few minutes on her balcony listening to the Royal
Court play the bagpipes – her favorite instrument
Born on April 21st, 1926, Queen Elizabeth II
ascended to the throne in 1953. She is the longest-
serving monarch in British history. Busy from
morning to night, she carries out more speeches
and public meetings than all other members of the
Royal family combined.
While Elizabeth II spends most of her time at
Buckingham Palace, she does get out into the
world for important events — even at her
advanced age — dressed in her trademark hat and
Anello & Davide leather shoes.
So, what does the daily schedule of someone as
busy as the Queen of England look like? Let's find
out.
MORNINGS
The Queen wakes from her slumber each morning
at 7:30 am. She stays in bed for a few minutes,
listening to the "Today" program on BBC Radio
4.
The Queen receives assistance from her long-
serving personal assistant, Angela Kelly, who
draws the Queen's bath, ensuring that it's the
correct temperature using a wood-cased
thermometer. The bathwater will be precisely
seven inches deep.
After her bath, she dresses in an outfit as arranged
by Angela. The Queen has three Royal dressers
that help her into her clothes in a dressing room
featuring floor-to-ceiling mirrors and a walk-in
wardrobe.
While dressing, the maids bring her a steaming
pot of Earl Grey tea and cold milk. The Queen
doesn't take any sugar in her tea. After dressing,
her hairdressers will brush and style her hair into
its trademark look.
The Queen moves through to the dining room for
breakfast at 8:30 am. Breakfast is light, with a
continental theme. After the meal, she will spend a
and reminiscent of her much-loved Balmoral
estate in the Scottish Highlands.
After breakfast, Her Majesty begins the working
day. She enters her office at 9:30 am and puts in
two hours of paperwork, beginning with her press
secretary providing the Queen with a brief on
global events.
After the morning's paperwork, Her Majesty
meets with outgoing or incoming foreign
dignitaries, giving them a ten minute audience in
the Audience Room of the Palace. The Queen
breaks for lunch at 1:30 pm.
AFTERNOONS
The Queen enjoys light meals with impeccable
presentation. Apparently, all vegetables on her
plate must be of equal size. During the day, her
Majesty sips on Malvern Water, a brand of natural
spring water sourced from the Malvern Hills.
After lunch, the Royal Chef presents the week's
menu to the Queen for approval. Interestingly, the
chef writes the menu in French, as has every chef
dating back to Queen Victoria's reign.
Her Majesty likes to stretch her legs with a stroll
in the Palace gardens. She usually walks alone,
but she might have family members with her,
depending on who joins her for lunch. She is
known to be very protective of this time.
After her walk, the Queen relaxes for thirty
minutes, reading the Racing Post. She is an ardent
fan of horse racing and even has her own
racehorse. The Queen ends all her afternoon
engagements by 4:30 pm, returning to the Palace
dining room at 5 pm for tea.
Tea includes sandwiches — always without crusts
— cut into four. Her Majesty also enjoys warm
scones with cream and jam and a slice of Dundee
fruit cake.
EVENINGS
The Queen remains in her private quarters for
dinner, eating from a silver tray. She'll often spend
a few hours watching TV or reading in the sitting
room next to her office.
Her Majesty might use the evening to check on
correspondence from leaders in the
Commonwealth and United Kingdom. The Vice-
Chamberlain of the Household delivers a report to
the Queen, breaking down the following day's
priorities and activities before she retires to bed.
The Queen will retire at 11 pm, but she does enjoy
reading a bit in bed before turning in for the night.
After tea, the Queen returns to her office for an
hour to wrap up the day's work. Unless Her
Majesty must attend an event in the evening, she
will typically retire to her room at 6 pm and ready
herself for dinner at 8 pm.