only exercises her ownership of the swans on the Thames in these counties. 
• Camilla Parker Bowles will NEVER hold the title of Queen!
• She holds the title HRH Duchess of Cornwall.
• HRH stands for His/ Her Royal Highness.
• If Charles ever becomes King, Camilla will only hold the title of Princess Consort.
• The Queen always carries around a hand bag, which beautifully matches each outfit. She does not, however, carry any money. Her bag is a signalling agent. She moves it from arm to arm when she wants her body guards to know that she is done talking to someone and for other various reasons. 
• You must never turn your back to the Queen.
• When you first address the Queen (if that ever happens), you bow/ curtsy and address her as Your Majesty. From then on, you may call her ma'am as in ham, not mom as in farm. When you have finished your conversation, you once again acknowledge her as Your Majesty, bow/ curtsy, then leave, without turning your back to her.  
• Prince Harry's actual name is Henry. He was born Henry Charles Albert David, Prince of Wales.
• The Queen's corgis all come from her first corgi. Susan was given to Elizabeth by her father on her 18th birthday. 
• The Queen has come up with a new breed of dog, the Dorgi. One of her corgis mated with one of Princess Margret's dachshunds.
• Welsh is one of Europe's oldest languages. It has been written down since 600 AD and spoken 300 years before French and German. 
• Most people in Wales speak Welsh. English isn't used in school until about middle school. The Welsh are very proud of their language.
• Since Wales is a bilingual country, all signs in Wales have both English and Welsh on them. 
• Below is the sign for the train station that holds the record for 'longest train station name' in the world. It's in Northern Wales. 
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• This is the Emblem of England. It is the cross of St. George, the patron saint of England. As you can see, it is a red cross on a white background. 
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• This is the Emblem of Scotland. It is the cross of St. Andrew, patron saint of Scotland. As you can see, it is a diagonal, white cross on a blue background.
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• This is the Emblem of Ireland. It is the cross of St. Patrick, patron saint of Ireland. As you can see, it is a diagonal, red cross on a white background. 
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• Together they form the Union Jack. 
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• Kate Middleton holds the title HRH Duchess of Cambridge 
• She is not a princess. When William becomes King, Kate will hold the title of Queen, just like the Queen Mother did when her husband, King George VI, became King.
• Whenever the Queen receives a gift, she always uses it. Whether it be an item that becomes a house decoration or fruit cakes that get donated to children in need, nothing is thrown out or wasted. 
• The Queen can fix and drive her own car. 
• When she was just 19, she was a driver and mechanic in World War 2 as part of the Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service in Surrey. 
• Queen Elizabeth has sat for a total of 129 portraits. 
• The Queen is the only person in Britain who is not required to have a passport.
• Every day the Queen gets all her mail, papers, documents and work for the day in a red box with her initials in it. I think the Prime Minister has one too. 
• Buckingham Palace has 775 rooms. That includes 19 state rooms, 52 royal and guest bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices, and 78 bathrooms!
• Even today there are people who work the unique jobs at Buckingham Palace. There are footmen, pages, and yeomen of the pantries (they are responsible for the china, glass, and silver). There are also two clockmakers who maintain more than 350 clocks throughout the palace and a pipe major. 
• Queen Victoria was the royal who declared that Buckingham Palace would be her home in London. It has been the royal residence since then. 
• The importance of the newest member of the royal family, Prince George, is the fact that he is the third heir to the throne. There hasn't been three, live, direct heirs to the throne since Queen Victoria. It is significant because it strengthens the family line.
• Last summer, Parliament passed a law stating that the sex of the baby no longer matters, a girl can be heir.
• If Prince George would have been a girl, she would be the rightful heir to the crown (just like George is), even though she would be a girl.
• This is the Royal Standard. It represents both the sovereign and the United Kingdom. The first and fourth sections are the three lions of England. Section two is the lion of Scotland and section three is the harp of Ireland. It is flown above Buckingham Palace when the Queen is in residence. It is never flown at half- mast, even if the sovereign dies. It flies on the car and on aircraft that the Queen is riding in for official journeys. 
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• The Queen's Own Flag. It represents the Queen, herself, and cannot be flown by any other member of the Royal Family. It can be flown on any building in which the Queen is staying, car, ship, or aircraft.  
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I have more fun facts, but I think I will leave it here for today!! I hope you enjoyed learning little odds and ends about things here in England! Be prepared for more Fun Facts posts! As I learn more, I hope to share more!

Until next time!