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 the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland look like? Let's find out.
The Queen's daily schedule
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 few minutes on her balcony listening to the Royal Court play the bagpipes – her favorite instrument 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.
Her husband, Prince Phillip, The Duke of Edinburgh, doesn't stay at the Palace; he prefers to spend his time at Wood Farm on the Royal Sandringham Estate in Norfolk. As a result, the Queen spends most of her week alone in the Palace, allowing her to get a tremendous workload out of the way before the weekend.
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
Her Majesty will either eat lunch alone or with her children. Occasionally, Prince Andrew makes an appearance if requested by the Queen's Page.
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.
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.
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.
