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Royal Flight Secrets: Queen's Martini Revealed
23 May
Summary
- Queen Elizabeth II enjoyed a martini before royal guests arrived.
- Archived notes detail royal preferences during 1989 tour.
- Memorabilia offers glimpse into Concorde's golden age.
An archive of notes and memorabilia from a former British Airways flight attendant, Elizabeth Evans, has surfaced, detailing the routines and preferences of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip during their 1989 tour of Singapore and Malaysia. The collection, up for auction, includes service instructions and signed menu cards.
One notable detail revealed in Evans' notes is the Queen's pre-guest ritual: enjoying a martini. The instructions also specified stocking Velamints and stipulated that the monarch should not be woken before landing. These details offer a window into the meticulous arrangements for royal travel.
The memorabilia also evokes nostalgia for the Concorde era, during which Evans served from 1970 to 1998. She attended to numerous personalities on Concorde, the supersonic passenger jet, and considered her time aboard it a career highlight. The aircraft's swift London to New York journeys are also noted.
Evans' collection, discovered by her niece after her death in 2017, contains autographs and memorabilia from celebrities like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Rod Stewart. While not revealing state secrets, these items have piqued public interest for their intimate portrayal of royal travel comforts and historical air travel trends, including the past allowance of smoking on flights.
