Queen Elizabeth II’s Royal Rider on scheduled airline flights included a pre-dinner martini and bowls of the same sugar-free mints favored by Ronald Reagan.
The late Queen’s in-flight preferences were discovered in the carefully maintained archives of Elizabeth Evans, a recently deceased flight attendant who accompanied Her Majesty and Prince Philip during their tour of Singapore and Malaysia in 1989.
The memorabilia will now be offered for auction by Hansons Auctioneers, with the sale scheduled to take place on August 20.
The sale includes a printed note for staff asking them to keep noise to a minimum, to let the queen continue sleeping while the plane is landing, and to point out that the queen also likes to follow the route map during the journey.
The archives also reveal that the Queen liked to use her own pillows – and that her personal dresser gave her advice on making her bed.
Cocktails would be served on board to guests who dine with the Queen on board. The notes also stated: “Her Majesty enjoys a martini before the arrival of her guests.”
Charles Hanson, owner of the auction house, said The Daily Telegraph: “Elizabeth must have been extremely highly valued at BA, as she served some of the most important people in the world.
“Take British Airways’ royal flight in 1989.
“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 departure.”
Velaminets were famously Ronald Reagan’s favorite candy and were sometimes referred to as “the official peppermint of Air Force One.”
The memorabilia collection also includes menus and other items signed by celebrities such as Rod Stewart, Cliff Richard, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Warren Beatty, Virginia Wade, Billie Jean King and Patrick Swayze.
Hanson added: “The memorabilia captures the life and times of Concorde in its heyday and shows the detail that went into luxury travel with British Airways.
“No VIP wish was too small to be fulfilled. Even smoking was allowed on board at that time.”
