Despite meeting leaders from around the world over almost seven decades, Queen Elizabeth is fluent in only two languages: English (of course!) and French. She reportedly learned the second language as a child from her tutor and governess, Marion Crawford. And knowing how to speak it is "a skill which has stood the queen in good stead," according to the royal website. "She often has cause to use it when speaking to ambassadors and heads of state from French-speaking countries, and when visiting French-speaking areas of Canada."
She even once gave a speech entirely in French during a visit to the country in 2014. "Her reading skills were excellent — both pronunciation and rhythm were very good, but you could feel she was quite tense," linguist expert, Camille Chevalier-Karfi said, according to the Daily Express. "I was impressed by the quality of her French ... no stuttering pour la reine."
The queen isn't the only one in the family who speaks French. Prince Charles, Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Philip, Princess Anne, and Prince Andrew are also fluent in it. And William and Kate's children are also learning Spanish from their nanny, Maria Turrion Borrallo (per Cheat Sheet).
