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00:00As a queen, there is no doubt that the queen owns a lot of stuff.
00:05Of course, when you are ruling a kingdom, you have ownership of many things.
00:10Queen Elizabeth II is wealthy.
00:12From designer clothes to grand estates and crown jewels, she has a horde of possessions.
00:19But even apart from these expected things, there is a lot that the queen owns and we
00:23don't know about.
00:25Want to find out?
00:26Well then, let's get right to it.
00:29Number 1.
00:31All the swans on River Thames.
00:34The queen technically owns all the unclaimed swans on the open waters of England and Wales.
00:39She shares her ownership with the Worshipful Company of Vintners and the Worshipful Company
00:44of Dyers, an arrangement dating back to the 15th century.
00:49Not just that, but every year, there is a five-day event called Swan Upping where all
00:54the swans are counted.
00:57Number 2.
00:58All the dolphins in the UK.
01:01Under a statute implemented in 1324 under King Edward II, monarchs technically own all
01:08the whales, sturgeons, dolphins, and porpoises in the UK.
01:12So if you accidentally catch one while fishing within three miles of England's shoreline,
01:17you are supposed to contact Buckingham Palace and offer it to the queen as a gesture of
01:22loyalty.
01:24Number 3.
01:25A pair of dorgies.
01:28We all know the queen's love for corgis.
01:31But after her last corgi, Willow, died in 2018, the queen kind of created a new breed
01:37of dogs.
01:38One of her corgis mated with a dachshund belonging to Princess Margaret, and the dorgie was created.
01:44Now, the queen has two dorgies, Vulcan and Candy.
01:49It's debatable as to whether these dogs were the first time a dachshund and a corgi had
01:53ever mated.
01:55Number 4.
01:57Most of Regent Street.
01:59Regent Street is one of the world's most famous roads, situated in London's West End.
02:05Stretching for around 1.25 miles in length, the street runs through Piccadilly Circus
02:10and Oxford Circus, attracting more than 7.5 million visitors per year.
02:16Regent Street was London's first purpose-built shopping street.
02:19Today, it features international brands like Kate Spade, J.Crew, Burberry, and Kills.
02:27Number 5.
02:28Half of the UK's shoreline.
02:31The queen owns not only land and properties, but also half of the shoreline of the UK.
02:37According to the Crown Estate website, the queen owns the territorial seabed out to 12
02:43nautical miles and around half of the foreshore around England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
02:50Number 6.
02:52Multiple royal residences.
02:55Buckingham Palace, with 775 rooms in all its glory, is the queen's house.
03:01But it's not her only house.
03:03The lavish properties owned by the queen include Windsor Castle, the largest occupied castle
03:08in the world.
03:10Holyrood Palace, a 12th-century monastery in Edinburgh, Scotland, that was turned into
03:15a royal palace.
03:17Healesborough Castle, which spans 100 acres in Northern Ireland, the Sandringham estate
03:22where the royal family celebrates Christmas.
03:25And Balmoral Castle, the queen's favorite summer estate.
03:28The last two properties are the queen's personal possessions, which she inherited from her father.
03:35Number 7.
03:37More than 200 lawner handbags.
03:40The queen prefers her handbags from luxury London designer, Launer.
03:44The Royale and Traviata styles are her favorite and she has around 200 of them.
03:50You might have noticed that the queen is rarely seen without a handbag, which she also uses
03:55to send signals to her staff.
03:58Number 8.
04:00A private ATM.
04:02If the queen ever needs access to cash, you won't find her rushing around to find an
04:07ATM.
04:08The queen has a private ATM in her basement of Buckingham Palace.
04:12This ATM is only for the members of the royal family, courtesy of Coates Bank.
04:19Number 9.
04:20The Tower of London.
04:23The majestic Tower of London, built by William the Conqueror in the 1070s, is one of the
04:28most popular tourist attractions.
04:31Its official name is Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London
04:36and houses the crown jewels.
04:38The tower has a flock of seven ravens and, according to legends, the kingdom and the
04:43Tower of London will fall if six resident ravens ever leave the fortress.
04:49Number 10.
04:51150,000 works of art.
04:55As the queen, Her Majesty owns one of the largest and most impressive art collections
04:59in the world.
05:01She doesn't technically own it, but she's just in charge of it.
05:04This collection includes works from the masters like Rembrandt, Rubens, and Raphael.
