Recently uncovered notes from a British Airways flight attendant revealed that Queen Elizabeth II had specific preferences and requests while flying during a 1989 tour of Singapore and Malaysia. The notes, kept by Elizabeth Evans, who served the late monarch 35 years ago, provide detailed insights into the royal's quirks and special requests, news website New York Post reported. Before entertaining guests on the plane, the Queen "tends to like a martini," as said in one of Evans' notes.
Additionally, she would request a bowl of Velamints to be available before take-off and in her dressing room. The Queen also brought her own pillows from home, and her dresser was responsible for making up her bed. The flight crew was instructed not to disturb the Queen if she was asleep when the plane arrived.
"If Her Majesty was asleep prior to landing cabin crew were instructed not to not disturb her. She should be left in her bed," according to the auction house, Hansons Auctioneers, which is auctioning off Evans' collection. During her 28-year career with British Airways, which began in 1970, Evans also served several celebrities aboard the Concorde, the world's first commercial supersonic airliner.
She collected menu cards and autographs from notable figures such as Rod Stewart, Cliff Richard, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Patrick Swayze, and tennis champions Billie Jean King and Virginia Wade. The collection of mementoes from Evans' career was discovered by her niece, Jo Smallwood, who travelled to her aunt's home in South Africa to arrange the funeral. Smallwood believes that this collection is a piece of history that should be shared and enjoyed by others.
The collection, with an estimated value of 400 to 600 British pounds (approximately $500 to $760), is set to go to auction from Thursday through Tuesday. Charles Hanson, the owner of Hansons Auctioneers, noted that the memorabilia captures the life and times of Concorde at its height and the attention to detail that went into luxury travel with British Airways, where even smoking was permitted on board at the time..
