The INSIDER Summary:

• Former royal chef Darren McGrady revealed the food that Queen Elizabeth II won't eat.
• When she's eating by herself, the queen avoids starches.
• From potatoes to out-of-season fruit, these are the 9 foods Queen Elizabeth II won't eat.

When she’s eating lunch alone, Queen Elizabeth II won’t let herself eat starches, formal Royal chef Darren McGrady tells RecipesPlus. That means no pasta for Her Majesty. Instead, she chows down on a big salad, or grilled fish or chicken with two veggies on the side. If you're showing signs of eating too many carbs, you might want to follow her lead.

Pasta

When she’s eating lunch alone, Queen Elizabeth II won’t let herself eat starches, formal Royal chef Darren McGrady tells RecipesPlus. That means no pasta for Her Majesty. Instead, she chows down on a big salad, or grilled fish or chicken with two veggies on the side. If you're showing signs of eating too many carbs, you might want to follow her lead.

Potatoes

The Queen doesn’t just resist pasta and bread—she also turns down potatoes because of their starch factor. But don't follow suit just yet; learn why potatoes and other foods don't deserve their bad reputation.

Rare meat

Think a rare steak makes you look sophisticated? The Queen would dare to disagree. Her Highness prefers her meat well done, says McGrady. If Her Majesty is grossed out by the "bloody" look, she should learn what that red juice in steak really is.

LONDON — Queen Elizabeth II — the oldest and longest-serving monarch at the age of 91 — could be planning to pass her power on to Prince Charles when she turns 95, according to The Mail on Sunday.

The newspaper reported that the Queen has told "her inner circle" that should she still be on the throne at the age of 95, she will ask for a "piece of legislation called the Regency Act to come into force — granting her eldest son full power to reign even while she still lives."

This would effectively be a softer version of abdication, which the Queen has vowed never to do.

Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the report when contacted by Business Insider, and an inside source cast some doubt on the idea.

However, royal commentator Robert Jobson — who claims to have once been called the "Godfather of Royal Reporting" by the Wall Street Journal — said: "I have spoken to a number of high-ranking courtiers who made it clear that preparations for a transition are moving ahead at pace. They have all confirmed that a Regency with Charles taking the lead is now, at the very least, a real possibility."

Jobson added that a former member of the Royal Household told him: "Out of the profound respect the Queen holds for the institution of monarchy and its stewardship, Her Majesty would want to make sure that she has done everything she can for her country and her people before she hands over. She is dutiful to her core."

The member added: "Her Majesty is mindful of her age and wants to make sure when the time comes, the transition of the Crown is seamless. I understand the Queen has given the matter considerable thought and believes that, if she is still alive at 95, she will seriously consider passing the reign to Charles."

Members of staff responsible for communications at the Palace have been ordered to be "'up to speed' on the 1937 Regency Act, which grants power to the heir apparent 'in the event of the incapacity of the Sovereign through illness, and for the performance of certain of the Royal functions in the name and on behalf of the Sovereign in certain other events,'" according to the Mail.

In order for a Regent to be implemented, a decision has to be made by at least three of the following: The Sovereign’s consort (who in this case is Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip); Lord Chancellor David Lidington; the Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow; the Lord Chief Justice, the incoming Sir Ian Burnett; and Master of the Rolls, Sir Terence Etherton.

Jobson said Clarence House has yet to comment on "Plan Regency."

Jobson's prediction comes despite the fact that the Queen has repeatedly stated that she would not abdicate the throne.

The first instance being on her 21st birthday in 1947, when the then Princess Elizabeth said in a radio broadcast: "I can make my solemn act of dedication with a whole Empire listening, I should like to make that dedication now. I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong."

Her Coronation Oath on June 2, 1953, reflected the same sentiment.

The Mail reported that "abdication" is still not "part of Her Majesty's vocabulary." A former member of the Royal Household said: "As ever, the Queen wants there to be the minimum of fuss. Of course, for obvious reasons, abdication is not even a consideration."

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This year marks the 20th anniversary of Princess Diana's tragic death.

She was first propelled into the national spotlight at the age of 20, when she wedded England's Prince Charles at the age of 20.

Their troubled marriage ultimately imploded, turning the couple in tabloid fodder.

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However, Diana went on to become an international icon in her own right. Her sophisticated style dictated fashion trends. Her dedication to charitable causes won her admiration and accolades.

