Why Queen Elizabeth Owns All of the U.K.’s Dolphins
As the ruling monarch, Queen Elizabeth has some possessions that most likely make a lot of people quite jealous. For her entire life, she has been surrounded by luxury, living in extravagant palaces and castles, traveling to exotic places around the world, and wearing hundreds of carats worth of sparkling jewelry.
The queen has had a pretty extraordinary life, and some might even say that she is rather privileged. The truth is, her majesty is quite intriguing, and although she is basically down to earth and approachable, there are some things about her that most people find to be almost unbelievable.
As time goes on, we learn more and more about the queen, and royal fans never get tired of all the interesting facts that surround her. However, there is still one thing that seems kind of peculiar but is true nonetheless: Queen Elizabeth owns all of the U.K.’s dolphins.
What sort of things does the queen own?
When people think of the royal family’s possessions, especially those of the queen, they probably think of expensive clothes, jewelry, and real estate. According to Mental Floss, this is definitely true.
It really comes as no surprise that her majesty is the proud owner of not one, but six royal residences, including Holyrood Palace, Windsor Castle, and Sandringham Estate. In addition to this, her closet is filled with over 200 designer luxury handbags that retail for well over $2000 each.
She can also call the Tower of London her own, as well as 150,000 works of art. As if that weren’t enough, Queen Elizabeth is the rightful owner of many other things, such as over $10 million dollars worth of luxury cars, a pretty large collection of Fabergé eggs and accessories, and a clear-cut diamond that comes in at a mind-boggling 530.2 carats.
Why the queen owns all of the dolphins in the U.K.
We know that the queen has some incredible things in her possession, but one of the things that most people are likely not aware of is that she owns all of the dolphins in the United Kingdom. This may seem a little strange, so what is the reason?
It all comes down to a rule that dates back to the 1300s, which states that all dolphins that are wash ashore in the United Kingdom or are captured within 3 miles of the U.K. shoreline are known as ‘fishes royal,’ and are therefore owned by the ruling monarch on behalf of the Crown. While this may seem a little weird, it is something that has been carried on for generations.
According to Mental Floss, there is a statue from the reign of King Edward II which is still valid today, which gives the queen ownership of not only dolphins but whales and sturgeons as well.
What else is owned by Queen Elizabeth?
It is a well-known fact that Queen Elizabeth is an animal lover, and it doesn’t stop at sea creatures.
So, what else does she own? Well, we all know about her love of corgis, and she has owned more than 30 in her life. Also, she has about 30 racehorses and all of the swans in the Thames.
The strangest thing of all? Queen Elizabeth is the owner of a colony of bats that live in the main hall of Balmoral Castle. Supposedly, she is very hands-on in taking care of them and does the majority of the work herself. What an incredible collection of things that the queen has the honor of calling her own.
