Queen Elizabeth II would drink a martini before entertaining guests in the air and requested a specific brand of mints before takeoff, according to newly revealed notes kept by a flight attendant assigned to wait on the late monarch 35 years ago.
The never-before-seen notes, instructions and mementos from a British Airways air hostess reveal detailed insights into the royal’s preferences, special requests and quirks while flying during a 1989 tour of Singapore and Malaysia.
The attendant from Moseley, Birmingham — Elizabeth Evans — had detailed notes and instructions from the flights with the queen and Prince Philip and was even awarded a certificate to commemorate her work, according to Hansons Auctioneers, which is auctioning off her collection.
Queen Elizabeth “tends to like a martini before her guests arrive,” reads one note kept by Evans, who worked as a cabin crew member for British Airways for 28 years, starting in 1970.
She would also request a bowl of Velamints to have on hand before take-off and in her dressing room, according to the late flight attendant.
The monarch slept on her own pillows from home and her dresser made up her bed, according to the notes reviewed by Hansons.
Lastly, no one was to wake the queen if she was asleep when the plane arrived, Hansons stated.
“If Her Majesty was asleep prior to landing cabin crew were instructed not to not disturb her. She should be left in her bed,” the auction house said.
Evans, who died at age 70 in 2017, also served several celebrities during her time with British Airways aboard the Concorde, the world’s first commercial supersonic airliner.
She collected menu cards and autographs from some of the biggest names in Hollywood, including Rod Stewart, Cliff Richard, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Patrick Swayze and tennis champs Billie Jean King and Virginia Wade.
“Her proudest achievement was crewing Concorde during the 1980s and 90s when everyone who was anyone wanted to experience flying at twice the speed of sound,” Hansons wrote in a release about the collection.
“Such was Concorde’s capability it could travel from London to New York in around three hours.”
The collection of mementos from Evans’ long career was discovered by her niece who flew to her home in South Africa to arrange the funeral.
“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,” Jo Smallwood said.
“I believe this collection is a little piece of history that should be shared and enjoyed by somebody.”
The collection is set to go to auction on Thursday through Tuesday with an estimated value of 400 to 600 British pounds or roughly $500 to $760.
“Elizabeth amassed momentos during what must have been a very fulfilling career,” Hansons owner Charles Hanson said.
“Her memorabilia captures the life and times of Concorde at its height and the detail that went into luxury travel with British Airways. No VIP wish was too small to be accommodated. Even smoking was permitted on board back then.”
