Queen Elizabeth II would drink a martini before entertaining guests in the air and requested a specific brand of mints before takeoff, according to newly revealed notes kept by a flight attendant assigned to wait on the late monarch 35 years ago. The never-before-seen notes, instructions and mementos from a British Airways air hostess reveal detailed insights into the royal’s preferences, special requests and quirks while flying during a 1989 tour of Singapore and Malaysia. The attendant from Moseley, Birmingham — Elizabeth Evans — had detailed notes and instructions from the flights with the queen and Prince Philip and was even awarded a certificate to commemorate her work, according to Hansons Auctioneers , which is auctioning off her collection.
Queen Elizabeth “tends to like a martini before her guests arrive,” reads one note kept by Evans, who worked as a cabin crew member for British Airways for 28 years, starting in 1970. She would also request a bowl of Velamints to have on hand before take-off and in her dressing room, according to the late flight attendant. The monarch slept on her own pillows from home and her dresser made up her bed, according to the notes reviewed by Hansons.
Lastly, no one was to wake the queen if she was asleep when the plane arrived, Hansons stated. “If Her Majesty was asleep prior to landing cabin crew were instructed not to not disturb her. She should be left in her bed,” the auction house said.
Evans, who died at age 70 in 201.