And, in the wake of her death in Paris, then-UK Prime Minister Tony Blair famously referred to her as "the people's princess." The mass, global outpouring of grief that her death sparked proved it an apt observation.

Here's a look at the life of Diana, Princess of Wales:

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Diana Frances Spencer was born on July 1, 1961 to a British noble family. Her brother, the Earl Spencer, reminisced that she was 'incredibly brave,' even as a young girl.

Source: Royal.uk, USA Today

In school, the future princess failed all her O-levels — twice. However, Diana had a sense that she was destined for something important. "I knew that something profound was coming my way," she said in the documentary "Diana: In Her Own Words.""I was just treading water, waiting for it."

Source: The Independent, Diana: In Her Own Words

Before her marriage, Diana reportedly shared a flat with three roommates and worked as a part-time kindergarten teacher in London’s Pimlico district.

Source: People

Just before her divorce from Prince Charles was finalized in 1996, Princess Diana stunned the world with another big announcement.

The Princess of Wales resigned as patron or president of nearly 100 charities, a move that The Independent reported at the time "devastated" these groups.

Diana chose to remain involved with just six organizations, including charities that supported the homeless, individuals with HIV, and cancer research.

So what made Diana decide to cut ties with so many philanthropic organizations?

In the princess's case, being slightly involved in so many charities prevented her from being able to truly delve deeply into any of them.

"She wanted to avoid situations where she was just a letterhead," Tina Brown writes in "The Diana Chronicles.""'If I'm going to talk on behalf of any cause, I want to go and see the problem for myself and learn about it,' she told the chairman of the Washington Post Company, the late Katharine 'Kay' Graham."

It turns out, science was on the princess's side. Multi-tasking is rarely found to be a good idea.

"The problem with trying to multi-task is all that shifting back and forth between tasks isn't all that efficient because, each time we do it, it takes our brain some time to refocus,"Lisa Quast wrote in Forbes.

The Princess of Wales's choice allowed her to become a far more effective philanthropist. She was even able to take on another cause to champion — the banning of landmines.

Today, Diana's legacy is in part defined by the work she did for those charities, because she was able to hone her focus on those projects.

DON'T MISS: An inside look at how Princess Diana went from a kindergarten teacher to an international icon

SEE ALSO: An inside look at how J.K. Rowling, one of the most influential people alive, turned rejection into unprecedented success

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It's no secret that the Queen likes her cars — her collection is reportedly worth £10 million.

From sleek Jaguars to Range Rovers, she's been seen riding around in an array of high-end vehicles.

Now, the highest bidder can have a chance to ride like Her Majesty in her old 2012 Bentley Muslanne Saloon, being auctioned for £180,000.

The car, which has only clocked under 6,000 miles, was used by The Queen from 2012 to 2014, mainly for State occasions in London, according to Bonhams.

Bentley Motors Limited hold one of four Royal Warrants for the supply of vehicles to the Royal Family, and the company was originally commissioned in 2001 to design and build two State Limousines to be ready for The Queen's Golden Jubilee tour in 2002, then again in 2012 for the Diamond Jubilee.

It was then that they came up with this special version of the Muslanne, and delivered it to the Royal Mews.

Furnished in Barnato Green — similar to British Racing Green — the car's interior boasts "burr walnut veneered picnic tables, door panels, and rear quarter vanity lights." It also features inlaid Royal crests.

Fit only for a Royal, it also has discreet security features such as flashing blue lights at the front and rear.

Sadly, the security devices and interior fittings were removed when the car was sold by Bentley Motors Ltd.

The one feature that remained? The navigation system still had "Home" programmed as Windsor Castle, directing the driver straight there.

The sale by Bonhams, which will take place on September 9 at Goodwood, and will also feature a 1980 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith that was once the personal vehicle of Princess Margaret, being auctioned for £90,000.

The Cardinal Red car was originally finished with Royal Crest mountains, a blue police light, a matte rosewood dashboard, and cream fabric seats.

It was said to have been loaned by Princess Margaret to Princess Diana, Ronald Reagan, and The Queen.

Also up for grabs is the Ceremonial 1968 Land Rover that the Queen used during her Silver Jubilee year.

Inspired by the US Army's wartime Jeep, the utility vehicle was used by Her Majesty and Prince Philip during their tour of Northern Island.

