9 Facts That Prove Even the Queen Has Weird Habits

People
year ago

Sometimes other people’s habits and actions make us smile and we might think about how weird this person probably is. But thanks to these little idiosyncrasies we are each different, unique, and funny. Queen Elizabeth II is no exception. She also has a few weird and quirky habits.

We at Bright Side put together a few curious facts about the queen. Some of her habits have logical explanations, while others just make her a charming person with her own peculiarities.

1. She never travels without her own personal pack of blood.

There is always the queen’s medical practitioner among the people accompanying her on her trips. The doctor is responsible for knowing the location of all nearby hospitals in the cities that they visit. She also has to carry a bulky medical bag containing a mobile defibrillator and emergency medicine.

Apart from that, the doctor also has Queen Elizabeth’s personal pack of blood, which will be used for a transfusion if necessary.

2. She prohibits open windows.

Not all of them of course, just certain windows in Buckingham Palace. The point is that the building should look perfect from the outside. Opening windows from its front side can ruin the view. That’s why the windows there can be opened only at a certain hour.

Journalist Paul Burrell from the Daily Mirror wrote about it in his articles. He managed to get employed as a servant in the palace using forged documents which gave him the opportunity to write a series of articles about the royal family’s private life. This ended in court in 2003 when the Daily Mirror was accused of violating the privacy of the royal family.

3. She dislikes ice cubes.

Queen Elizabeth II hates the sound of ice cubes inside her glass. At the same time, she finds the sound of ice balls much more musical, so that’s what she uses to cool her drinks.

They say it was late Prince Philip who invented a special machine that makes spherical ice specifically for his wife.

4. She carries a portable hook in her bag.

© AP/EAST NEWS, © Depositphotos.com

You won’t find habitual things like money or a wallet in the queen’s bag, but you can definitely find one strange object in there. Can you guess what it’s for?

It turns out that the queen attaches this hook under tables to hang her bag on it. This is important because she sends signals to her servants with her bag. For example, if the bag is on the floor it’s a sign that Queen Elizabeth II wants to leave. But the bag hanging on the hook means nothing, the queen just feels more comfortable this way.

5. She isn’t fond of beards or bow ties.

Do you think that beards and mustaches are masculine? Well, Queen Elizabeth II finds them irritating. This is why the men from her close circle are all clean-shaven. The only exception was her grandson Prince Harry, though she tried to change that.

The queen isn’t fond of waistcoats and bow ties either, though not all of them but just the fake bow ties, which she can detect in a matter of seconds.

6. She has numbers for all of her outfits.

AP Pool/Associated Press/East News, AFP/EAST NEWS, HEATHCLIFF O'MALLEY/AFP/East News

Each of the queen’s outfits has its own number and a certain record in a special journal that says where and when she wore this exact outfit. Since the queen prefers bright colors and a classic style in her clothing, the outfits can easily be mixed up. And it’s improper for her to show up in the same outfit or in the same color 2 times in a row.

7. She never eats soup and potatoes.

Of course, these dishes are served in Buckingham Palace but when the queen has dinner alone no one would dare to bring her soup. As for potatoes, it’s not that she doesn’t like them, she just prefers to avoid starch in her diet.

8. She loves raspberries but never eats them in public.

Raspberries are one of the queen’s favorite berries, but she can’t eat them in public because their seeds could get stuck in her teeth, which is unacceptable. Blackberries are also prohibited at official receptions, while in cucumbers and tomatoes, all of the seeds are removed beforehand.

9. She has a special servant to break her shoes in.

imago/Xinhua/EAST NEWS

A special female servant with the same shoe size as the queen breaks in her new shoes for her. Although Elizabeth II has preferred similar shoes from the same brand for many years, she still doesn’t want to experience the discomfort that new shoes usually bring.

Which of the royal habits did you find the most curious? Tell us in the comments below.

Please note: This article was updated in July 2022 to correct source material and factual inaccuracies.
Preview photo credit imago/Xinhua/EAST NEWS

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Sure, these may seem weird to us, but everything has a reason. It took years to come up with some of these maybe. I think she's precious. I also adore her brooch collection! She's probably the most fascinating royal in my opinion. I think that's cool that she has signals that are meant to be subtle and polite. I also love how devoted her husband is to her, it`s sweet.

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