Queen Elizabeth Sends Secret Messages To Her Staff In The Most Unusual Way


As Britain’s longest-ruling monarch, Queen Elizabeth II has learned quite a few tricks over the years. These maneuvers are particularly useful when the Queen needs to navigate through different social settings. It may surprise you to learn that Her Majesty sends secret messages to staff via her handbag.

The History Behind The Bag

Queen Elizabeth has always been fond of the handbags by Launer London and has been using them since the late ’60s. According to Cheatsheet, the Queen has around 200 handbags in her enormous collection and has them specially made for public engagements. Launer makes the handbags with extra-long handles so the Queen can still hold them while shaking hands.

What Are The Secret Signals?

The Queen uses two main signals to let her staff know that it is time to leave. She will either put her handbag on the floor when she’s ready to depart, or she’ll fidget with her ring. When staff members see either of these movements, they know it’s time to end the engagement and whisk the Queen away.

Elizabeth also moves her handbag from hand to the other when she wants to end a conversation. If that happens, a staff member typically comes up with a polite excuse to get the Queen out of the conversation. Finally, if staff members notice the Queen placing her handbag on a table, then it means she wants to leave in five minutes.

What Else Does Queen Elizabeth Keep In Her Handbag?

Apart from sending secret messages, Queen Elizabeth uses her handbags to store her grandchildren’s keepsakes. This includes dog figurines, good luck charms, and miniature saddles and horses. She also carries a few family pictures in her bag, along with a suction cup and hook to hang her bag beneath a table during dinner.

Queen Elizabeth’s 70th anniversary With Prince Philip

While the Queen is pretty clever when it comes to sending secret messages, she may have saved her best trick for last. According to In Style, the Queen just granted a knighthood to Prince Philip in commemoration of their 70th wedding anniversary. Her Majesty awarded Philip with the Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order for his service to the throne.

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