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The INSIDER Summary:

• Royals don't really need a last name, but it's technically Mountbatten-Windsor, a blend of the Queen and her husband's surnames.
• Some royals use their family's territorial designation (like Wales or York) as a last name.
• Because Prince George's parents are the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, he'll be known in school as "George Cambridge."

With four-year-old Prince George starting school this year, his official title of "His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge" is a bit of a mouthful for his lower school teachers and classmates. So what will they call him?

"George" will do just fine as his first name, but the British royal family doesn't really use last names. They're so famous that they're easily identifiable without one. But when members of the royal family need to use a last name — when they're in school or in the military, for example — they actually have a few choices.

Before 1917, royals didn't use last names at all.

In 1917, when King George V had been on the throne for seven years, he decided to change the house name from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor after Windsor Castle, one of the royal family's properties.

Today, the royal family is still known as the House of Windsor, and in a broad, general sense, Windsor is still the royal last name.

When Queen Elizabeth II came to power, she made a slight modification.

In 1947, Princess Elizabeth (George V's granddaughter) married Philip Mountbatten, a former Greek and Danish prince who had joined the British Royal Navy. Just a few years later, the young couple were thrust to the very top of the monarchy: Elizabeth's father died, making her Queen Elizabeth II. Mountbatten became Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

In 1960, Elizabeth and Philip decided that they wanted to differentiate their particular branch of the royal family tree from all the others. They decreed that their descendants would carry the hyphenated last name Mountbatten-Windsor.

Some members of the royal clan have used their family's territorial designation instead.

For example: When Prince William and Prince Harry served in the military, they went by William Wales and Harry Wales— because their father is the Prince of Wales.

Prince George could have gone by the royal family's official last name, Mountbatten-Windsor, but he's following in his father's footsteps and using his family's territorial designation. As the son of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George will be known as "George Cambridge" in school. 

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With more than 64 years on the throne, Queen Elizabeth II is the longest reigning monarch in British History. When the Queen dies her son, Prince Charles, will take over (barring any unforeseen circumstances).

The line of succession then goes Prince William, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and then Prince Harry.

The succession line, in fact, responds to the Acts of Settlement which gave precedence to sons of the monarchy over daughters. However, this changed in 2013 with the Succession to the Crown Act.

Produced by Claudia Romeo. Original reporting by Rob Price.

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The Queen's Crown Estate is home to some iconic landmarks, but this one in Oxfordshire is the only one with a McDonald's restaurant.

It's at Banbury Gateway Shopping Park, around 80 miles away from London. We travelled there to get a proper English breakfast: A bacon sandwich with brown sauce with a cup of tea.

The McDonald's is quite modern: It has digital menu boards, Samsung tablets, free Wi-Fi, charging ports, and even table service. 

The Crown Estate funded the development of Banbury Gateway Shopping Park in 2015. Other shops include Marks & Spencer and Primark.

Produced and filmed by Claudia Romeo. Special thanks to Rosie Fitzmaurice.

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• The Queen doesn't usually carry money with her.
• She does, however, make an exception on Sundays.
• She brings £5 or £10 notes to church in order to leave a discreet donation.

The Queen doesn't normally carry money with her because, let's be real, she doesn't have to. The British government, plus a few of her own private investments, cover the cost of running the British monarchy. But there's one day a week when she makes an exception.

According to The Daily Mail, Queen Elizabeth likes to leave a £5 or £10 note in the collection plate when she attends church on Sundays.

"It is believed that one of her butler's irons a five pound note into a little square so she can discreetly make her donation,"The Sun reports.

In addition to Sunday's church contribution, the Queen's black Launer purse is said to contain everyday items like lipstick, a compact mirror, mints, reading glasses, a fountain pen, and pictures of her grandchildren.

She also reportedly uses her bag to send secret messages to her staff when she wants to exit a conversation, according to a previous INSIDER article. 

Seeing as British pound notes have her face on them, she's certainly not lacking pocket change. Her weekly donation is a sweet, yet subtle way to give back to her loyal subjects.

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• Princess Margaret lived like a queen even though her sister was the one on the throne.
• She had breakfast in bed followed by two hours of listening to the radio and reading newspapers in bed every day.
• This was followed by an hour-long bath, a vodka pick-me-up, and lunch with the Queen Mother.
  

