Secrets from Queen Elizabeth’s royal flights revealed
Queen Elizabeth II liked to drink a Martini before meeting guests on royal flights and always requested a particular type of mint during take-off, it has emerged.
Her Majesty also enjoyed following the route map while travelling.
Her flying habits are revealed in a treasure trove of memorabilia kept for decades by a flight attendant who worked for British Airways for 28 years from 1970.
Elizabeth Evans, from Birmingham, served many famous travellers during her long career, among them the Queen and Prince Philip during their 1989 tour of Singapore and Malaysia.
A collection of mementoes found in Mrs Evans’ study following her death contains confidential instructions on how to look after the royal couple.
The points of etiquette reveal that the late Queen liked a bowl of sugar-free Velamints beside her on take-off and that she should be left to doze if she was sleeping before landing.
She also preferred to use her own pillows, with her personal dresser advising on how to make up her bed.
Any guests joining her for dinner would be told what time cocktails were to be served in the royal compartment and the Queen would later be asked which wine she would like served with dinner.
“Her Majesty tends to like a Martini before her guests arrive,” the notes state.
Canapes were served with cocktails before the guests took their seats and staff were reminded that the late Queen must be served first.
One section of the notes is titled Tips for Royal Compartment, under which is listed: Route map – Her Majesty enjoys looking at these.
Members of the flight crew were told not to pass through the cabin and to restrict all noise.
The memorabilia, inherited by Mrs Evans’s niece, Jo Smallwood, is expected to fetch between £400-£600 when it goes under the hammer at Hansons Auctioneers on Aug 20.
Charles Hanson, owner of the auctioneers, said: “Elizabeth must have been extremely highly regarded by BA because she served some of the most important people in the world.
“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 on take-off.”
Velamints were launched in the US in 1977 and are said to have become president Ronald Reagan’s favourite mint. They were dubbed “the Official Air Force 1 mint”.
Meanwhile, both the late Queen and her husband were known to be fond of a Martini, which they would typically enjoy before dinner.
In late 2021, a year before her death, it emerged that she had given up drinking on doctors’ orders.
She was said to favour a gin and Dubonnet at lunchtime and a gin and vermouth cocktail before dinner.
Mrs Evans also crewed Concorde, the world’s first commercial supersonic airliner which would fly at twice the speed of sound, during the 1980s and 1990s.
She kept signed menu cards and other paraphernalia relating to many of her VIP passengers, including Rod Stewart, Cliff Richard, Arnold Schwarzenegger and the late Patrick Swayze.
Mr Hanson noted that although the late Queen had flown to Singapore and Malaysia on BA, she had closely followed Concorde’s development.
“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,” he added.
“Celebrities flocked to use its services and carrying royalty was the norm. Service had to be first class.”
He said of the late Queen: “She enjoyed her first supersonic flight in 1977 and used the aircraft for state visits.
“The Queen of the Skies was seen as fitting transport for the Queen of the realm.
“In 1991, Charles and Diana, then the Prince and Princess of Wales, flew supersonic during a trip to Oman and Pakistan.
“Elizabeth gathered mementoes throughout her career. Her memorabilia captures the life and times of Concorde at its height and the detail that went into luxury travel with British Airways.
“No VIP wish was too small to be accommodated. Even smoking was permitted on board back then.”
Ms Smallword, 53, a retired police officer, from Solihull, West Midlands, said: “I was aware of some of the things Elizabeth had kept from her career with BA but nothing on this scale.
“She married late in life, moving to Devon and finally Hermanus, in South Africa. The objects were found there in her study following her death at the age of 70 in 2017.
“I came across them when I travelled to South Africa to arrange the funeral.
“Having found this treasure trove relating to my aunt’s career and experiences with BA, especially the fantastic trips on Concorde and serving the Queen, I found it sad that none of it had seen the light of day.
“I believe this collection is a little piece of history that should be shared and enjoyed by somebody.”
Mrs Evans was awarded a certificate to commemorate the time she served the royals on British Airways flights.
She also amassed signatures from the likes of Warren Beatty, Virginia Wade and Billie Jean King, which will also be sold by Hansons.
