How Tall Is Queen Elizabeth II? She’s Actually Taller Than You Think
When you see her in photos, Queen Elizabeth II looks quite small. That’s probably because of the family members she often stands next to. Prince William is very tall, at 6 feet 3 inches, and even Prince Charles is somewhere between 5 feet, 8 inches and 5 feet, 10 inches. The queen isn’t nearly as tall as her son and grandson.
But looks can be deceiving. Queen Elizabeth II is taller than you probably think she is.
How tall is Queen Elizabeth II? That’s up for debate
Little Things reports that Queen Elizabeth II is 5 feet, 4 inches, a couple of inches taller than her mother. Lisa Waller Rodgers also reports that the monarch is 5 feet, 4 inches, and points out that the current queen is several inches taller than her great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, who was only 5 feet tall. CelebHeights, on the other hand, reports that Queen Elizabeth II is just 5 feet, 1 inch, while her peak height was 5 feet, 3.75 inches.
That brings up an important point: People often seem to shrink as they age. As NBC reports, people shrink about a quarter to a third of an inch per decade for every decade after age 40. Men get about 1.2 inches to 1.5 inches shorter by age 70, and women lose up to 2 inches. Queen Elizabeth II is currently 92 years old, so it stands to reason that she isn’t standing quite as tall as she used to.
These royal family members make Queen Elizabeth II look smaller
Queen Elizabeth often appears next to much-taller members of the royal family. And that could be why she looks like she’s hardly taller than 5 feet when she’s taller than that. Prince Philip, her husband, is 6 feet tall. And as mentioned above, Prince Charles measures up at 5 feet, 8 inches — or 5 feet, 10 inches, depending on whom you ask. Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, is 5 feet, 8 inches.
And the younger royals are also much taller than Queen Elizabeth II. Prince William is 6 feet, 3 inches, and Kate Middleton is 5 feet, 10 inches (or 5 feet, 9 inches, depending on which source you trust). Prince Harry is 6 feet, 2 inches, and Meghan Markle is 5 feet, 7 inches. So while Queen Elizabeth II isn’t very tall, she’s also not quite as petite as she might appear next to other members of the royal family.
The Queen’s Guard doesn’t help, either
Tall family members aren’t the only people with whom Queen Elizabeth II is routinely photographed. The Queen’s Guard, best known for performing the Changing of the Guard ceremony outside Buckingham Palace, also makes the queen look a bit smaller than she really is. Reader’s Digest reports that it’s a requirement for the guardsmen to be tall.
However, the BBC reports that within the Irish Guards — one of the regiments that guard Buckingham Palace and St. James’s Palace — Company commander Major Alun Powell says, “Within the Irish Guards, height or whatever is never an issue. It does not make any difference as long as soldiers are fit to do the job and can do it.”
Height requirements or not, photos reveal that many members of the Queen’s Guard are quite tall. And as just about everybody who’s seen photos of Buckingham Palace knows, the guardsmen wear tall black hats that Reader’s Digest reports made from real bear fur. That makes Queen Elizabeth II look even shorter when she walks next to the guards.
She’s taller than the average woman
Even though Queen Elizabeth II is one of the shorter members of the royal family — not counting Prince William and Kate Middleton’s young children, of course — she’s actually taller than the average woman in the United Kingdom. Or, at least she was, if reports that she’s lost a few of inches of height are correct.
The BBC reports that the average woman in England in 5 feet, 3 inches tall. At her peak height of 5 feet, 4 inches, Her Majesty was a full inch taller than the average British woman. It’s entirely possible that Queen Elizabeth II is shorter now than she used to be. And she’s a pretty small woman, overall. But if you wouldn’t have guessed that the queen is — or was — taller than average, you’re not alone.
Read more: Does Queen Elizabeth II Use a Smartphone? Does She Send Texts?
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