Being a member of the royal family comes with lots of perks — virtually unlimited wealth, an adoring public, and attendants who look after every need.

While some royals like Kate Middleton seem super down-to-earth (she wears clothes from Zara, and when fans told her she was perfect back in April she reportedly quipped"It's just the makeup"), Queen Elizabeth's late sister Princess Margaret took full advantage of her royal status and developed a taste for the finer things in life.

A new book called "Ma'am Darling: 99 Glimpses of Princess Margaret" by Craig Brown chronicles her luxurious royal lifestyle, including how she spent her mornings. 

Twitter user Gareth Roberts shared an excerpt that went viral.

 The excerpt reads:

9:00 A.M.: She has breakfast in bed, followed by two hours in bed listening to the radio, reading the newspapers, ('which she invariably left scattered all over the floor') and chain-smoking.

11:00 A.M.: She gets into a bath run for her by her lady's maid.

NOON: An hour in the bath is followed by hair and make-up at her dressing table, then she puts on clean clothes — 'as one would imagine of a Princess, she never wore any of her clothes more than once before having them cleaned'.

12:30 P.M.: She appears downstairs for a vodka pick-me-up.

1:00 P.M.: She joins the Queen Mother for a four-course lunch 'served in an informal manner from silver dishes', with half a bottle of wine per person plus 'fruit and half a dozen different varieties of native and Continental cheeses'.

People on Twitter were glad to see that Princess Margaret lived her best life — and only a little bit jealous.

You go, girl. 

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• The Queen of England's breakfast might not be as fancy as you would think.
• A former royal chef revealed the Queen loves Kellog's Cornflakes. 
• In an interview with Marie Claire, he shared that Queen Elizabeth loves cornflakes so much she even eats them straight out of the container. 

Maybe she's born with it, or maybe it's her corgi-loving, dapper hat-wearing, gin-drinking nature that makes us love the reigning Queen of England so damn much. We have no shame in declaring our absolute loyalty to Queen Elizabeth, especially her eating and drinking habits.  

From her daily gin and Dubonnet to the royal last-bite rule at mealtime, the Queen dines in a way we can never even hope to emulate.

Or can we? In an interview with Marie Claire, it was revealed that contrary to what one might think, the Queen's daily breakfast does not consist of plump scones with clotted cream and fried blood sausages. No, the Queen's daily breakfast is (drumroll, please): Kellogg's Corn Flakes. That's right: run-of-the-mill, American cornflakes.

A former royal chef spilled the beans, saying that the Queen loves her cornflakes so much she even eats them straight out of the plastic Tupperware container she keeps them in. No milk, just dry flakes in her royal hand.

So even though we may never own a herd of purebred corgis, we can all pour a bowl of cornflakes and declare ourselves queens for a day.

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As a monarch, you are asked to do a wide variety of things - including inspecting a horse painted to look like a skeleton.

That was the task that befell Britain's Queen Elizabeth on Tuesday (October 24) at the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment's barracks in London's Hyde Park.

A horse expert through her ownership of racing horses, the Queen showed a keen interest in the bone structure that had been painted on the horse to help teach soldiers about the anatomy of the creatures.

The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment take part in ceremonial occasions in the UK, including Trooping the Colour and the State Opening of Parliament.

Produced by Jasper Pickering

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If only we could all travel like royalty. Whether they're heading off to a far-flung destination or merely hopping aboard the Royal Train for a domestic engagement, the royal family really knows how to travel in style — and it's not always cheap.

The 2017 annual report from Buckingham Palace revealed that the royal family spent roughly $6 million on travel in the past year, a staggering sum by almost any standard. Some of those trips were vacations, others official government trips and a good few seemed to be a bit of both. Click through to see how the royals like to travel.

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India and Bhutan

· Total cost of trip: $129,187

· Household: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

· Method of travel: Scheduled flight, charter

Prince William and Kate Middleton's official Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) visit to India and neighboring Bhutan was one of the costliest excursions of the year. Chalk it up to a hefty transportation bill for these wealthy royal family members, with scheduled flights from London Heathrow Airport to Delhi and back, along with charter flights to spots like Tezpur, Pero and Agra.

