Queen Elizabeth II’s secret flight essentials revealed, from martinis to mints

The late Queen Elizabeth II is known to have had a love for martinis - and it turns out she used to order the cocktail before meeting guests on board a flight.

Flight attendant Elizabeth Evans documented the monarch’s travel habits, among those of other celebrities, in a collection of memorabilia which is up for auction, reports the Daily Mail UK.

The late British Airways stewardess was on duty during the Queen and Prince Philip’s tour of Singapore and Malaysia in 1989.

The staff on those flights were reportedly under detailed instructions - for example, regarding how to make the Queen’s bed, though she brought her own pillows. They also had to make sure there was a bowl of mints next to the Queen for takeoff and also one in her dressing room.

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She also reportedly enjoyed following the plane’s route on a map. If she happened to be asleep when the plane landed, the staff were told not to wake her.

One instruction reads, “Her Majesty tends to like a martini before her guests arrive”, while another noted the monarch should be asked which wine to serve with the evening meal.

The Queen decided to stop drinking martinis a year before she died after discovering they were not good for her joint health.

It’s known the Queen also enjoyed a gin and Dubonnet around lunchtime, sweet wine with dinner, and a nightcap of a martini.

Evans’ collection also features Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rod Stewart, Cliff Richard, Patrick Swayze and Billie Jean King memorabilia, and is set to be auctioned by Hansons Auctioneers’ Antiques and Collectors’ sale in the coming days for around £400 ($846) to £600 ($1269).

Hansons Auctioneers owner Charles Hanson said of Evans’ memorabilia, “Elizabeth’s archive sweeps us back in time to the 1970s, 80s and 90s, when flying on Concorde was a luxurious privilege enjoyed by the wealthy jet-set.”

“Take that 1989 British Airways royal flight. Her memorabilia includes confidential instructions on how to care for our late Queen and Prince Philip - right down to the sweets Her Majesty preferred for takeoff.

“The Queen liked to have a bowl of Velamints at hand and in her dressing room. The instructions also stated she ‘tends to like a martini before her guests arrive’... also, if Her Majesty was asleep prior to landing, cabin crew were instructed not to disturb her. She should be left in her bed.”

- Written by the NZ Herald and republished here with permission.