As the monarch of the United Kingdom, Queen Elizabeth was often required to travel around the globe. As a result, she racked up a humungous amount of air miles, and developed a series of flying habits she simply couldn't travel without. If you find air travel less than glamorous, take note of Elizabeth's regal requests.
Personal information regarding the Queen's in-flight habits has been revealed in a memorabilia collection, which is being sold at auction, via Hansons. The impressive collection belonged to British Airways flight attendant Elizabeth Evans, who worked for the airline for an incredible 28 years. As such, she worked on Concorde flights, and served a plethora of stars, from royal family members, to Hollywood actors like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Patrick Swayze.
In 1989, Evans was lucky enough to work on a royal flight carrying Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip during their tour of Singapore and Malaysia. The mementos in Evans' collection reveal some of the monarch's flying habits, including the Queen's drink of choice when boarding an aircraft. "The Queen liked to have a bowl of Velva mints at hand and in her dressing room," Charles Hanson of Hansons Auctioneers noted. "The instructions also stated she 'tends to like a Martini before her guests arrive.'"
As well as being partial to a Martini, the Queen apparently enjoyed "having her own pillows" on each flight, and having "her dresser" prepare the bed. Most importantly, staff were issued a "do not disturb" order if they encountered a sleeping monarch on their plane. "[I]f Her Majesty was asleep prior to landing, cabin crew were instructed not to not disturb her," Hanson explained. "She should be left in her bed."
The memorabilia collection is a true blast from the past, and gives royal fans a behind-the-scenes look at how the Queen really traveled. Discussing flight attendant Evans' amazing collection, Hanson said, "Her memorabilia captures the life and times of Concorde at its height and the detail that went into luxury travel with British Airways." He continued, "No VIP wish was too small to be accommodated. Even smoking was permitted on board back then."
