Flight attendant reveals the one rule they were instructed to never break when flying with late Queen Elizabeth
The late sovereign usually travelled overseas in chartered flights, but not in 1989
A revered flight attendant’s rules, regulations and do-not-disturb notices for flying alongside Queen Elizabeth II were revealed earlier this summer.
During her seven-decade reign, which began in 1952 and ended with her death in 2022, Queen Elizabeth II completed a staggering 285 overseas tours.
Her Commonwealth country trips eclipsed the three her father King George VI made as well as his predecessor Edward VIII, who abdicated from the throne before he could make his debut jaunt as sovereign.
And while the mother-of-four usually flew to countries via private jets, history was made in 1989 when she and her late husband Prince Phillip boarded a commercial British Airways flight.
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The couple were in Singapore visiting then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew before attending a luncheon and paying their respects at a war memorial.
Upon flying commercial, the royal pair’s every need was catered for by Elizabeth Evans, a flight attendant who worked with VIPs on the Concorde for 28 years, as per Vanity Fair.
“Elizabeth [Evans] was clearly highly regarded by BA because she served some of the most important people in the world,” said Charles Hanson, owner of the auction house Hansons that was selling memorabilia from the air hostess’s collection last month.
“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.”
Evans’ auctioned collection included a certificate of honour for her service on the 1989 Singapore commercial flight, as well as maps and wine lists used on board.
Rules, regulations and notes about what the Queen liked when travelling were also listed, including the sugar-free sweets she liked to snack on.
“I was aware of some of the things Elizabeth had kept from her career with BA but nothing on this scale,” said Evans’ niece Jo Smallwood.
“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.”
The retired police officer added that her aunt’s collection ‘should be shared and enjoyed by somebody’ following her death in 2017.
According to Evans’ instructions, Her Majesty wanted a bowl of West German Velamints handy before take-off as well as a few in her dressing room.
Moreover, the Queen was apparently partial to a ‘Martini before her guests [arrived]’ and would request pillows from one of her royal residences to sleep on, rather than from the plane.
“Royal comforts included having her own pillows, and her dresser made up her bed,” revealed Hanson.
It was also requested that cabin staff should keep noise to a minimum and not enter the Queen’s compartment once she fell asleep.
Moreover, Evans - who worked for BA for almost three decades before retiring in South Africa - was instructed to leave HRH asleep even if the landing was about to commence.
“If Her Majesty was asleep prior to landing, cabin crew were instructed not to not disturb her,” the instructions read. "She should be left in her bed.”
Well, you don’t want to face the wrath of a sleep-deprived monarch, do you?
Topics: Sleep, The Queen, Royal Family, Plane Etiquette
Ella Scott