The late Queen Elizabeth II had a number of specific requests and preferences when flying, from bringing her own pillows on board to insisting on a particular brand of water.
Details of the Queen’s flying habits have emerged from a collection of memorabilia compiled by Elizabeth Evans, a former British Airways flight attendant who worked for the airline for 28 years from 1970.
Ms Evans, from Birmingham, served a number of famous passengers during her career, but some of her most memorable journeys involved Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip during their 1989 tour of Singapore and Malaysia.
Queen Elizabeth II. Photo credit: Euan Cherry, Shutterstock
One note in her collection revealed that the Queen had a particular preference before a flight.
It read: “Her Majesty tends to like a martini before her guests arrive.”
Another instruction told cabin crew to make sure a bowl of mints was placed beside the Queen before take-off, as well as in her dressing room.
She reportedly favoured Velamints, a sugar-free mint brand that was launched in the United States in 1977.
Despite having access to some of the most comfortable surroundings in the world, the Queen also travelled with her own pillows to ensure she could get a good night's sleep.
Queen Elizabeth II. Photo credit: Shaun Jeffers, Shutterstock
Flight attendants were given specific instructions about how to treat the monarch while she was travelling.
Staff working on a Concorde flight were reportedly told that if the Queen was still asleep when the aircraft landed, they should not wake her.
Instead, she was to be left in bed until she woke naturally.
The Queen was also said to require silence while she was sleeping.
Another of her preferences was particularly specific, with the late monarch reportedly insisting on one particular brand of water wherever she travelled.
Malvern spring water was said to be her preferred choice.
The collection offers a glimpse into the detailed planning that went into royal travel, with cabin crew given instructions to ensure the Queen's preferences were met throughout her journeys.
