Every year, as she opens Parliament, the queen sits on a throne installed in the House of Lords and delivers a speech to Parliament. As the UK Parliament explains, the speech is meant to inform everyone present of the government’s aims for that session, from policy outlines to proposed legislation.

However, the incoming government writes the speech, not Queen Elizabeth herself, says the UK Government. Essentially, someone hands her the speech at some point and the queen reads it out loud. Underneath all of the finery of the royal entrance, the state robes, and the crown, Queen Elizabeth’s regular speeches to Parliament aren’t much more than a duty that she must complete purely as a figurehead. Once she’s done, the House of Commons officially thanks her for the nice talk and then, the plans she outlined in the speech go into debate. This is where the queen probably enjoys the privilege of being able to leave, as those debates typically go on for days before anything’s decided.

One of the rules Queen Elizabeth must follow when it comes to her nation’s government involves what must be a ton of paperwork. That’s because, as the BBC reports, she has to give “Royal Assent” to all bills passed by Parliament, which is effectively the last step before they become law. At least she doesn’t have to leave whatever palace or estate she’s in to give said assent, as the last known monarch who delivered Royal Assent in person was Queen Victoria in 1854. Once the Royal Assent has been secured, the bill finally comes into effect and is officially an Act of Parliament.

Though Queen Elizabeth has dutifully signed all bills that have come her way, that hasn’t always been the case for British rulers. Queen Anne was the last monarch to deny Royal Assent in 1707. And, as The Conversation argues, it would be utterly shocking and destabilizing if a modern monarch like Elizabeth were to deny Royal Assent today. A situation like a bill that had passed but was still unpopular with her advisors would put the queen in a potentially tough spot if said advisors urged her to refuse consent. Perhaps, considering long ago political turmoil, that’s why Her Majesty and so many of her predecessors haven’t taken such a radical step for centuries.

Much of Queen Elizabeth’s life is pretty regimented, to say the least. She’s obliged to follow a schedule while being herself followed about by other royals, bodyguards, and the public. State dinners and other occasions are no reason for her to let up, either. Even the matter of who she talks to, when she talks to them, and how she chooses to converse all come down to a series of social rules.

According to the BBC, Queen Elizabeth’s standard dinner party procedure is to first start a conversation with the person sitting on her right, the typical seat for a guest of honor. After the first course, she’ll switch over to the diner on her left, then back after the next course. According to The Telegraph, Formula 1 racer Lewis Hamilton wasn’t up on the etiquette rules and tried to talk with her first, but was gently rebuffed. “No, you speak that way first,” she reportedly said, “and I’ll speak this way and then I’ll come back to you.” Hamilton, after finally getting to speak with Her Majesty, later said, “She is really cool.”

That the queen seems to be pretty skilled at the art of conversation seems to be a well-accepted fact, reports Business Insider. As many have reported, she’s ace at directing talk to her companion’s interests and asking relevant questions. Her mother and grandmother, who taught young Elizabeth royal etiquette, were surely proud of their pupil’s work.

Though it’s mostly symbolic, Queen Elizabeth’s role as head of the Commonwealth demands plenty of real world duties that, according to History Extra, she’s in the running for most globe-trotting royal ever in world history. That’s in large part because the Commonwealth of Nations consists of quite a few different nations, today 54 in number according to The Royal Family. They include places as far-flung from the British Isles as Australia, Barbados, and Papua New Guinea. The Commonwealth was more or less founded in 1926, History Extra reports, though it’s since gone through plenty of changes throughout Elizabeth’s reign.

Being head of the Commonwealth has meant plenty of travel, which also means plenty of speech-giving and state events. She’s also served as a unifying figure for a group that’s often been wracked by internal conflict and a long, tense grappling with the postcolonial legacy of Britain. Ceremonial as it may be, the queen’s role here is symbolically still important.

As closely linked as the job is to Queen Elizabeth, the fact of the matter is that “head of the Commonwealth” is not a hereditary role. Though, as Harper’s Bazaar reports, the queen has pushed for her son, Prince Charles to take over in her stead, that’s not a done deal. Ultimately, all this means that the leaders of Commonwealth countries will have to meet and agree upon the next person to step into the role.

Though plenty of people travel to meet Queen Elizabeth, and the queen herself is often conscientious of their efforts — consider the brightly colored, easy to spot outfits she wears — her crowd pleasing can only go so far. If someone asks her or any other royal for an autograph, then they’re bound to be disappointed.

That’s because Queen Elizabeth and the other royals actually aren’t allowed to give out autographs, as Travel + Leisure reports. They operate under the reasoning that their signatures could be forged for a variety of nefarious reasons that range from embarrassing to dangerous. Prince Charles, Elizabeth’s son and the heir apparent, once did break the rules a bit in 2010, but his signature, which read “Charles 2010,” hasn’t been known to have caused trouble since then. 

Still, it’s pretty darn hard to find Queen Elizabeth’s signature. It’s out there, but on precious few items. As Paul Fraser Collectibles estimates it, a nice signed photo of the queen could cost you somewhere in the neighborhood of $8,000, though apparently a private letter complete with a royal signature will only hurt your bank account by a little over $1,000. Those are now all nearly vintage pieces, however, so anyone hoping for a modern signature from the queen or her immediate family will be disappointed to learn that she really must abide by this rule.