10 fascinating details from the Queen's life and reign

The Queen spent nearly all of her 96 years in the public eye, but there are still some quirky facts about her and her role that many people may not know.

Here are 10 interesting details about the Queen’s life as the world mourns her death.

1. A monarch above all others

In October 2016, Queen Elizabeth II became the world’s longest-reigning monarch. At that point, she had outlived Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died after 70 years on the throne.

She had worked with 15 prime ministers of the U.K., up to and including current PM Liz Truss. She's also presided during the terms of 12 Canadian prime ministers and 13 U.S. presidents, and reigned during the terms of seven Popes of the Roman Catholic Church.

2. The Queen's menagerie

The Queen was a noted animal lover, with a long tradition of breeding horses and dogs.

Corgis were the Queen's favourite breed of dog, and she's owned more than 30 of them over the years. Most of her corgis descended from Susan, a dog she received as a gift on her 18th birthday. She's also bred corgis with dachshunds to create a breed called dorgis.

The Queen’s last corgi died in the fall of 2018.

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The Queen was also an enthusiastic horse breeder and rider. Her horses were kept at the Royal Mews, where they're trained for polo, carriage driving and racing. In the last decade of her life, she took them out for occasional rides, and also frequently attended their races.

3. Unusual gifts from around the world

When it comes to choosing a gift fit for a queen, some countries got creative over the years.

Queen Elizabeth II had accepted a number of unusual animals as gifts, including a pair of beavers from Canada, jaguars and sloths from Brazil, an elephant from Cameroon and a pair of giant sea turtles from the Seychelles. Since Buckingham Palace isn't the best place for an exotic animal, most living gifts to the Queen were sent to the London Zoo.

Other, inanimate gifts to the Queen have included lacrosse sticks, snail shells, cowboy boots, canoes, pineapples and a dozen tins of tuna.

4. Ruler of land and sea

Many people may not know that the Queen had lawful right to all the whales, dolphins and sturgeons that wash ashore or are captured in the waters up to about five kilometres off the shores of the United Kingdom. The arcane law was established under King Edward II, back in 1324. Under the law, a fisherman must offer one of these "royal fish" up to the Queen, before doing anything with it. Of course, she rarely ever accepted these offerings, as they were more of a courtesy in most cases.

Additionally, all untagged, mute swans on the River Thames are considered property of Her Majesty, and presumably now her successor.

5. The Queen never needed a passport

The Queen did not need a passport, nor did she require a driver's licence. That’s because British passports and driver’s licences are issued in the name of Her Majesty, so it was unnecessary for her to possess them.

The Queen knew her way around vehicles, having served as a mechanic and ambulance driver with Britain's Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service, at the tail end of the Second World War.

In her later years, she had been known to sit in the driver's seat from time to time, like when she took former Saudi King (then Prince) Abdullah for a spin around Balmoral in her Land Rover, back in 1998.

6. The Queen survived an attack

In 1981, a teenager shot a replica gun at the Queen as she rode past crowds on a horse during Trooping of the Colour, an annual parade. Thankfully, the attacker used blanks and no one was injured, although the Queen’s horse was startled.

The procession continued as planned and security surrounding the Queen was beefed up after that incident.

7. The Queen’s favourite drinks

The Queen was reportedly a creature of habit, and one of those habits was alcohol. According to a book by her cousin, Margaret Rhodes, the Queen regularly consumed a few glasses of alcohol over the course of the day. Before her lunch, she drank a glass of gin and Dubonnet, with a slice of lemon and a lot of ice. She occasionally drank wine with her lunch, and at dinner, she had a dry Martini and a glass of Champagne.

However, Rhodes insisted the Queen did not drink to excess.

Rhodes documented her friendship with the Queen in her book, titled "The Final Curtsey."

8. Tech queen

The Queen wasn’t exactly a technophile, but she kept up with the times over her long reign. In 1953, she allowed TV cameras into Westminster Abbey to broadcast her coronation, and in 1957, she delivered her first televised address. "Television has made it possible for many of you to see me in your homes," she said.

And while most people probably sent their first email after 1990, Queen Elizabeth hit "send" for the first time in 1976, during a visit to an army base.

The British Monarchy has an established internet presence, starting with the launch of a website in 1997. Over the years, the Queen has also launched a YouTube channel (2007), a Twitter account (2007), a Facebook account (2010) and an Instagram account (2014), among other things.

9. The Queen’s 'horrible' year

In 1992, a devastating fire gutted part of Windsor Castle in late November, and many citizens came out vehemently against the suggestion that the repairs be covered using public money. Ultimately, the royals decided to raise the necessary funds by opening Buckingham Palace to tourists.

Also that year, the Queen watched the marriages of three of her children fall apart. Prince Andrew divorced Sarah Ferguson in March, Princess Anne divorced Mark Phillips in April, and rumours swirled about the unhappy marriage of Prince Charles to Diana, the Princess of Wales, after an illicit phone conversation leaked between Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles. Charles later divorced Diana and married Parker Bowles.

In late November, the Queen called 1992 her "annus horribilis" – Latin for "horrible year" – in a speech to mark the 40th anniversary of her accession to the throne.

"Nineteen-ninety-two is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure," she said. "I sometimes wonder how future generations will judge the events of this tumultuous year. I dare say history will take a slightly more moderate view than that of some contemporary commentators."

10. Pop culture ruler

The Queen didn’t usually participate in pop culture events, but she made a few memorable exceptions.

Perhaps the most famous example was at the opening ceremonies for the 2012 Olympics in London, when she joined James Bond actor Daniel Craig for a video skit to introduce her arrival at the stadium. The video shows Craig, as 007, escorting Her Majesty to a helicopter waiting to take her to the event. After the video plays, a helicopter arrives at the stadium, and stunt doubles for the Queen and Craig stage a live jump and parachute down to the ground. The Queen arrived in the stands moments later.

And while most of the Queen's on-camera appearances have been for official reasons, she has had some fun with the entertainment industry, with set visits to several popular U.K. soap shows, including "Coronation Street."