10 Fun Facts About the Famous Birthday Girl Elizabeth II

April 20, 2006 — -- It's festivities galore as Britain celebrates queen Elizabeth II's 80th birthday this week.

The queen, unlike other Royal members, never grants interviews and has managed in her 54-year reign to sidestep gaffes and the blueblood hungry tabloids. In light of the famous octogenarian's birthday, the Royal Household published 80 factoids about the queen. Here are some of the more noteworthy things you may want to know about the birthday girl:

1. Blowin' Out The Candles Twice? -- The queen's real birthday is on April 21, but will be officially celebrated this summer. No, it has nothing to do with more cake. The tradition of having an official birthday on a different date began for practical reasons. Monarchs who had their birthdays in the winter months often encountered problems due to cold, wet weather spoiling parades and other outdoor celebrations. This year the queen will blow out another set of candles on June 17.

2. Life's a Party -- Over the course of her reign, more than 1 million people have attended garden parties hosted by the queen. In 2002 the queen went all out for her Golden Jubilee (50 years in power) by having a concert open to the public in the lush gardens of Buckingham Palace. It wasn't all bagpipes or classical music either --the queen attended the pop concert featuring rock icons Ozzy Osbourne, Paul McCartney, Elton John and Phil Collins.

3. Blue Ribbon Overload -- Since 1952, the queen has gathered over 387,700 honors and awards. And it's not only for her stable of horses or collection of roses. The queen became the first member of the Royal Family to be awarded a gold disc from the recording industry for the record CD sales of the Golden Jubilee rock concert.

4. Air Miles Galore -- As much as Queen Elizabeth II loves Scotland and her regal home in London, she's spent a good portion of her time in the air. The queen has traveled to 129 different countries on 256 official overseas visits. It seems like she's got a soft spot for maple syrup because the queen visited Canada 23 times vs. Australia 15 times.