05:10These artworks are displayed in museums, made available for public viewing, and hung in
05:14royal palaces and estates.
05:18Number 11.
05:20Queen Victoria's Sketchbook.
05:23Passing personal artifacts down through generations is a common ritual.
05:27The same is true for the royal families, except that some of their artifacts become part of
05:31the royal collection.
05:33One such interesting artifact is Queen Victoria's Sketchbook.
05:37Elizabeth's great-great-grandmother was an avid artist.
05:41She sketched regularly during her visits to Balmoral.
05:44The sketches were made for Queen Victoria's personal enjoyment and were not meant to be
05:48displayed to the public.
05:51Number 12.
05:52A team of racehorses.
05:55Horses have always been a passion of the queen's.
05:57The queen loves horse riding, but her love goes beyond that.
06:01She is also an amazing investor in racehorses.
06:05The queen has approximately 30 horses in training, and her horses are prize winners.
06:10Her racehorses have earned her close to $9 million over the last three decades with 451
06:17wins.
06:19Number 13.
06:20A car collection worth more than $10 million.
06:25The queen served as a truck driver and mechanic during World War II, so it's not very surprising
06:30that she loves to drive.
06:33While the queen is most seen in her Land Rover Defender, her collection of cars is estimated
06:37to be worth about $10 million.
06:41Some of the cars in her collection include three Rolls Royces, two Bentleys, and a custom
06:46Range Rover LWB laundelet featuring the royal flag and an open-air top.
06:53Number 14.
06:54A tiara covered in 1,333 diamonds.
07:00Perhaps the best part of being queen is the tiara, and Queen Elizabeth has a lot of them.
07:06But among her many pieces, the most popular has to be the Diamond Diadem.
07:11This exquisite tiara is adorned with 1,333 diamonds, including a 4-carat yellow diamond
07:18in the center.
07:20The piece was originally made for George IV for his lavish coronation in 1821.
07:26Since 1952, the queen has worn it to every state opening of parliament.
07:32Number 15.
07:33A massive Fabergé collection.
07:36Do you collect coins, stamps, books?
07:39Well, the queen also has a collection of Fabergé eggs and accessories.
07:45Queen Alexandra, along with her husband King Edward VII, started the tradition of collecting
07:50eggs and other accessories by the Russian jeweler and goldsmith Fabergé.
07:56It is a part of the royal collection and today is estimated to include 600 pieces.
08:01Many pieces from the collection have been put on display to the public, including a
08:05blue cigarette case given to Edward VII by one of his mistresses, Alice Keppel.
08:10After the king's death, Queen Alexandra returned it to Keppel.
08:15Number 16.
08:17Westminster Abbey.
08:19Westminster Abbey is known as Royal Peculiar, which means that it belongs directly to the
08:24monarch.
08:26It has witnessed some of the most important moments in royal history, including every
08:30coronation since 1066, royal weddings, royal funerals, and memorial services.
08:38Number 17.
08:40Hyde Park.
08:42It is highly unlikely that you would ever spot the queen strolling around in Hyde Park,
08:46but she technically owns it.
08:49Along with that, she also owns Kensington Gardens, Regent's Park, and the Green Park.
08:55Number 18.
08:56A Gold Record.
08:59The queen must be the only person to be awarded a gold disc without singing a single note.
09:05To celebrate the queen's golden jubilee in 2002, a concert was recorded by talents like
09:10Elton John, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Paul McCartney, and Annie Lennox.
09:17Called Party at the Palace, the album sold 100,000 copies in its first week of release.
09:23The queen is the first member of the royal family to be awarded a gold record from the
09:27recording industry.
09:30Number 19.
09:32A Colony of Bats.
09:35The Balmoral Castle is also home to a colony of bats who have made themselves comfortable
09:40in the main hall of the property.
09:42It might be because the queen is such a great animal lover that she doesn't mind their
09:47presence.
09:48The queen likes to catch bats with a butterfly net as they zoom around in the house.
09:52She also points them out to her staff so that they can catch them with nets as well.
09:58Number 20.
09:59The World's Largest Clear-Cut Diamond.
10:03The Great Star of Africa, also known as Cullinan after South African mining magnate Sir Thomas
10:09Cullinan, is the largest clear-cut diamond in the world, worth an estimated $51 million.
10:17In 1910, this diamond, and many other stones cut from an enormous diamond unearthed in
10:21South Africa five years earlier, was presented to Mary of Teck, Elizabeth II's grandmother.
