The late Queen was very rarely seen without her handbag. In a reign spanning 70 years, during which she welcomed over 100 presidents and prime ministers, the helpful prop was never far from her side. It was even there when she welcomed Paddington to the Palace.
It is said her collection ran into the hundreds with her favourite being the Launer black classic which accompanied her for more than 50 years. But what did the Monarch actually keep in that bag? It is hard to imagine our much-loved monarch carrying the same everyday items as the rest of her subjects. And surely she had enough helpful staff on hand should she ever need a tissue.
It turns out the handbag was used for all sorts of practical and interesting reasons. Over the years various experts have chipped in with details of what lay within. Some of the items are less obvious than others. A year since the Queen died we still miss the familiar sight of her clutching her handbag at events and wonder what she kept inside.
The Queen was rarely seen without a bag (Getty Images)Lippy and a mirror
It turns out the Queen never went far without her lippy and mirror. In fact, she was known to keep up appearances at important functions by nipping out after dinner and reapplying her lipstick. When First Lady Laura Bush had a fixer-upper moment during a Washington ladies’ luncheon, she said: "The Queen told me it was all right to do it." Sally Bedell, author of Elizabeth the Queen: The Woman Behind The Throne, said in 2012 that the Queen's favourite shade was apparently from Clarins.
Sweeteners for her coffee
The Queen reportedly carried around with her little packets of sweeteners. The unlikely source for this important information was Phil Brown, ex-manager of Hull City football team, who found himself sat next to the Queen at a luncheon in the Hull Guildhall, where he managed to get a look inside the famous bag. He told The Lady it was "almost like a lady’s prop with essential items." Phil, it appears, kept his eyes glued on the bag long enough to spot sweeteners which she put in her coffee.
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Spare gloves and a cloth in case she got hot
There is no certainty on whether these items went inside the handbag or were carried by ladies-in-waiting. What we do know is that the Queen liked to have a spare set of gloves handy when she left the palace.
Phil Dampier writes in What's In The Queen's Handbag: And Other Royal Secrets that the Monarch always liked to have a set of spare gloves and tights in case the ones she's wearing rip of get dirty.
She also had a "moist lavender scented cloth", just in case she got a bit warm and needed to cool down.
The Queen was rarely seen without a bag (Getty Images)Mints, reading glasses and a fountain pen
If one's job is to meet and greet thousands of strangers a year then it is sensible to make sure one's breath smells as pleasant as possible. The Queen was known to carry a number of very sensible handbag staples to make sure she was always prepared.
Top of the list was a packet of mints. She could always delve into the bag and find a packet if required. She also always had a pair of reading glasses with her and a fountain pen ready for all the signing she had to do at official events.
Lucky charms and secret codes
As well as being very practical, the Queen's handbags did have another purpose - to send messages to her staff and ladies-in-waiting. A shift of the bag from one hand to another was an indication she was ready to move on from whoever she was speaking to.
And if she wanted to leave an event altogether, the Monarch placed her handbag on a table. A sure sign of boredom involved the use of her wedding ring to send messages to royal officials. She would give it a discreet twist to end a conversation quickly. A more dramatic spin of the ring meant she was particularly keen to leave.
It was then up to the staff to arrive promptly at the signal, interrupt, and whisk her away on important business. She was also said to carry a number of little trinkets her children gave her over the years, including miniature dogs and horses and family photos. One of the photos in her bag was of Prince Andrew, taken after his return from the Falklands.
Mobile phone
The Queen was no different to anybody else when it came to owning a mobile phone. Royal biographer Penny Junor told the Telegraph: "She does have a mobile and she speaks to her grandchildren on it. I don’t know whether it’s a smartphone though.” We know the royal family kept in touch via video call during lockdown and the Queen was also taught how to use Zoom and Skype.
Crisp £5 note
Come off it, the Queen didn't have to pay for anything. Well, that's not true. The Queen did carry some cash. However, she didn't take cash with her all the time. The crisp £5 only came out with her on a Sunday when she visited the church.
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In her book Elizabeth the Queen: The Woman Behind The Throne, Sally Bedell revealed the Queen would pop a fiver in her bag to donate to the Church collection. For special occasions she sometimes increased it to a tenner.
A portable hook for her bag
Really? It's true, the Queen did carry her own portable hook! Unusual behaviour on the face of it even for a Queen but apparently she whipped out the hook and discreetly attached it to her table to hide away her bag. Genius! It meant she could easily reach things and she didn't have to put that precious bag on the floor.
In her book, Bedell shares an example. A dinner guest at the Queen's cousin's Berkshire home was shocked to see the Queen spitting into a plastic suction cup before attaching the hook under the table. Not an everyday sight and one you would probably remember for a long time.
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