Queen Elizabeth II likes to spend some of her time as a self-appointed historical fact-checker for hit television series Downtown Abbey, according to a report.

The Queen is a massive fan of the period drama and really “loves to pick out the mistakes”, according to Brian Hoey, author of At Home With The Queen. 

He told People: “They [Downtown Abbey] do tend to get it right. However, the Queen did notice on one episode that there was a young so-called British officer wearing medals which had not been awarded when he was supposed to be alive.

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“He was fighting in the First World War and the medals on his chest did not come in until the Second World War.

But that’s not the most surprising little-known fact about the Queen. Apparently, she loves to do impressions.

“She is quite deadpan and yet has a wonderful rollicking sense of humour,” her cousin Margaret Rhodes told People.

“When Concorde [planes] used to fly over Windsor Castle, she developed an ability to mimic Concorde.”

She also loves to meet astronauts and study as much as she can on outer space.

“She is really interested in space travel,” reveals author Ingrid Seward. “She’s really knowledgeable about the stars and astronomy.”

Mrs Smith also explained how she carries around a special “bag hook”.

“For a while, she carried a bag hook around with her with a suction cup on it,” she said.

“Someone I know watched her take it out of her handbag, apply a bit of spittle on it and put it on the under side of the table.”