Queen Elizabeth II is the very definition of well-traveled.
As such, it only makes sense that she's got her packing list down to a science. And,
while it's not surprising that she has a collection of vacation must-haves,
some of Her Majesty's travel necessities are downright strange.
If you travel with any sort of frequency, you've likely developed a preference for luggage. In that
sense, the queen is no different. According to the luxury luggage label Globe-Trotter,
Queen Elizabeth II chose to use the brand on her honeymoon in 1947,
and she still uses the very same cases to this day.
How many of us can say we've used the same suitcases for over seven decades?
Other royals are also loyal to the brand. Prince William and
Kate Middleton's luggage is believed to be from Globe-Trotter, which is quite the endorsement.
A little black dress is a classic travel staple,
but the queen always packs one in her luggage for a very sad reason.
When the queen's father, King George VI, passed away suddenly in 1952,
Her Majesty was away in Kenya with her husband. As his death was unexpected,
the queen hadn't thought to pack a mourning outfit. The royal couple flew back to London,
but they couldn't leave the plane without wearing the proper attire, as that would've
been considered inappropriate. The queen actually had to wait for someone to bring
a black dress onto the plane for her to wear, which was portrayed in Netflix's "The Crown."
Now, Queen Elizabeth II,
as well as all members of the royal family, are required to pack a black outfit when traveling.
As the queen travels a lot, it only makes sense that she would want to keep her everyday routine
as unchanged as possible, and that apparently includes alcohol intake. The Independent reported
that Margaret Rhodes, the queen's cousin, said that the monarch's alcohol intake, quote, "never
varies." All told, she reportedly consumes four alcoholic beverages each day. Her first drink,
a gin and Dubonnet, is apparently had before lunch and is served over ice with a slice of lemon.
"It's really quite strong…”
“Yes!”
“... isn't it?"
During lunch, she is said to opt for wine. Before the day is done, she may also enjoy a dry Martini.
In the evening, she reportedly relaxes with a glass of champagne. However,
the queen's former chef, Darren McGrady, disagreed, and told CNN,
"She'd be pickled if she drank that much."
However, he did confirm that her favorite drink is a gin and Dubonnet,
and that she does have a glass of wine with dinner at times.
Alcohol is not the only beverage the queen is reportedly unwilling to travel without.
According to Gordon Rayner, a chief reporter who traveled on royal tours with the queen for some 20
years, there's always time allotted for afternoon tea. Rayner wrote in an article for The Telegraph,
"Even if she's on a flight at tea time,
out will come a cuppa, a Dundee cake, and some scones and clotted cream."
Dundee cakes, or fruitcakes topped with almonds, aren't very popular in the United States,
but the queen reportedly loves them enough that they fly alongside her.
Despite the queen's daily afternoon tea sessions, Rayner was quick to point out,
"[Her Majesty's] work rate remains ferocious, particularly so for a woman of her age."
"But now, as then, we know deep down, that it is the right thing to do."
Turns out that, as the Queen of England,
Queen Elizabeth can request her preferred kind of toilet paper when she travels.
Chief reporter Gordon Rayner explained in an article published in The Telegraph,
"Sanitary ware is marked or sealed with stickers to warn others that they are reserved,
as I have noted myself when blundering into the wrong gents'
(and being faced with a choice of breaking protocol or crossing my legs)."
And you can't get much more royal than sealed toilet paper, can you?
Rayner also revealed what one former aide told him, explaining,
"Hosts spend more time worrying about the looarrangements than anything else,
down to what color the towels should be and whether the loo roll is a suitable brand."
Even if you're incredibly organized while packing for a trip,
you probably don't feel it necessary to number your outfits. The Queen of England, however,
always brings numbered outfits with her while traveling. According to The Independent, Her
Majesty has at least three outfits a day planned for her. Those outfits all get ironed before
being numbered and are eventually packed into "wardrobes on wheels." The queen also needs to
have access to some accessories while traveling, and those are "coded" before being packed.
Prior to embarking on a trip, a test run will be performed to make sure all of the queen's
luggage can fit through stairways and openings. There's even a science to how the royal luggage
is taken off the plane once the monarch arrives at her destination. The queen disembarks before
the luggage, but her luggage must make it to her accommodation before she does.
With so much international travel, the queen is bound to get jet lagged from time to time.
Lucky for her, she's discovered a method that helps. According to The Independent,
Her Majesty looks to homeopathic medicines, including barley sugar. General Practitioner
Nick Knight, who specializes in lifestyle medicine, told The Telegraph,
"What the Queen is doing by having barley sugar is essentially using her body's sugar metabolic
pathways to help adjust her body clock. [...] essentially the same should happen if you were
to have your breakfast, lunch and dinner at times that match your destination before you get there,
regardless of whether you're hungry or not."
With, or without, barley sugar, Dr. Knight said the key to beating
jet lag is maintaining your daily habits while in a new time zone.
While dry shampoo and travel-size toothpaste might make it on your list of vacation necessities,
the queen travels with her very own supply of blood.
According to Gordon Rayner of The Telegraph, the queen's 34-person entourage also includes
a Royal Navy doctor. Ahead of a royal tour, he is tasked with scouting out nearby hospitals
just in case one ends up being needed while the queen is traveling. As Rayner explained,
"In countries where a reliable blood supply is questionable, the Queen and the Prince of
Wales both travel with their own personal packs of blood following in their convoy wherever they go."
We wonder if she's a fan of "The Vampire Diaries."
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