10:28The diamond was then incorporated into the Sovereign Scepter, a three-foot-long gold
10:32staff originally made for Charles II.
10:35The 530-carat diamond is a part of the Crown Jewels now, which comes under the ownership
10:41of the Crown.
10:43Number 21.
10:45An Aberdeen Angus Cow.
10:48When the queen went to Canada on an official visit in 2005, she was presented with an Aberdeen
10:53Angus cow at the Calgary Stampede Agricultural Show.
10:57However, the queen wasn't able to bring her gift back home, so the cow remained in
11:01Calgary and became the founding member of the Stampede's own herd of cattle.
11:07Number 22.
11:09A Sloth and Two Black Jaguars.
11:12In 1968, the queen went to Brazil on a state visit.
11:15There, she was gifted a sloth along with two black jaguars named Marcus and Isida by the
11:21Prefect of Brasilia.
11:23The animals were housed at the ZSL London Zoo.
11:26A sloth isn't really what comes to mind when we think about offering a gift to a royal,
11:31but then what do we know?
11:33I'm sure they must have had their reasons.
11:36Number 23.
11:38Two Tortoises from Seychelles.
11:41During an official visit to the Seychelles in 1972, the queen was presented with a pair
11:46of native Aldabra giant tortoises.
11:49These tortoises can live up to 200 years.
11:52They were also placed at the ZSL London Zoo.
11:55Other animals at the zoo that have been gifted to the queen include an African forest elephant
12:00jumbo presented by President Amadoué Hadjou of Cameroon, two American beavers, and an
12:05Arctic fox from Hudson's Bay Company, Canada.
12:10Number 24.
12:11Her own flag.
12:14Along with her own coat of arms, the queen also has her own personal flag.
12:18It features the letter E wearing a crown in a circle of roses and on a navy blue background.
12:24The royal house can use this flag on any building or vehicle where the queen stays or travels.
12:30The flag was apparently designed in 1960 at the queen's request to symbolize herself
12:35as an individual, separate from her role as head of state.
12:40Number 25.
12:42Four Guinness World Records.
12:45The queen has earned not one, not two, not even three, but four Guinness World Records.
12:51She is officially the world's longest-reigning queen, the world's oldest-reigning monarch,
12:56the world's wealthiest queen, and appears on the currency of more sovereign countries
13:01than any other person.
13:05Number 26.
13:06A gold Blue Peter badge.
13:10Blue Peter is a BBC television program that has been broadcast every single week in the
13:15UK since 1958, making it the longest-running children's television program in the world.
13:21The show is a pop culture legend in Britain, and it awards badges for all sorts of achievements
13:26in various fields.
13:28In 2002, the show awarded its highest honor, a gold Blue Peter badge to Queen Elizabeth
13:34II to celebrate her 50 years on the throne.
13:38Some other gold badge honorees include J.K.
13:40Rowling, Steven Spielberg, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
13:46Number 27.
13:48An offshore wind farm.
13:50The queen owns an offshore wind farm, the Thanet Offshore Wind Farm, located seven miles
13:55off the coast of Kent in the North Sea.
13:58Upon its opening in 2010, it was the largest offshore wind farm in the world.
14:04The crown also owns some other offshore green energy projects like Europe's largest tidal
14:08power plant, which is currently under construction in Scotland.
14:14Number 28.
14:16All the gold mines in Scotland.
14:19The queen owns the rights to all the gold mining activities that take place in Scotland.
14:24This means that any gold found in the mines automatically becomes the property of the
14:28crown.
14:29Even if a regular citizen unearths any gold, it will go to the royal family.
14:37Number 29.
14:3825,000 acres of the forest.
14:43Around a quarter of a million acres of rural land across the UK comes under the ownership
14:47of the crown.
14:49Most of this land is leased for agriculture or mineral extraction.
14:53However, around 8% of the rural land is forested.
14:57This means that the queen owns roughly 25,000 acres of British forest land.
15:03Number 30.
15:05Trafalgar Square.
15:07The queen, along with owning a good part of Regent Street, also owns Trafalgar Square,
15:12which features landmarks like Nelson's Column and the British National Gallery.
15:17Why?
15:18This iconic site was originally the location of the royal stables and falconry muse.
15:24The land was cleared in the early 19th century, and the square was laid out by Sir Charles
15:29Barry.
