15 things you never knew about THE FIRM
From Her Majesty’s fondness for The Bill to the naughty corgi who bit the Balmoral postman, here are some quirky facts about the family born to reign over us
1 In all her years of public appearances, the Queen has never suffered a wardrobe malfunction, and she leaves very little to chance. The linings of her outfits are filled with curtain weights – which remove the possibility of a gust of wind blowing up her skirt and revealing the royal pins.
2 The Queen and Prince Philip are always accompanied on overseas tours by a Royal Navy doctor who carries a supply of their own blood, should a transfusion be necessary. The doctor is never more than a few feet away from the couple and has a medical bag that contains a mobile defibrillator.
3 Her Majesty travels with her own loo roll, sealed with a sticker that only she and Prince Philip are allowed to break (it is rumoured to be Andrex, as the firm has a Royal Warrant) and her monogrammed travel kettle. The Queen also takes along a supply of her own tea bags – Twining’s Earl Grey is said to have the royal seal of approval.
4 The Queen Mother had many wonderful qualities, but punctuality was not among them. Her lateness became so habitual that, if dinner at Balmoral was planned for 8.30pm, they would tell her to come at 8.15pm. This saved them waiting for the tardy lady to put in an appearance.
5 The Queen owns most of the swans in the UK. Royal swans are no longer marked, but any unmarked swan on the Thames is regarded as hers. HRH still maintains an official Swan Keeper. Also, any whales that wash up on the shores of the UK are her property.
6 When the Queen goes to Balmoral for her summer holiday, her private secretary sends a list of her favourite programmes to the Special Services department at the BBC, who put together a collection from all channels. She prefers to watch them on disc, rather than via streaming. Asked what her favourite programme was, she said it was The Bill.
7 You won’t see any
TOWIE- style talons on the royal women, as Meghan Markle found out to her cost when she wore dark nail varnish to the British Fashion Awards. The Queen is said to prefer women to either go bare-nailed or to wear a neutral polish. Her preferred shade is said to be Essie’s Ballet Slippers, and it was that shade that Meghan wore at her own wedding.
8 Due to the risk of food poisoning, the Royals are discouraged from eating seafood while travelling, so shellfish is off the menu. However, Prince Charles, who has a penchant for lobster, has been known to live dangerously and break this rule.
9 The Queen has used the same glovemakers for 40 years, run by Cornelia James, a Jewish refugee who fled from the Nazis in Vienna with only a suitcase of glove skins. Cornelia’s firm, now run by her daughter following Cornelia’s death in 1999, still supplies HRH, plus costume dramas such as The Crown.
10 The Queen is devoted to her corgis – her first, Susan, was gifted to her on her 18th birthday, and her last, Whisper, died in 2018. Yet the pooches can be trouble! In 1968, a ‘Beware of the Dog’ sign was erected at Balmoral after one of the corgis chased the postman.
11 Although the Royals famously never carry money, there must be times when they need a few readies. Just as well, then, that Buckingham Palace has its own cashpoint, dedicated for use by the family.
12 The Queen’s cousin, Margaret Rhodes, says that, every day, HRH enjoys a gin and Dubonnet before lunch. With lunch, she has a dry Martini, and quaffs Champagne in the evening. By official government standards, she’s a binge drinker, totting up around six units of alcohol per day.
13 During her reign, HRH has been gifted a variety of exotic beasts – sloths, beavers, an elephant, tortoises, a Russian bear, a crocodile and pygmy hippopotami. They are often housed in London Zoo.
14 Although they have been married for 71 years, the Queen and Prince Philip have had their moments. In 1954 during a tour of Australia, they were spotted having a huge row. Her Majesty reportedly threw a pair of tennis shoes and a racquet after her fleeing spouse.
15 The house in which the Queen was born – 17 Bruton Street, central London – is now a Chinese restaurant called Hakkasan. But it is Mayfair, after all, so it’s a very upmarket establishment, with a Michelin star!