Fox News contributor and theologian Jonathan Morris discusses whether Queen Elizabeth’s death will spark a revival of the Anglican Church on “Varney & Company.”
Queen Elizabeth II has spent much of her life traveling around the world — in fact, she was in Africa when she found out that her father had died and she’d become queen — and during her duties as queen, she had specific ideas about how she would enjoy her time spent at an altitude of 32,000 feet.
The monarch liked to have a bowl of Verba mints nearby and in her waiting room when she flew, according to confidential instructions given to British Airways flight attendants on her flight to Malaysia and Singapore in 1989. The instructions are among memorabilia from her former flight attendants being auctioned this month.
The instructions noted that the Queen “has a penchant for a martini before her guests arrive” and warned the crew to put her to sleep if she wasn’t awake when they landed.
The monarch, who made more than 250 overseas trips during her 70-year reign, preferred to use her own pillow on planes and wanted her bed made in a special way, according to the 1989 instructions.
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Queen Elizabeth liked to keep a bowl of Verva mints by her side or in her dressing room when she flew, according to confidential instructions given to British Airways flight attendants on the royal flight she took to Malaysia in 1989 (Hansons Auctions/Fox News).
The manual was discovered among the belongings of former British Airways flight attendant Elizabeth Evans at her South African home after her death in 2017.
“I discovered this treasure trove of information about my aunt’s career and experiences with BA, particularly her incredible journeys on Concorde and her service to the Queen, and it was a shame that none of it ever saw the light of day,” Joe Smallwood told Hanson Auctions. “This collection is a little piece of history that I believe should be shared and enjoyed by someone.”
Evans’ memorabilia collection includes autographed menu cards she received while working as a flight attendant starting in 1970, as well as autographs from celebrities such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Patrick Swayze, Billie Jean King and Rod Stewart.
Queen Elizabeth has spent much of her life travelling the world and had specific ideas about how to enjoy her time at 32,000ft. (John Stillwell/PA Images via Getty Images / Getty Images)
It’s expected to sell for nearly $500 to $800 in the next week.
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“I was aware of some of the items Elizabeth kept during her time at BA but not on this scale,” Smallwood says. “She married later in life and moved to Devon and finally Hermanus, South Africa. The items were found in her study after her death in 2017, aged 70. I found them when I visited South Africa making the funeral arrangements.”
Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons Auctions, added: “Queen Elizabeth was clearly highly valued by BA because she catered to some of the most important people in the world. Take, for example, the British Airways royal flight of 1989. Queen Elizabeth memorabilia includes top-secret instructions on how to look after the late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, right down to Her Majesty’s favourite sweets upon take-off.”
The Queen and Prince Philip on tour in 1977. (Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix via Getty Images / Getty Images)
“Different members of the royal family have different ideas about going on trips and what to bring, and some are very particular about what they wear and how they wear it,” etiquette coach William Hanson said about packing for royal tours in the 2022 documentary series “A Royal Guide To….” “There are a lot of changes of clothes, with new clothes roughly every quarter of the day. Some trips can last for two to three weeks.”
When preparing to travel, royals are expected to bring one solemn item with them.
Charles Hanson, owner of Hanson’s Auction House, owns some of Elizabeth Evans’ flight memorabilia. (Hanson’s Auction House/Fox News)
“Members of the royal family must travel in black,” Hanson said. “Black dress, black hat, black gloves, black tie and a very dark suit, in case a tragedy occurs.”
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip during a flight in 1969. (Getty Images/Getty Images)
The rule likely stems from when Princess Elizabeth was in Kenya in February 1952 and learned that her father, King George VI, had died, forcing her to return to Britain.
The instructions were discovered among former British Airways flight attendant Elizabeth Evans’ belongings in her South African home by her niece after her death in 2017. (Hansons Auction House/Fox News)
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“She was only four days into the tour and all of a sudden she had to come back, she had a really long flight and she didn’t have a black dress,” royal expert and historian Wesley Carr explained in the documentary series. “It’s a very solemn moment when she comes down the steps at Heathrow Airport. [Prime Minister Winston] Churchill waits, but it takes a moment for her to change into her black dress. So this could not be a more dramatic beginning to a reign, or a sadder beginning to a reign.”