But the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge certainly packed a lot into their trip, which stretched from April 9 to 17, 2016. In addition to meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and laying a wreath at the India Gate to honor the Indian regiments who served in World War I, the couple managed to squeeze in an open-air safari in Kaziranga National Park, and tried their hands at archery — Bhutan's national sport — in Paro, Bhutan.

Northern Ireland

· Total cost of trip: $31,912

· Household: The queen and the Duke of Edinburgh

· Method of travel: Charter, S76 helicopter

Queen Elizabeth II's first official engagement following Britain's "Brexit" vote to leave the EU saw Her Majesty the Queen travel to Northern Ireland on June 27 to 28, 2016. She was accompanied by her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

The queen met with First Minister Arlene Foster and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness before taking a scenic drive on the Giant's Causeway and attended the unveiling of the Robert Quigg VC memorial statue in Bushmills with Prince Philip.

While it wasn't the costliest trip the royal family made all year, the charter flight to Belfast — along with use of The Queen's Helicopter Flight — made it anything but cheap.

Israel

· Total cost of trip: $96,958

· Household: The Prince of Wales

· Method of travel: Charter

Members of the royal family don’t often travel to Israel, but Prince Charles made an exception on Sept. 29, 2016, joining other world leaders — including former President Barack Obama — to attend the funeral of former Israeli President Shimon Peres.

Charter flights from Aberdeen to Ben Gurion Airport and back made the trip a costly one. But it gave Prince Charles a rare opportunity to visit the grave of his paternal grandmother while in Jerusalem.

• The Queen was named in the dataleak dubbed the "Paradise Papers," after the Duchy of Lancaster was found to have invested in offshore funds.
• An investment was also made in rent-to-own retailer Brighthouse, which was criticised earlier this year for being irresponsible. 
• There is no suggestion the Queen or Royal Household are involved in wrongdoing.
• The Queen is officially exempt from tax, but makes voluntary payments on income, assets and gains not used for official purposes.

LONDON — The Queen of England is one of the array of wealthy individuals to have been named in the Paradise Papers dataleak, but has she done anything wrong?

The leak, handed to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and published on Sunday, details the complex financial arrangements that allow some of the world's wealthiest to legally hide their money and assets offshore, arranged by offshore law firm Appleby. 

According to the documents, the Duchy of Lancaster, which provides the Queen with some of her income and deals with investments for her £500 million private estate, invested as much as £10 million offshore in funds based in the Cayman Islands and Bermuda.

"Our investment strategy is based on advice and recommendation from our investment consultants and appropriate asset allocation," Chris Adcock, CFO of the Duchy told the BBC.

"The Duchy has only invested in highly regarded private equity funds following a strong recommendation from our investment consultants," he said.

However, about £4,000 was invested in rent-to-own retailer Brighthouse, which was last month found by the Financial Conduct Authority not to be a "responsible lender," and was criticised in 2011 by charity Barnardo's for being "morally bankrupt." The Duchy reportedly did not know of the investment in Britghthouse until it was approached by The Guardian.

The Duchy said it had not received tax advantages from investing offshore, and that the Brighthouse holding now equates to £3,208. There is no suggestion that the investments are illegal, or that the Queen is illegally evading tax.

However, the revelations have sparked debate about whether the Queen should be investing offshore and how much oversight is given to investments.

Speaking at the CBI conference on Monday, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the Queen, and anyone making offshore investments, should apologise.

The Queen's tax status 

According to the Royal Household, the Monarchy has "sometimes been described as an expensive institution, with Royal finances shrouded in confusion and secrecy." In reality, it says, the Household is "committed to ensuring that public money is spent as wisely and effectively as possible, and to making Royal finances as transparent and comprehensible as possible."

A 2013 Memorandum of Understanding outlined that the Queen is not legally liable to pay income tax, capital gains tax or inheritance tax. Instead, the Queen and the Prince of Wales make voluntary payments to the UK tax authority HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), but the details of the payments are private.

However, the Sovereign Grant is exempt. This Grant is an annual payment that funds the Queen's official duties, and was £42.8 million ($56 million) in 2016/17.

In essence, the Queen receives this payment in exchange for giving the government all but the equivalent of 15% of profits from the Crown Estate. It covers expenses including the family's travel, palace upkeep and royal employee salaries, and the accounts are audited by the National Audit Office and the Public Accounts Committee.

