The 95-year-old queen is not a heavy drinker but has been known to indulge in a glass or two in the evenings and at special events.
While the advice is stated to be preventative in nature and not based on specific health concerns, it is believed that she wants to remain in the best possible shape when she resumes travelling across the nation following the Covid lockdowns.
According to well-placed royal insiders, Her Majesty recently gave up her preferred Martini cocktails and is now drinking just Malvern water. One individual stated that the decision was a “personal choice.”
“The Queen has a busy schedule coming up including the Cop26 climate summit and of course next year the celebrations for her Platinum Jubilee,” said a courtier.
“She wants to be in the best possible condition to enjoy those events next summer and doctors recently told her that cutting down on drink would be helpful. She made the personal decision to give up alcohol totally, but she has never been a heavy drinker.”
Throughout the years, it has been said that the Queen like a gin and Dubonnet at lunch and a gin and vermouth drink before supper.
For decades, Prince Philip – who preferred beer – mixed her drink according to her specifications.
“Perhaps losing her husband earlier this year took away some of the pleasure of a pre-dinner drink,” said a source.
“It was very much associated with the ritual of being with the Duke.”
The Queen also loved a glass of rosé or German hock with supper, but was never a Champagne connoisseur. When she toasts visiting world leaders and other VIPs at banquets, she is shown lifting the glass to her lips but just taking a sip.
During one economy drive, she swapped Tesco’s own brand Champagne with the more costly Champagne used for banquets, instructing an aide:
“Who can tell the difference when it is served wrapped in white cloth?”
On important occasions, she preferred a clear drink that could easily pass for a blended spirit or plain water in pictures.
The Queen’s drinking habits have long piqued popular attention.
With rumours about the monarch’s favourite beverages gaining traction over the years as a result of internet media articles, her former chef Darren McGrady sought to scotch claims that the royal was anything but a responsible drinker, stating: “She’d be pickled if she drank that much.”
Earlier this week, the Queen was spotted using a walking stick in public for the first time since 2004 when she underwent knee surgery. Courtiers stated that the stick, which was used during a visit to Westminster Abbey, was for her comfort, along with other age-appropriate amenities.
The Queen is said to be in great health for her age and has previously made only minor concessions for the realities of working into her 90s.
The queen will have an unusually hectic schedule in the next weeks. She will hold a reception at Windsor Castle on Tuesday to commemorate the Global Investment Summit, which will be attended by the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge, Boris Johnson, and business and investment executives. She will attend the Cop26 conference in Glasgow next month.
Image Credit: Getty
You were reading: Elizabeth II gave up drinking