Since discovering that real queens exist outside of books and movies—and that she shares a (middle) name with one of them—my young daughter has started yelling “I’M THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND” very loudly around the house. Adorable? Yes. Annoying? Also yes.
In any case, my daughter has a lot of questions about this “real queen.” I’m no Royal Watcher (even though I grew up with a mother who is one), so I had to do a bit of digging. And I very quickly learned my new favourite fact about Queen Elizabeth II.
She’s a trained mechanic!
Well, sort of.
Back in 1945, when she was still Princess Elizabeth, the then 18-year-old joined the Women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service in London during World War II. She threw on a pair of coveralls and proceeded to get her hands dirty (so they say), learning how to drive military vehicles and repair engines.
While she may not be getting under the hood of a truck anymore, the 93-year-old was still getting behind the wheel with enthusiasm until just very recently. She has always been known for her massive car collection and love of driving.
To this day, Queen Elizabeth II remains the only female member of the royal family to have entered the armed forces. She also fought really hard against tradition to do so.
Get it, girl.