15:30The ownership of the square went to the crown, while the cost of management would be looked
15:34after by the Commissioners of Woods or the Board of Works.
15:39Number 31.
15:41Queen Victoria's Wedding Dress.
15:44The royal collection also includes Queen Victoria's wedding dress.
15:48Ever wondered why brides wear white?
15:50You have Queen Victoria to thank for that.
15:54Before Queen Victoria's royal wedding, the go-to colors for brides were red and other
15:58bright hues.
16:00But Queen Victoria's cream and white dress, made out of the best silk, satin, and lace
16:05became so widely popular that it established white as the customary color of bridal gowns.
16:11She was not the first woman to wear white on her wedding day, not the first royal bride
16:15to do so, but she made it popular by example.
16:20Number 32.
16:22Henry VIII's Armor.
16:25The royal collection also includes an impressive suit of armor that was once owned by Henry
16:30VIII.
16:31It was created sometime in the 1540s.
16:34This protective outfit made of steel, leather, and gold is interesting because it has been
16:40altered to accommodate the king's increasing waistline.
16:43The armor was widened at some point with a two-inch plate metal section, inserted and
16:48riveted into the back piece.
16:50The breastplate and backplate are also adjustable.
16:54Number 33.
16:56Her Own Tartan.
16:58The British royal family has Scottish roots.
17:02This is why the royal family has their own style of tartan, named Royal Stuart.
17:07This has been the official tartan of the members of the British royal line since the late 11th
17:12century.
17:13However, as the reigning monarch, the queen is the only owner of a tartan named Balmoral
17:18which is grey, black, and red.
17:20It was designed by Prince Albert, the queen's great-great-grandfather, in 1853.
17:26Because she is the sole owner, even other members of the royal family technically have
17:31to ask the queen's permission to wear it.
17:34Number 34.
17:37Millions of Square Feet of Retail Space.
17:40If you are shopping in the malls of the UK, there is a good chance that you are on royal
17:44property and we aren't exactly kidding.
17:48The queen partially or fully owns multiple retail spaces, shopping centers, and leisure
17:52properties that cover an estimated 7 million square feet of space.
17:58So much royalty all around and yet it's not likely that you would get to meet the
18:02queen at the mall.
18:05Number 36.
18:07A National Collection of Mulberries.
18:10In the 17th century, King James I planted a large mulberry grove on the site of Buckingham
18:15Palace.
18:16He planned to rear his own silkworms.
18:19The plan didn't prove to be successful although the plantation continues to thrive there.
18:25Queen Elizabeth II is the owner of the plant's official British National Collection.
18:30She has 29 species of mulberry on the Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace grounds.
18:37Number 37.
18:39Several Caribbean Islands.
18:42The queen also reigns over the Commonwealth regions, which include Australia, Canada,
18:47and several Caribbean Islands.
18:48Thus, the queen kind of also owns the Caribbean Islands, which include the Bahamas, Antigua
18:54and Barbuda, Belize, Barbados, St. Lucia, Jamaica, and others.
19:01The queen holds a specific title in each of these countries.
19:04For example, in Jamaica, she is known as Elizabeth II by the grace of God of Jamaica and her
19:10other realms and territories, Queen Head of the Commonwealth.
19:15Number 38.
19:16Prime Seating at Wimbledon.
19:19In 2010, the queen showed up at Wimbledon to watch Andy Murray play, surprising the
19:24crowd.
19:26This was the first time she had attended the tennis tournament in more than 30 years.
19:31In 1922, a 74-seat royal box was purchased at Wimbledon.
19:35It belongs to the queen.
19:37The seats in this box are often filled by honored guests and government officials along
19:42with the royal family.
19:44These seats can only be filled upon request.
19:47Not just that, there's also a mandatory dress code for those seats.
19:52Number 39.
19:53A McDonald's.
19:56This might be the most surprising thing on the list, but yes, the queen owns a McDonald's
20:01branch that is open to the public.
20:04Located 80 miles outside of London at the Banbury Gateway Shopping Park on the edge
20:08of Oxfordshire, the branch is fit for a queen.
20:11It has leather sofas, Eames chairs, laminate floors, digital menus, and table service.
20:19Which one of these items surprised you the most?
20:22And which ones did you already know about?
20:25Do you know of any other possessions that the queen has which are not featured on this
20:28list?
20:29Let us know about them in the comment section below!
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20:39Thanks for watching and we hope to see you in the next one!