Queen Elizabeth used to drink a martini before meeting guests on royal flights, ask for a specific type of mint during take-off and enjoy following route maps, it has been revealed.
The late monarch’s flying habits were uncovered through a collection of memorabilia compiled by a flight attendant who worked for British Airways for 28 years from 1970.
Birmingham native Elizabeth Evans has looked after many famous faces over her nearly three-decade career, with some of the most memorable trips including the Queen and Prince Philip’s tour of Singapore and Malaysia in 1989.
Flight attendants working on board were given a very specific set of instructions on how to treat the royal couple.
This included communicating with Her Majesty’s dresser to ensure the Queen’s bed was properly made, noting that she would bring her own pillows.
The Queen reads newspapers during her return flight from Bridgetown, Barbados, on 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 passenger aircraft at the British Aircraft Corporation’s 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 flight attendants to make sure a container of Velamints was placed next to him before takeoff and also in his dressing room.
BA staff were told that if the Queen was still asleep when they landed they should not disturb her sleep and leave her in bed.
Another note found in Ms Evans’ collection of mementos after her death stated that guests joining the Queen would be told what time cocktails would be served and Her Majesty would be asked what wine to serve with dinner.
“Her Majesty often likes to have a martini before her guests arrive,” another note said.
The Queen later decided to stop drinking her favourite drink a year before her death after learning it was not good for her joints.
Royal sommelier Demetri Walters revealed in 2021: ‘It’s bad for your joints and you can’t drink too much when you have all these royal engagements – it’s not a job you can drink in.’
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.
His favorite drink was said to be a mix of one part gin and two parts Dubonnet.
Other memorabilia in Ms. Evans’ collection includes Rod Stewart and Cliff Richard, actors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Patrick Swayze and tennis champions Virginia Wade and Billie Jean King.
A series of items collected on board BA and Concorde will be auctioned later this week
Queen Elizabeth II looks through a photo album during her flight back from Bridgetown, Barbados, on a Concorde following her Silver Jubilee tour of the Caribbean
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s signature was among the memorabilia from celebrities and royalty collected aboard Concorde.
The collection will go under the hammer at Hansons Auctioneers’ Antiques and Collectibles sale from 15-20 August for between £400 and £600.
Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons Auctioneers, said: ‘Elizabeth’s archive takes us back in time to the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s when flying on Concorde was a luxurious privilege enjoyed by high society.
‘Celebrities flocked to use their services and bringing royalty was the norm. The service had to be first class.
‘Elizabeth was clearly highly valued by BA because she served some of the most important people in the world.
‘Take the British Airways royal flight of 1989. Its recollections include confidential instructions on how to care for our late Queen and Prince Philip, and even the sweets Her Majesty preferred on take-off.’
Mr Hanson added: “The Queen liked to keep a bowl of Velva mints close at hand and in her dressing room. The instructions also said to ‘usually have a martini before her guests arrive’.”
‘Royal comforts included having her own pillows and her bed being made by her dresser. Also, if Her Majesty was asleep before landing, the cabin crew were instructed not to disturb her. She should stay in her bed.’
Evans said his crowning achievement was flying the Concorde during 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.
