British Royal Family Quiz

**This article contains information related to current events and is in the process of being updated.

The British royal family has played a huge role in world history, and continues to be a fixture of popular culture. But how much do you really know about this famous family tree? Test your knowledge with this quick quiz.

Questions

(Scroll down to see the answers.)

When did the British royal family take the surname Windsor and why?
Who is the longest-reigning monarch in the history of the British royal family?
How is Queen Elizabeth II related to Queen Victoria?
Which king was the subject of the Oscar-winning film The King’s Speech?
Which royal did Adolf Hitler call “the most dangerous woman in Europe”?
What was the full title of Queen Elizabeth II’s husband before her death?
Prince Charles became King of England on September 8, 2022. What is the title of his second wife, Camilla (formerly known as the Duchess of Cornwall)?

20th November 1947: Princess Elizabeth and The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh waving to a crowd from the balcony of Buckingham Palace, London shortly after their wedding at Westminster Abbey. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)

Answers

1. The family’s surname was changed to Windsor in 1917 from The House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. George V changed the name while Britain was at war with Germany. With the royal family’s prominent German ancestry, he sought to improve the its public image with a more British-sounding name. The name was inspired by Windsor Castle.

2. Queen Elizabeth II. She reigned for 70 years (from Feb. 6, 1952 till her death on Sept. 8, 2022).

3. Queen Elizabeth II is Queen Victoria’s great-great-granddaughter. (See the Windsor family tree and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha family tree here.)

4. George VI, Queen Elizabeth II’s father, who became King upon his brother Edward VIII’s abdication of the throne to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson.

5. Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Consort of King George VI (and mother to Queen Elizabeth II), for her indomitable spirit that proved an asset to British morale during the war.

6. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Philip was born into the Greek and Danish royal families, but his family was exiled from Greece when he was a child. On his marriage to Queen Elizabeth II in 1947, Elizabeth’s father, King George VI, granted Philip the style of His Royal Highness and the title of Duke of Edinburgh. Elizabeth, who ascended to the throne in 1952, made him Prince of the United Kingdom in 1957.

7. On February 5, 2022 Queen Elizabeth II issued a statement establishing Camilla as Queen Consort in the event that Phillip became King.