Remembering The Queen Trivia Quiz

Answer: He wrote an essay about the monarchy.

When he was 10 years and 10 months, according to his own handwriting on the essay, England was preparing for the formal coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. He took part in a competition that was held all over England to write an essay about the monarchy.

Even at this age, Sir Paul showed a remarkable talent for writing, as he won the competition for his age group at school. He also reminisced that when he won it was his first time on any kind of a stage. It must have been quite a day for him; the essay was preserved in a scrapbook and still exists today.

Answer: William the Conqueror

Actually Elizabeth II was the x27 granddaughter of William the Conqueror, who was the first Norman king of England. That's not to say that she didn't have quite a family lineage, that included Alfred the Great and George III.

But in McCartney's essay, he focused on the fact that there was quite a ruckus at William I's coronation - which there was. When the Saxons cheered for William I, the Normans took it the wrong way, and began killing many of them and setting their houses on fire. This, he said, would not happen at the Queen's coronation, as she would rule with affection rather than force.

Sir Paul has also stated that people in his neighborhood were so excited about the coronation, that many of them finally decided it was time to buy a television so that they could watch - in black and white, of course. It was the first spectacle of its kind to be televised in full.

Answer: Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire

This was quite a break from the norm by Queen Elizabeth, as the Order of the British Empire, or MBE, was typically reserved for military veterans and government leaders. When Prime Minister Harold McMillan nominated The Beatles, there was quite a bit of nay saying taking place, and the Beatles themselves thought it was a joke at first. While it is considered a prestigious honor, the MBE is the lowest rank of knighthood awarded in the UK. It was first used by King George IV in 1917.

Although Queen Elizabeth II really never gave an opinion about much of anything, she had to have known that The Beatles were a bit of a cultural icon, and eventually all of them agreed to accept the award. Many of the conservatives who had already received the award, however, returned theirs in disgust.

Answer: Don't talk to her unless she talks to you.

In "Anthology" (2002) Paul wrote that one of the Queen's men, Lt. Col. Eric Penn, told the group how they were to approach the Queen and to never turn their backs on her. They were to enter the room in alphabetical order and bow to the Queen when their name was called. One hundred eighty-nine people received the award at the event, and The Beatles were asked, a bit begrudgingly by some, for autographs. It is interesting to note here that over the years the Queen gained quite a reputation for her ability to put people at ease during conversations and forgive the mistakes that some people made when meeting her.

She did talk with them, asking how long they had been together. Paul replied, "Yes, many years", while Ringo said "40 years", which made the Queen laugh. By all accounts all of the members of the group were quite enthralled by her, and were very nervous at the audience. John said they had to smoke marijuana in the bathroom to get rid of their nerves, but George said it was just a cigarette. John eventually returned his medal in protest of Britain's international relations.

Answer: Her Majesty

Paul has made it very clear that he was always a big fan of Elizabeth II's, even calling her a "babe" in an interview in May 2022. "Her Majesty" was only 23 seconds long, and was not well accepted by the other members of The Beatles. At one point it was pulled from the album, but it was decided to have the song play at the end after "The End" and a 14 second delay. "Her Majesty" was written and performed by Sir Paul, who would arrive at the studio early to work on the song.

Answer: Prince Phillip

Princess Margaret, her husband, Lord Snowdon, and the Queen Mother are said to have had a long association with The Beatles that dated back to November 4, 1963, when they attended a concert at the Prince of Wales Theatre. Prince Philip, never one to mince words, had said that The Beatles were "good chaps", who had "a helpful influence". He had presented them with two Carl-Alan Awards at the Empire Ballroom on March 23, 1964. These awards are given to people who make an important contribute to the dance industry.

Sir Paul, in his tribute to Elizabeth II, stated that he was re-introduced to Prince Philip, and seemed to be very touched when the Prince told him that he remembered their previous meeting. They met after the first part of the concert, which featured an orchestral tribute to Beatles' music, and chatted about music, hunting, conservation, and horses during the intermission. By that time Sir Paul had gone on to form the band "Wings", and was accompanied by his wife, Linda.

Answer: Knight Bachelor

It must have been a special day for Sir Paul in 1996, as he showed the Queen around LIPA, an institute which he founded with Mark Featherstone-Witty. But he described the event the following years as " one of the best days ever". He also stated that he was very honored to be offered a knighthood, and turning it down would have been rude. He received the award from Queen Elizabeth II because of his "services to music". Sources indicate that it was quite a noisy, joyous celebration for a day that is typically supposed to be quiet and dignified. Cheering fans lined the street, and Paul stated that he was, "Proud to be British", saying that he thought that he had come a long way from Liverpool. From that time on he had the title, Sir Paul.

Although other members of the family have filled in for the Queen in her later years, it was written that she tapped him on each shoulder with a sword. Sir Ringo Star was knighted by Prince William in 2018.

Answer: Golden, Diamond

Sir Paul performed at both the Golden Jubilee in 2002 and the Diamond Jubilee in 2012, joining with other musicians to celebrate The Queen's reign. The 2002 show on June 3 was called the Party at the Palace, and followed the June 1 show, Prom at the Palace, which featured classical music. The 2012 Diamond Jubilee Concert featured a wide variety of music. At the end of the show, when The Queen was on stage, McCartney said that he asked if there would be another one the next year. She replied, "Not in my garden it won't!" Paul described the events as, "a great weekend to be British".

Although many have asked why Paul was not invited to play at the Platinum Jubilee in 2022, that answer is elusive. He was touring the USA at the time, and did send the Queen his congratulations on Instagram, "70 beautiful years of Queen Elizabeth the second. Congrats ma'am! And thanks".

Answer: Giggling

Queen Elizabeth II actually giggled? According to numerous sources she had quite a sense of humor and fun. And - if people did not already love her - they certainly did after her skit with Paddington Bear for the Platinum Jubilee program.

In 2018 Sir Paul was inducted into The Order of the Companions of Honors, which was founded in 1917 at the same time King George V established the Order of the British Empire. The Order of the Companions of Honour consists of the monarch, and no more than 65 other members. There can be, however, honorary members of the group. He reportedly, told the Queen, "We have got to stop meeting like this". He said that she "giggled slightly" and completed the ceremony. He also said, "I did wonder if I was a bit too cheeky after saying this, after all this was The Queen, but I have a feeling she didn't mind".

Answer: False

There have been many reports over the years as to the Queen's favorite music, mostly consisting of show tunes or church hymns. The simple fact of the matter is that the Queen kept the vast majority of her opinions to herself, as "Never complain, never explain" was her motto. She met countless musicians from all genres of music over the years and gave special awards to many of them.

I think Sir Paul McCartney summed it up well in the opening lines of his song, "Her Majesty" (1969). "Her Majesty is a pretty nice girl....But she doesn't have a lot to say". While some might take this is a reference to the Queen not being very well informed, nothing could be further from the truth. But this adage, which was originally adopted by Elizabeth's mother, was been seen by some as the key to her successful reign. Although she did obviously honor The Beatles in many ways, there was never any indication of them being her favorite group.