But income tax is paid on private sources of the Queen's income, known as the Privy Purse, and on trading profits. This includes the Duchy of Lancaster, a portfolio of land and assets owned by the royal family. The Duchy of Cornwall, another portfolio of properties, covers the Prince of Wales' and his heirs' costs.

According to Sovereign Grant accounts, income from the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall that go towards the Privy Purse "is taxed to the extent that the income is not used for official purposes."

Capital gains tax is only paid by the Queen on gains from the disposal of private assets from April 1993 onwards.

In theory, a tax liability could arise on the Queen's offshore investments, said Paul Noble, Tax Director at law firm Pinsent Masons. However, since we don't know whether or not the income goes towards state business, "it's not totally clear."

"You get one side of the coin and you have to speculate on what the other side might be," he said. Moreover, it's hard to know whether someone like the Queen "is actually aware of where these funds are invested." As such, he said, "it's not so much a question of criticism of... the Queen, it should be of those who advise her."

So, there you have it. It's tricky.

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• I tried to eat like Queen Elizabeth II for a day.
• She eats quite healthily, but has specific indulgences.   
• I realized that trying new foods is a learning process, and re-trying foods can be even more enlightening. 

Queen Elizabeth II is set in her ways when it comes to food. In addition to strict dinner table rules, the 91-year-old sticks with specific foods that she likes. Although she tends to eat healthier options, she also knows how to indulge without going overboard. 

This balance, and the idea of being a temporary royal, inspired me to try the queen's diet. I ate according to a recent report from Today that listed what the queen typically has for all of her meals. Although I didn't acquire a title by the end of this experiment, but I did acquire an appreciation for food and mealtime by the end of the experiment. 

Scroll through to see what it means to eat like Queen Elizabeth II. 

The first thing the queen has in the morning is tea and biscuits.

The queen has a cup of plain Earl Grey tea with a few biscuits before her real breakfast. I am a huge fan of having more than three meals a day, so I was excited about this pre-breakfast ritual. 

I usually start my day with a hot cup of tea too. But I would never think to drink Earl Grey, nor would I bust out my mom's old china on an average morning. This, however, is exactly what the queen does. 

I hadn't tried Earl Grey in a while, but I remember not being a fan of the bitter drink. I don't know if my taste buds developed or if the beautiful china blinded me, but I discovered I actually like Earl Grey. 

On a typical day, I would never think to eat a cookie or biscuit first thing in the morning. I usually stick with eggs, fruit, and protein shakes. But I was happy to divert from the norm for the sake of the queen and as part of my (fake) civic duty. 

BT reported that the Queen often feeds her pet corgis pieces of these cookies from the table. I didn't want to give my pet Maltese, Luna, cookies for breakfast. Instead, I gave her an extra treat in honor of the dog-loving queen. 

Then, she moves onto cereal.

This was when the real breakfast began. Although Queen Elizabeth II will occasionally have toast with jam or scrambled eggs, she usually goes with the super low-maintenance breakfast of Special K cereal.

If I were an actual queen, I don't think that a bowl of cereal would be my first choice for a daily breakfast. But hey, I don't want to tel her how to rule the breakfast table. 

Not knowing what flavor the queen eats, so I opted for chocolate almond because it was on sale and because the queen is a fan of dark chocolate. 

The combination of rick chocolate, crunchy almonds, and cold milk were unexpectedly refreshing and satisfying. Leave it to a royal to get me to appreciate a basic food. 

She enjoys an aperitif before lunch.

I'm not a cocktail connoisseur, so I had the bartender at The Barroom in New York make the queen's favorite aperitif — a gin and Dubonnet. 

The queen takes hers with lots of ice, which I conveniently forgot to ask for. She also drinks it before lunch. Luckily, I did this experiment on a weekend day, so I wasn't worried about day-drinking.

Not being much of a drinker, I quickly learned that I don't like gin. I also learned that bitter beverages aren't for me. The bartender was nice enough to add some simple syrup to the drink, which made it more palatable. Though I'm note sure the queen would approve of that addition. 

A series of new portraits of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip have been released to mark their platinum wedding anniversary.

Monday marks 70 years of marriage between the Queen and Prince Philip, who also has the title of Duke of Edinburgh.

The images — taken by celebrity photographer Matt Holyoak with photo agency Camera Press — show the couple together at Windsor Castle.

