Queen Elizabeth’s secret royal flight traditions are revealed – from guzzling a glass of her favourite tipple that she was later banned from drinking, to asking for a particular mint on take-off
Research has revealed that Queen Elizabeth drank a martini before meeting her guests on royal flights, that she asked for a certain type of mint during take-off, and that she liked to follow route maps.
The late monarch’s flying habits have been revealed in a memorabilia collection belonging to a flight attendant who worked for British Airways for 28 years, starting in 1970.
Birmingham native Elizabeth Evans has welcomed many famous faces during her nearly 30-year career. One of the most memorable trips was the Queen and Prince Philip’s tour of Singapore and Malaysia in 1989.
The flight attendants on board were given very specific instructions on how to treat the royal couple.
This also included me, together with Her Majesty’s dresser, ensuring that the Queen’s bed was properly made. I also had to indicate that she should bring her own pillows.
The Queen reads newspapers on her flight home from Bridgetown, Barbados, in the supersonic Concorde after her Silver Jubilee tour of Canada and the West Indies
Queen Elizabeth II talks to businessmen in front of a model of the Concorde aircraft, at the British Aircraft Corporation factory in Filton, Bristol, September 1966.
Flight attendants working on board were given a very specific set of instructions on how to treat the royal couple
Another note told the flight attendants to make sure a bowl of Velamints was placed next to her before takeoff and in her dressing room.
BA staff were told that if the Queen was still asleep upon landing, they should not disturb her sleep and leave her in bed.
Another note, found in Mrs Evans’ memorabilia collection after her death, stated that guests travelling with the Queen would be informed of the times at which cocktails would be served and that Her Majesty would be asked what wine should be served with dinner.
“Her Majesty likes to have a Martini before her guests arrive,” read another note.
The Queen decided to stop drinking her favourite drink a year before her death after discovering it was bad for her joints.
Royal sommelier Demetri Walters revealed in 2021: ‘It’s bad for her joints and she can’t drink too much when she’s got all these royal duties. It’s not a job where you can drink.’
The Queen was said to enjoy a few drinks to get her through the day, including a gin and Dubonnet before lunch, a glass of sweet German wine with dinner and a dry martini before bed.
Her favorite drink was reportedly one part gin and two parts Dubonnet.
Other memorabilia in Mrs. Evans’ collection includes Rod Stewart and Cliff Richard, actors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Patrick Swayze, and tennis champions Virginia Wade and Billie Jean King.
A range of items collected from on board BA and Concorde will go under the hammer later this week
Queen Elizabeth II leafs through a photo album during her flight home from Bridgetown, Barbados, on the Concorde after her Silver Jubilee tour of the Caribbean
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s autograph was among the celebrity and royalty-rich memorabilia collected aboard the Concorde
The collection is expected to go under the hammer at Hansons Auctioneers’ Antiques and Collectors auction from August 15-20 for between £400 and £600.
Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons Auctioneers, said: ‘Elizabeth’s archive takes us back in time to the 1970s, 80s and 90s, when flying on the Concorde was a luxurious privilege for the wealthy jet set.
‘Celebrities flocked to use the services and wearing royalties was the norm. Service had to be first class.
‘Elizabeth was clearly highly regarded by BA as she has served some of the most important people in the world.
‘Take that British Airways Royal Flight from 1989. Her memorabilia includes confidential instructions on how to care for our late Queen and Prince Philip – right down to the sweets Her Majesty wanted on take-off.’
Mr Hanson added: ‘The Queen liked to have a bowl of Velva mints to hand and in her dressing room. The instructions also noted that she ‘usually likes a Martini before her guests arrive’.
‘The royal comforts included her having her own pillows and her chest of drawers making her bed. And if Her Majesty was asleep before landing, the cabin crew were instructed not to disturb her. She was to remain in her bed.’
Ms Evans said her proudest achievement was flying Concorde in the 1980s and 1990s when everyone wanted to try to travel at the speed of sound. The plane could fly from London to New York in three hours.