What are some surprising facts about the British Empire?

 

• Queen Victoria, who reigned from 1819 to 1901, was a pioneer of fashion trends. When she married Prince Albert in 1837, wedding gowns were typically multicolored. But Queen Victoria wanted to emphasize the beauty of her gown's embroidery, so she requested it be white. All guests were forbidden to wear white to prevent her wedding dress from stealing attention, and she even ordered that the pattern be destroyed to prevent it from being copied. Since then, members of the British royal family have always worn white for their wedding gowns, a practice imitated by the common people to this day.
• As descendants of European royalty, the British royal family's former surname was Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. It wasn't until the outbreak of World War I, due to anti-German sentiment, that they changed their name to Windsor.
• Queen Elizabeth II (hereinafter referred to as Queen Elizabeth) was not born heir to the British throne. Elizabeth's father was the second son and not the heir apparent. However, when King Edward VIII abdicated to marry the American divorcee Wallis Simpson, Elizabeth's father was crowned King George VI, changing both their destinies.

• Queen Elizabeth was still a teenager when she fell in love with her distant cousin, Philip (they shared a great-grandmother and great-grandfather, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert). Since then, Elizabeth has never fallen in love with another man, although Prince Philip himself had several courtships during his teenage years. Their marriage lasted over 70 years until his death in 2021.
• The Queen receives an annual payment from a tax known as the Sovereign Grant. This money is used to cover palace staff salaries, official travel expenses, and palace maintenance. In 2019 alone, the Queen received a Sovereign Grant of Rp 1.5 trillion. Of course, palace renovations aren't cheap.

• The Queen began keeping corgis in 1944 when she turned 18 and was given a corgi named Susan. Throughout her life, the Queen owned 30 corgis, some of which were known to be naughty. They occasionally bit staff members of the royal family, and even the Queen herself. In 1986, a postman named Peter Doig demanded a Beware of Dog sign be installed at Balmoral Castle after being chased by one of the Queen's dogs. But in 2018, the Queen decided to stop having corgis for the heartbreaking reason that she didn't want her dogs to be lonely if she suddenly died.
• While ordinary people require a passport to travel abroad, Queen Elizabeth II can travel anywhere in the world without one. Because the British passport is issued in Her Majesty's name she does not need to hold her own explains the palace's official website. However, the Queen's children and grandchildren are still required to have passports. The Queen is free.

• Princess Charlotte's financial impact is far greater than Prince George's. In the eyes of the British members of the royal family are like celebrities, so it's no wonder their style is widely imitated. Although Charlotte is second in line to the throne, George is actually a better adept at accumulating pounds sterling than her older brother. At the age of 3, Charlotte contributed $5 billion to the British economy compared to George's $3.6 billion. This is because Charlotte's clothes sell far better than her brother's. Understandably girls' clothes are cuter, right?