The royals posed in front of Thomas Gainsborough's portraits of George III and Queen Charlotte from 1781.

Her Majesty wears a cream dress designed by Angela Kelly, her dressmaker for the last 15 years.

She also wears her golden "Scarab" brooch in yellow gold, carved ruby, and diamond, which was designed by Andrew Grimaa and was a gift from Philip in 1966.

On photographing the royal couple for their special day, Holyoak said: "I feel very honoured and privileged to have been asked to contribute to this very special occasion.

"My vision for the image was to capture an intimate and natural portrait of the Queen and Duke to celebrate their landmark anniversary."

Three additional photos in the series show the Queen and Prince Philip pictured against a platinum-textured backdrop in recognition of their special anniversary.

Queen Elizabeth is the first British monarch to celebrate a platinum wedding anniversary. The couple are celebrating with a private dinner at Windsor Castle, according to the BBC.

Westminster Abbey's bells will ring for more than three hours to mark the special day.

Camera Press is known for circulating the official wedding photographs of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip by photographer Stirling Henry Nahum back in November 1947.

Nahum, known professionally as "Baron", was a friend of Prince Philip. He wrote in his autobiography about the wedding: "I was asked by Prince Philip to be responsible for the wedding photographs of himself and Princess Elizabeth. It was my first assignment to Buckingham Palace, and first time as far I was aware that colour photographs were to be taken there. 

Baron wrote: "The royal couple returned from the wedding service and arrived at the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace. They looked so happy and excited. I only had time to take about four frames before they had to leave to wave to crowds from the balcony."

Speaking on the release of the new images, Holyoak said: "The Queen and the Duke were very happy and relaxed which made it a pleasure. I feel the images showcase their strength and unity."

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• Kate Middleton wore Queen Elizabeth's pearl choker to her Majesty and Prince Phi lip's 70th wedding anniversary party on Monday evening.
• The Queen commissioned the four-strand necklace to be created out of pearls she was gifted from Japan.
• The necklace has been a family heirloom since the 1980s and has been worn by Queen Elizabeth, Princess Diana, and now Middleton.
• The Duchess paired the necklace with diamond and pearl earrings that previously belonged to Princess Diana.
• It looks like she wore the accessories with a black Diane von Furstenberg lace dress that she recently wore.

On Monday evening,  Kate Middleton borrowed Queen Elizabeth's choker-style pearl necklace— and she looked absolutely regal.

We caught a glimpse of the elaborate choker just as the Duchess of Cambridge arrived at Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip's 70th wedding anniversary party.

The ornate, four-strand necklace has been in the royal family since the 1980s when Queen Elizabeth commissioned a necklace to be created out of pearls she was gifted while visiting Japan. The piece also features an eye-catching diamond clasp that really makes it stand out.

Middleton isn't the first to borrow the glitzy piece, though. Princess Diana also sported the necklace on a visit to the Netherlands in November, 1982.

Take a look at the different, equally glamorous ways the royals have styled the choker over the years.

Keeping with the family hand-me-down motif, Middleton matched the necklace with a pair of earrings that previously belonged to Princess Diana. The delicate diamond and pearl teardrop earrings really brought her look together.

The accessories elevated Middleton's ensemble, which appeared to be a black Diane von Furstenberg lace dress that she recently wore.

But once again, the Duchess proved that there's nothing wrong with repeating an outfit— even if it's not a royal family heirloom.

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• Queen Elizabeth II is now the world's oldest head of state.
• When she ascended the throne in 1952, only 20% of today's UK population was alive.

Queen Elizabeth II has ruled for so long that most people in the United Kingdom have never known another monarch.

She became queen when her father, King George VI, died on February 6, 1952 (though her official coronation was on June 2, 1953).

During her reign, she has outlasted 14 British prime ministers and 13 US presidents.

After Robert Mugabe was ousted as president of Zimbabwe on Tuesday, the Queen became the world's oldest head of state, at 91 years old.

When she dies, life will turn upside down for Brits, and many others who admire her from across the globe.

The impact will be even deeper because 80% of UK residents weren't alive when Queen Elizabeth ascended the throne.

According to the UK Office for National Statistics, only 12 million UK residents were alive when King George was on the throne in 1952. That's only 20% of the UK's population of 66 million.

