Regular chores, busy schedule and gin cocktails: inside the private world of Queen Elizabeth II

Monarch. Tenacious family matriarch. Lovers of corgis.

There is a lot of a term that can be applied to Queen Elizabeth II, The oldest reigning queen of all time, but one of the most interesting descriptors might be: A fascinating study of contrasts.

She owns about 200 of her favorite $ 2,500 Launer handbags, a collection of Rolls-Royces, Bentley, Land Rovers and a $ 10 million custom Range Rover, as well as some 150,000 works of art. One of his essential items is an Essie bottle of $ 9 nail polish in the still slightly pinkish hue of ballet slippers.

She tells the years of the Second World War outside of London at Windsor Castle with her younger sister Princess Margaret and cloth coupons rationed to make her wedding dress and yet enough in modern times to be able to hang with James Bond, visit the site Game of thrones Skype with her many grandchildren and just released her first official message on Instagram.

And she is one of the most public figures in the world, but the average person knows very little about her, apart from the fact that she tends to coordinated pastel sets and will celebrate her 93rd birthday today .

As might be expected after 67 years of work, the young Lilibet assumed the throne at age 25, just over four years after her marriage to Prince Philip and already mom to 3 years prince Charles and 18 months Princess Anneshe has established all the successful routine.

"The life of the queen follows the same pattern each year", former private secretary Sir Kenneth Scott described in a piece of 2016 for Vanity Fair. From the end of the year, she goes to Sandringham, her estate in Norfolk, where she organizes the very organized Christmas celebration of three days. She will usually stay there until January, said Scott, "giving shooting sessions, receptions and dinners for his neighbors and personal friends and overseeing the work of the estate."

In February, she returns to her official Royal residence in London, the Buckingham Palace, which has 775 rooms. She travels briefly to Windsor Castle for weekends, about a week around Easter and another week in June to go to court at the annual meeting. of the very noble garter order and host of what Scott called "a big party at home" for Ascot horse racing.

After a week of July in Edinburgh, the Scottish hollyroodhouse, a former 12-century monastery, is back in London until August, when it's time to leave for its beloved Scottish summer estate. : Balmoral Castle.

Her home during the first weeks of October (until her return to London before the holidays), extends over 50,000 acres, where she shares her first tea with her grandson. Prince Harrythe bride, Meghan Markle"is where she can be the most relaxed," Scott said. She spends her mornings devoting herself to her favorite pastime, horseback riding, chooses one of her many luxury cars to visit the estate by visiting tenants "and even occasionally goes to nearby town, Ballater. , to do his shopping, "he says. Noting that in a store, a customer approached and told her that she looked "very much like" the Queen, "to which Her Majesty replied:" What a comfort! "

Although Windsor is another precious getaway, its proximity to London means that its official duties accompany it to this country. She often holds Privy Council meetings or invites guests of choice to a meal, a visit to the Royal Library and a night, a night nicknamed a "Dinner and Sleep."

And no matter which of her six residences she chooses to lay down her crown, the daily routine follows a general pattern. In Buckingham or Balmoral, she is woken up at 9 am by a royal bagpipe player, playing in front of her window for 15 minutes. At breakfast (usually Special K cereals with fruit, only one chef) Darren McGrady told The telegraphbut, on special occasions, scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and a truffle grating), she flips through the newspapers and some 300 letters she receives daily.

"She obviously can not answer all the letters, but she takes a sample, reads them and writes a note on how she would like them to respond," Scott said. "Personal friends have placed a special mark on the envelope of their letters to be able to extract them from the pile."

The rest of the afternoon is devoted to meetings with senior executives. Among the members of the rotation are the Lord Chamberlain, who oversees the household, the custodian of the private finance fund, the controller of the Lord Chamberlain's office (they organize all official occasions), the Crown Equerry, which takes charge of the transport and, of course, his three private secretaries. According to Scott, their tasks include organizing the agenda, managing the large volume of letters, and "serving as a link to the ministries".

In anticipation of lunch (accompanied by a glass of gin and Dubonnet with a slice of lemon and lots of ice, plus a glass of wine), she will host a series of receptions with the types of people who have stationed themselves enough high to win a meeting with the Queen, each of the High Court judges, British ambassadors and heads of charities for which she is patron.

Thanks to what Scott calls "an extraordinary internal clock," each conversation is held at 20 minutes.

And if the attendants did not pay attention to her signs that it was time to wrap up, the queen would use her ever-present purse (which would have been filled with lipstick, paper tissues, reading glasses, pastilles and a fountain pen), but no money unless she needs a church collection plate) as a guide – if she lays it on the table, it's a good idea. is a five-minute warning; if she moves on the ground, they must save her immediately.

