Since becoming Queen of the United Kingdom on February 6, 1952, Elizabeth II has been one of the most famous and influential women in the world. Does the Queen drink coffee?
Queen Elizabeth II is known to prefer Earl Grey tea, provided by the official royal supplier, Twinings. She also enjoys an occasional cocktail and drinks wine with her evening meal but there is no evidence of the Queen drinking coffee.
For more on Queen Elizabeth II and her eating and drinking habits, read on.
Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II was born on April 21, 1926, and became Queen of the United Kingdom when her father, George VI, died in February 1952. Her coronation took place on June 2, 1953, and she became both the longest-lived and longest-reigning British monarch.
In addition, she became the longest-serving female head of state in recorded history. Despite criticism in the press of the royal family, as well as negativity surrounding her response to the death of Princess Diana, Elizabeth II remains a popular figure around the world.
The Queen’s longevity and ability to remain active for decades as a head of state likely owes much to her eating habits.
Tea
The Queen’s hot drink of choice is tea and she begins her day with a cup of Earl Grey tea. She takes her tea with a little milk and no sugar in a china cup, with a few biscuits (or cookies) to accompany her drink.
The royal family’s official tea supplier is Twinings. The company was originally appointed by a British monarch when Queen Victoria chose them in 1837. Their relationship has continued for more than a century and a half, supplying every British monarch from Queen Victoria to Queen Elizabeth II.
The Queen is also known to enjoy a light drink before lunch, usually a gin and Dubonnet, and reserves wine for the evening, generally champagne. There is no obvious evidence of the Queen drinking coffee and it seems likely that she receives any caffeine needed to perform her royal duties from her Earl Grey tea.
Unsurprisingly, Queen Elizabeth II adheres to the longstanding British tradition of afternoon tea.
In addition to the pot of tea itself, the Queen’s afternoon tea often includes a honey and cream sponge cake, as well as a chocolate biscuit cake. The Queen also likes to have a selection of sandwiches during afternoon tea, usually cucumber, smoked salmon and egg, or ham and mustard with the crusts removed.
She also enjoys jam pennies, which are penny-sized circles of buttered bread and jam.
Eating
It’s easy to assume that, given the Queen’s wealth and status, she might eat a lavish diet. On the contrary, those who have prepared meals for Elizabeth II have confirmed that she eats a modest, healthy diet.
Darren McGrady, who previously worked as a personal chef for the Queen, has described the process by which she chooses her meals for the week. A book bound in red leather would be sent to the Queen weekly, containing numerous recipes selected by the cooking staff.
The Queen would then put a line through the meals that she didn’t want, allowing her chefs to plan out her meals for the week. They would perform this task three days in advance, giving them time to acquire the necessary ingredients.
McGrady says that, on occasion, the Queen would reject everything in the book and request something specific, for example, if she was having dinner with a guest with specific preferences. He also says that the Queen avoided heavy, starchy foods during his time cooking at Buckingham Palace and had never tried pizza during that period.
Though the Queen seemingly had little interest in Italian food, she was known to have an appreciation for burgers. Far from the average fast-food hamburgers, the Queen would eat venison burgers, made using deer from her estate at Balmoral.
The burgers would be stuffed with traditional ingredients such as cranberry and eaten with a knife and fork, without buns.
For an everyday dinner, the Queen is said to enjoy red meat or fish. On occasions where she does eat meat, she prefers to have it well cooked instead of rare.
The Queen also has a deep appreciation for chocolate, a claim made by numerous royal chefs throughout her reign. If something on the menu has chocolate on it, the Queen would almost always choose it.