Since the most recent UK census data was from 2014, we used age-specific death rates to calculate how many Brits who were over 63 in 2014 would likely still be alive today.

This remarkable fact is a testament to Queen Elizabeth's stamina as Britain's longest reigning monarch, and the world's oldest head of state.

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• Most of the British monarchy's wealth is derived from inherited lands and investments.

• British taxpayers also support the royal family through a "sovereign grant" issued by the treasury.

• The royal family has come under fire for money management in the past — along with certain investments that appeared in the Paradise Papers.

You might say the royal family is old money. Centuries-old money, to be exact.

According to Forbes, Queen Elizabeth II has an estimated private wealth of $530 million. Forbes also reports the British monarchy "contributes nearly £1.8 billion to the UK economy" annually, including £550 million in tourism.

British taxpayers support the family through a "sovereign grant" issued by the treasury. Next year's grant will come out to $104.8 million. That's about 65 pence per year per taxpayer, according to The Boston Globe. 

Here's everything you need to know about how the British royal family acquired its millions:

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The Crown — not Queen Elizabeth, herself — holds many luxurious residences and priceless objects in trust

The Queen herself doesn't personally own national treasures like the Crown Jewels or the Tower of London. 

Such national treasures are part of the royal collection, which the monarch holds in trust for the nation. The collection is made up of thousands of paintings, tapestries, pieces of furniture, photographs, and other objects, spread out between numerous royal residences. Certain palaces, like Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, are also held in trust.

She does personally own certain items in the collection, including an immense royal stamp collection her father King George V passed down to her. She also privately owns the $65 million country house, Sandringham House, and the $140 million Scottish estate Balmoral Castle, according to Fortune.

The treasury doles out a lump sum — known as the sovereign grant — to the queen.

The sovereign grant is meant to cover the expenses Queen Elizabeth II racks up in her official duties as monarch, including travel, entertaining, and property maintenance, according to The Mirror.

The sovereign grant comes out to 15% of the annual profit of the Crown Estates. The amount granted to the monarch cannot decrease from the previous year, even if the Crown Estate fares poorly. The National Audit Office has free reign to audit the grant.

The arrangement hasn't always been without snarls. The grant came under review in 2015, essentially because the queen was making too much money, Business Insider reported.

What's more, the Guardian reported the grant jumped from 15% to 25% of Crown Estate profits, in order to pay for Buckingham Palace renovations.

Queen Elizabeth II also has her own personal income — and paid income tax for the first time after a fire devastated her favorite castle in 1992

Forbes reports Queen Elizabeth has an estimated private wealth of $530 million.

And, according to the law of the land, she doesn't have to pay any taxes on her wealth.

"The sovereign is not legally liable for income, capital-gains or inheritance tax,"according to the Economist.

That expectation changed after one of her favorite residences, Windsor Castle, was devastated in a 1992, according to the Daily Mail.

The fire sparked controversy over who would foot the bill for the damages. Ultimately, Queen Elizabeth began paying taxes on her income. According to the BBC, she was the first monarch to pay taxes since the 1930s.

Business Insider reported that the queen also makes "voluntary payments to the UK tax authority HM Revenue and Customs" in lieu of capital gains tax and inheritance tax.

The sovereign grant itself is tax-exempt.

Queen Elizabeth II has attended the commissioning ceremony of Britain's new aircraft carrier, which is named after the monarch.

The 91-year-old queen boarded the Royal Navy's newest, largest and most expensive vessel Thursday in Portsmouth naval base.

The white ensign was raised to mark the moment HMS Queen Elizabeth was officially added to the Royal Navy's fleet. The queen says the ship "embodies the best of British technology and innovation."

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It is still undergoing sea trials and will not be fully operational for several years. It will head to the US late next year for initial flight trials. US F-35 jets have already practiced taking off on ski-jump style ramps like that on the Queen Elizabeth.

Source: The Aviationist

The UK's first sea lord, Adm. Philip Jones, said that with the new carrier "Britain has confirmed her place among the world's great maritime powers."

The ship, which cost roughly 3 billion pounds, or $4 billion, took eight years build. Its construction took place in six cities and involved 10,000 people. The 919-foot, 65,000 metric ton ship can operate with a crew of 1,000 and 40 aircraft. Along with sister ship HMS Prince of Wales, it is part of a defense program worth $7.65 billion.

Source: Reuters, AFP