95 Fascinating Facts about Queens

Underneath the surface of Egyptian Queen Nefertiti's bust is a sculpture of an older and more wrinkly Nefertiti.

52. The ancient Roman empress Valeria Messalina liked to work on the side as a prostitute, and won a competition with other prostitutes to see who could take more men.

53. The Queen's actual title is "Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith".

54. In Han China, a rival concubine was tortured by Empress Lu Zhi by having her limbs, tongue, and eyes removed. She was then locked in a latrine to live the rest of her days as a "Human Swine."

55. Under the Russian empress Elizaveta, there were literally a fashion police.

In 1895, Empress Myeongseong of Korea was murdered and had her corpse burned by 20 Japanese agents. A Russian architect made an eyewitness account.

57. There is a cargo cult named Prince Philip Movement of the Yaohnanen tribe in Vanuatu that worships the Queen's Elizabeth II's husband, Prince Phillip.

58. Claudia Octavia was an empress of Ancient Rome. Her father (Emperor Claudius) executed her mother, her step-mother assassinated her father, her step-brother/husband (Emperor Nero) assassinated her brother and step-mother, and then she was executed by her step-brother/husband.

59. The famous Hawaiian song "Aloha 'Oe" was written by the last Queen of Hawai'i, Liliuokalani, who transcribed it while imprisoned after a coup that ultimately led to Hawaii's annexation into the U.S.

60. The rules of chess were changed in the 15th-century to reflect the accomplishments of Queen Isabella.

Queen Isabella, who funded Columbus' voyage, claimed to have taken bath only twice in her lifetime.

62. China's Guangxu Emperor (died. 1908) was probably poisoned by Dowager Empress Cixi. The level of arsenic in his body was 2000 times higher than normal.

63. The Emperor and Empress of Japan are transported in a specially made Toyota Century Royal.

64. In 2012, a Manchester couple jokingly invited Queen Elizabeth to their wedding. The Queen accepted and made an appearance along with Prince Philip.

65. The French philosopher and mathematician René Descartes was hired as a tutor by Queen Christina, who insisted on philosophy lessons at 5 in the morning. Within a year of walking through the Swedish cold every morning, Descartes caught pneumonia and died.

In 1589, John Stubbs was sentenced by Queen Elizabeth to have his hand severed for seditious writing, and before the axe fell, he cried out, "My calamity is at hand!" - thus becoming the only known victim of Elizabeth to incorporate a pun at his dismemberment. He then fainted.

67. When Peter the Great found his wife had a lover he had the man beheaded, then forced her to keep her lover’s head in a jar of alcohol in her bedroom which stood in Catherine's bedroom till Peter's death.

68. Boudica, a Celtic queen in 60 A.D. led an uprising against the Romans, razing three cities and killing 80,000 Romans. This was revenge for Rome annexing her kingdom after her husband died, flogging her publicly and ordering her daughters raped. Rome needed more than 3 legions to subdue her.

69. Sunandha Kumariratana, queen of Thailand, drowned as her subjects looked on because they were forbidden to touch her.

70. Nzinga Mbande, a 17th-century queen of Angola had a harem of men who had to fight to be with her and were put to death after a night of pleasure.

Queen Elizabeth II and Margaret Thatcher once wore the same dress, much to the prime minister's horror. To avoid such an embarrassment again, she ordered her staff to ask the Palace what the Queen would be wearing. The Palace declined, saying "Her Majesty never notices what other people wear."

72. Irish pirate queen Grace O'Malley became rich by "taxing" ships passing by her lands in western Ireland, killing those who resisted. She met Queen Elizabeth I but was usually a rebel against English rule in Ireland during the 1500s.

73. Queen Elizabeth is a Doctor Who fan.

74. Queen Elizabeth still keeps the Koh-i-Noor diamond from India in her crown. It is one of the largest diamonds in the world.

75. Catherine the Great of Russia took many lovers while ruling, often elevating them to higher positions for as long as they held her interest. Upon losing interest, she pensioned them off with gifts of serfs and large estates.