This September 8, 2022, Elizabeth II died at the age of 96. The mother of Prince Charles is, today, the one who will have reigned the longest, exceeding the reign of his great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria. Planet invites you to discover some surprising anecdotes about the former sovereign.

Unlike her subjects and other members of the royal family, Queen Elizabeth II has never had a passport. “As a British passport is issued in Her Majesty’s name, there is no need for the Queen to have one. All other members of the Royal Family, including the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales, have one. passport”, can we read on the official website of the royal family. It is not the only administrative document from which the Queen is exempt. The grandmother of Princes Harry and William does not need a driver’s license to drive her cars.

Another anecdote little known to the general public, Elizabeth II sent her first e-mail in 1976. She was therefore the first monarch to use such a communication service. An email to Arpanet users sent from an English military base. It would not be until much later, in 2014, that the sovereign published her first royal tweet via the @BritishMonarchy account. “It is a joy to open the Information Age exhibit today at the @ScienceMuseum and I hope the public will enjoy it,” she wrote.

On the occasion of her birthday, Planet invites you to discover all the unusual photos of the British sovereign.