But most often, the queen is skilled at ending a conversation on her own within the time allotted.

"My first experience of this gift dates back to the United Kingdom Embassy in Washington during the 1976 Bicentennial State Visit. I was present when all the Heads of Diplomatic Mission were there." presented and, after the departure of the last, her private secretary whispered that she had 12 minutes before leaving for the next engagement, "recalled Scott to Vanity Fair. "She turned to me and said, 'Let's go diving' and I then escorted her into the garden to talk to some ambassadors." exactly 12 minutes, she said goodbye and moved on. "

From time to time, Scott continued, she could have a meeting in the morning, which meant awarding rewards to those deemed deserving by the government ("She particularly appreciates that because she meets people from all walks of life she had met a fascinating man who was raising racing pigeons ") or an afternoon spent posing for a portrait after spending more than 129 years during his reign.

And, of course, there are the various commitments that she always sees after seven decades at work. Last year, she took up her duties at 293 events, a number that only followed her children, Charles, Anne, Prince Edward and Prince Andrew. (On the other hand, Prince William turned to only 220 engagements; 27 more than Harry.)

The first evenings are for tea (thanks to gluttony, McCrady said that she rather enjoyed a piece of chocolate pie or a chocolate cake made with McVitie's Rich Tea biscuits), various receptions or in summer, an outdoor party.

She can also dine with family or friends, but if she is left to herself, she will opt for a meal without reasonable starch consisting of grilled sole, vegetables and salad. "Unfortunately, the queen is not a greedy," McCrady said The telegraph. "She eats to live, unlike Prince Philip who likes to eat and who stands up and talks about food all day long."

Although his majesty will sip a glass of champagne as you flip through piles of papers. (Every evening, a private secretary sends a box containing communications from embassies abroad and events to Parliament.A similar box is sent to Windsor during the weekends and is sent back diligently, all issues dealt, before Monday. .)

If the Queen's program calls for engagement outside of London (Scott said her visits "often focus on places where unemployment has increased and local initiatives to deal with it"), she will travel by train or by air, opting for the Royal Train – equipped with cabins and real bathtubs – should it be absent more than a day.

This is yet another slice of luxury that comes with the post, but in its heart some insiders swear that it delights in simple pleasures. In Sandringham, where a retired Philip is currently stationed most of the time, they share a spacious but modestly landscaped cottage called Wood Farm. "They like being in a smaller house more comfortable and not having to have all the staff," said the royal biographer Penny Juror. The daily beast. "We can dream of living in palaces surrounded by horns, but they dream of being like us."

The Queen is pleased to welcome various dignitaries and even prime ministers to picnic lunches where Philip attends the barbeque, then sets the table and cleans up afterwards.

And while it's difficult to reconcile the image of the ever-coordinated queen, it evokes well-known stoicism and a stiff, well-developed upper lip, ensuring the dishes, but those in the know say that the monarch is pretty relaxed, often considered the life of a rally.

"You expect the Queen to be dignified, conscientious and stoic and everything we see in public, but she also has a great joie de vivre," said the royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith in an interview with CBCNews. This was in 2012. "She went to a friend's birthday party at the London Aquarium and someone seated there, blowing bubbles." she likes singing."

Laughter is another precious hobby. Of the many things that have kept her and Philip cohesive throughout their nearly 72 years of marriage, there is the sense of seemingly evil humor that they both share.

"For her to have found someone like him, I do not think she could have chosen better," Prince Edward's wife, Sophie Rhys-Jones, Said of his in-laws. "And they make each other laugh – which is, you know, that's half the battle, is not it?"

When they're together, it's never hard to have fun, whether it's entertaining guests in Wood Farm's newly renovated kitchen or judging the late-summer disguise contest for its staff.

According to a 2017 Daily mail Article, the couple laughs again while remembering the time when Philip had to explain to him what was an Oompa-Loompa in the middle of the contest.

Although Philip, by artist, Michael Noakes, who painted the Queen several times, boasted of his ability to make everyone laugh in 15 seconds, his wife is just as entertaining as the one who is lucky enough to know.

"Of course, she's very funny – it's an excellent imitator," said Bedell Smith, but what caught the most attention when she spoke to the various Queen's associates for his effort in 2012 Elizabeth the Queen: The life of a modern monarch, was his effervescent personality. Bedell Smith noted: "She has, when she relaxes with her friends, this great joy of living, really, that spirit."

Just another trait to add to the list.