In the new documentary Queen of the World, one of Queen Elizabeth's royal staff members revealed that the 92-year-old monarch has her bed linens freshly pressed on the regular — and it takes a whole hour for just one sheet to be ironed!
Sometimes, the Queen of Britain, Her Royal Majesty Elizabeth II, needs to change clothes up to five times a day – in the case of big celebrations, for example. And not simply the dress she's wearing but the shoes, gloves, jewelry, medals and other accessories and, most important, her hats.
Where does the Queen get her bedding from? The Household sources their bed linen from a variety of Royal Warrant suppliers including Dorma, Her Majesty's Supplier of Linen Drapery and Soft Furnishings, Heirlooms Fine Linens, McCaw Allan and Co and Peter Reed International.
Angela Kelly (born 4 November 1957, Liverpool) was taken on as a dresser in 1993 after working as a housekeeper for a British diplomat. She has served as Personal Assistant and Senior Dresser to Queen Elizabeth II since 2002 and creates all of her outfits, from day dresses to evening gowns.
Her Majesty favoured brown eggs
Dinner at Buckingham Palace revealed: "Kippers, in a number of uncomplicated variations, have remained a favourite with the Queen ever since – for breakfast, as a savoury or a late-night supper. The queen is also fond of smoked haddock as a breakfast dish."
At her former primary residence, Buckingham Palace, and at her current home, Windsor Castle, the Queen has a staff on hand to take care of most of the chores we non-royals dread: The laundry. Vacuuming. Washing the dishes after a meal.
Queen Elizabeth II Owned Two McDonald's Location
The Slough McDonald's property was sold by the Crown Estate for 177 million euros in 2016. The McDonald's at Banbury Gateway Shopping Park was purchased in 2015.
The queen really does weigh her guests
The tradition of weighing guests at the start of the three-day festivities dates back to the reign of Edward VII, who was king from 1901 to 1910. Edward decided that weight gain during their stay was indicative of how much his guests had enjoyed themselves.
In the 70 years of Queen Elizabeth II's reign, there has only been one nail colour she's sported - in the public eye, at least. It's so subtle you've likely never noticed it, though closer inspection shows her nails are often painted a soft and milky barely-there pink.
Back in the 1960s, the monarch re-wore her custom-made gowns at high-profile events, including the Norman Hartnell dress that Princess Beatrice borrowed for her wedding day in 2020. The Queen's personal dresser, Angela Kelly, previously explained how the royal's repeat-wears were always carefully considered.
When it comes to smelling good, the Queen is said to use Floris London.
We would never have guessed the royals love Dunelm, but the Dorma collection – available at the retailer – has a royal warrant to be suppliers of linen drapery and soft furnishings to the Queen.
The Queen was a fan of Elizabeth Arden's lipsticks for years. According to Hello, the brand has held a Royal Warrant for over 55 years. Though it's not known exactly which colour the British Monarch preferred.
"Toilet"
If you're looking for a restroom in Buckingham Palace, ask for the loo or the lavatory.
What Kate called the Queen. While the rest of the world is required to address Queen Elizabeth as Ma'am or your majesty, those closest to her are allowed to refer to her as Mama, according to Ingrid Seward, the editor of Majesty magazine. Sign up to British Heritage Travel's daily newsletter here!
While the monarch enjoys her first cup of tea from the comfort of her bed, her maid “will go into the adjoining bathroom to draw the bath”. The bath has to be “exactly the right temperature” - how hot or cold the Queen likes her bath, no one knows.
Minimal makeup
Queen Elizabeth II seldom wore little more than lipstick and a hint of blush for her public appearances, and called upon Clarins Compact Powder for her complexion (the brand made an exclusive lipstick to match her suit for Coronation Day in 1953 to celebrate the Queen's loyalty to them).
Queen Elizabeth II didn't have her ears pierced until she was 25. "Before then, all of her earrings were modified into clip-ons," the experts revealed. "But shortly before her accession, in the summer of 1951, she made the decision to pierce her ears after all."
The former royal chef revealed the Queen loves chocolate!
"For a first course she loved the Gleneagles pâté, which is smoked salmon, trout and mackerel. She loved using ingredients off the estate and so if we had salmon from Balmoral from the River Dee, she'd have that, it was one of her favourites.
Does the Queen ever cook for herself? McGrady says that while Prince Philip was an “amazing chef” and regularly enjoyed cooking on the grill and having family BBQs on the Balmoral estate, and the younger royals like William, Kate, Meghan and Harry, all enjoy cooking, the Queen herself stays out of the kitchen.
Queen Elizabeth II has eaten jam sandwiches every day since she was a toddler, according to her former private chef. Aug. 21, 2022, at 8:48 a.m.
But, as it turns out, Her Majesty isn't quite as afraid of getting her hands dirty as we've all been lead to believe. In fact, she even does her own dishes, according to one royal source.
Heinz, which has been providing the royal households with products since 1955, said it “sincerely hopes to be able to continue doing so for many years to come”.
Darren McGrady, the Queen's former chef who dropped this bombshell, revealed to Us Weekly: "In the years that I cooked at [Buckingham] palace, the Queen never had pizza."
According to the royal's former personal chef Darren McGrady, she loves eating her tried-and-true “jam penny” every day, which has been a staple in her diet for many years. The sandwich is simply made up of three ingredients: bread, jam and butter.