Queen Elizabeth II would drink a martini before meeting guests on royal flights, request a specific type of mint during take off and enjoyed following route maps, it has been revealed. Memorabilia collected by a former air hostess who served the late Queen has unearthed some of the monarch’s most favoured flying habits. From her specific bedtime routine to her favourite airborne tipple, the collection, which was found in Elizabeth Evans's study after her death and subsequently passed to her niece Jo Smallwood, 53, will go on sale at Hansons Auctioneers on August 20.
Across a 28-year career working for British Airways in 1970, Mrs Evans, from Birmingham, served a number of famous clients, including the late Queen and Prince Philip on their 1989 tour of Singapore and Malaysia. The former cabin crew also met stars such as singers Rod Stewart and Cliff Richard, as well as actors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Patrick Swayze and tennis champions Virginia Wade and Billie Jean King. Arnold Schwarzenegger's signature is amongst the celebrity and royalty-packed memorabilia collected aboard Concorde.
The memorabilia, which is expected to sell for between £400 and £600 when it goes on sale on August 20, includes confidential instructions on how staff should best cater for the Queen and late Duke of Edinburgh. The manual suggests allowing the Queen to nap before landing and ensuring she has her own pillows. The documents also reveal how the Queen also liked to have a bowl of Velva mints a.