Congratulations, 60 years!

[VectraMan]

You would think with all the money spent on their education the royal family would be fairly smart but they really do come across as complete morons.

I don't know. Anyone earning a fortune whilst doing bugger all for it can't be too thick.

[minestrone]

The little pig with with an endless teet to suck on and never forage becomes a stupid pig.

[d000hg]

I'd happily wager the queen works far harder than just about any of us lot. Her schedule is just relentless. I don't think I'd want that job even with the perks.

[AtW]

I don't think I'd want that job even with the perks.

There are no real perks.

She even has to endure reading things written for "her" speech by the Govt. Nevermind having to deal with every PM that managed to get elected or not ...

[oscarose]

I don't think Charles or the princes do. I think they seem so to you due to the massive bag of chips you carry around on your shoulders

+1

[Alf W]

Gawd luv 'er eh?

[minestrone]

I'd happily wager the queen works far harder than just about any of us lot. Her schedule is just relentless. I don't think I'd want that job even with the perks.

Honestly?

For her whole life she has woken up to breakfast in bed, the old bag probably thinks eggs come out chickens hard boiled and the tops are pecked off to the perfect size of her silver spoon.

Please do not give me that "she works hard" pish when some people are really struggling to get food to their kids which is above farmfoods crap.

[d000hg]

Wow, breakfast in bed. That makes everything OK. Having to pour your own cereal really makes sitting in front of a PC 9-5 a living hell.

[BrilloPad]

I do wish the royals would lead the troops into battle like the good old days.

Actually its probably a good thing they are kept out of harms way. I am guessing their tactics would not be up to much.

[minestrone]

Wow, breakfast in bed. That makes everything OK. Having to pour your own cereal really makes sitting in front of a PC 9-5 a living hell.

"Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God"


You have to decide if you want to be...

Wherever the train goes it attracts an enormous amount of attention, with its distinctive 'Royal Claret' coaches. Yet apart from its passengers and staff, very few people know much about the extraordinary regal rolling stock. Now Royal expert Brian Hoey has been given unprecedented access to the train and offers a unique insight into Royal life on the move ...


What is the royal train?
It is the only private, non-commercial train service used by one family still in existence in the UK. However, Royal Train is something of a misnomer, implying that there is only one such vehicle. In fact the name is applied whenever a set of rail carriages and locomotives is used by the Royal Family, and the same number of coaches is not used every time.
At present there are nine coaches that can be assembled into whatever configuration is required, and for whom. It is only on very rare occasions that all nine are used as a single train, and then only when the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall are travelling together. Otherwise, it is seven carriages.
Charles is the most frequent and regular passenger, and if the Duchess of Cornwall, who, unlike her husband, is not a lover of train travel, accompanies him as she often does on the long overnight journeys to Scotland, an eighth carriage is attached for her use.
A five-coach train is used for short journeys when no sleeping car is required.
The Queen and Prince Philip prepare to board the Royal Train in 2002



The Queen's carriage
Her Majesty's personal saloon, or carriage, is now more than 30 years old, having been brought into service, along with the Duke's, in 1977 when both were used during the Silver Jubilee tours.
The body-shell of the Queen's saloon is 75ft long and fitted with secondary air suspension giving passengers an exceptionally smooth and comfortable ride.
It has a bedroom, decorated in light pastel shades, with a 3ft-wide single bed in one corner (there are no double beds on the Royal Train) made up with cotton sheets and woollen blankets. While Prince Philip's pillows are plain, the Queen's are trimmed with lace, with a small Royal cipher in one corner. The ceiling has subdued strip lighting and there are several reading lamps near the bed.
The adjoining bathroom has a full-size bath, but the fittings are modest and functional. The train operators make sure the carriages are not crossing any bumpy points just after 7.30am: that could make the water slop around when the Queen is taking her bath. The train's speed is always lower than the normal maximum for any route.
The sitting room has a sofa with hand-stitched velvet cushions, armchairs and the small dining table where the Queen and Prince Philip have breakfast. The table can be extended to seat six people. There is also a desk in one corner where Her Majesty works on her official papers. Even on the Royal
Train, after a full day's engagements, she spends an hour or two working on her 'boxes'. These are the red cases that go with her wherever she is in the world, containing official documents from Government departments, both in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, that have to be read and initialled.
The walls of the Queen's apartments are adorned with paintings of Scottish landscapes by the artist Roy Penny and there are also prints of earlier Royal Train journeys. The saloon is restful and very quiet, owing to the thick carpets.
Privacy is maintained by the curtains at every window and net drapes that enable the Queen to look out but which prevent anyone looking in.
The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales all have Roberts radios in their saloons, usually tuned to BBC Radio 4 as they like to wake up in the morning to the Today programme.
There are also several television sets and a music centre. A video player has been installed so Her Majesty can watch reruns of any races in which one of her horses has been running.
There are double doors on both sides of the carriage so that the Queen can disembark in style.
Charles has monogrammed stationery on his desk

The Duke's carriage
Prince Philip uses the train as a mobile office and his saloon has one extra piece of equipment that The Queen's does not possess: an all-electric kitchen that can provide meals for up to a dozen people. This is because Prince Philip often uses the train on his own, and the kitchen means he doesn't have to take the entire train.
His sitting room contains the usual sofa, armchairs and desk as well as a table that can be extended to accommodate 12 people for meals or used, as it more usually is, as a conference table.
The armchairs are comfortable but not of the deep 'sink-down' type because the Duke of Edinburgh's visitors are usually there on official business and he doesn't want them to overstay their welcome.
Prince Philip's bedroom is a duplicate of the Queen's, but the bathroom does not have a bath: he prefers a shower.
A small section of rail - a piece of Brunel's original broad gauge presented to the Duke on the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Great Western Railway - is framed and kept in a place of honour in his saloon, along with a blown-up version of his Senior Railcard which was given to him when he became eligible in 1987. No one knows if he has yet taken advantage of its discount.

Food and drink
Catering on the train is handled by the Rail Gourmet company. The meals are of superlative quality, even if comparatively simple by Palace standards, and the Queen has been served by the same senior railway steward, Ken Moule, for more than 20 years.
If the Queen wants afternoon tea with toasted teacake or an aperitif (her favourite is one-third gin, two thirds Dubonnet and lots of ice), if the Duke of Edinburgh wants a glass of Double Diamond beer, or kippers for breakfast, or the Prince of Wales asks for a Welsh rarebit made with his own organic cheese, the team will respond.
On a night-time departure, the Queen is offered light refreshments of smoked salmon, warm sausage rolls and chicken or egg sandwiches made with brown and white bread - all with the crusts removed.
The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh are woken at 7.30am with the 'calling trays': Earl Grey tea for Her Majesty, with no sugar; coffee for His Royal Highness as he drinks only tea in the afternoon.
Liquid asset: The Queen has a bath in her carriage, so a smooth journey is vital to avoid spilling the Royal bath water
They meet to have breakfast together in Her Majesty's sitting room but are never joined by anyone else. It is one of the few times in the day when they will be truly alone and they treasure the opportunity to chat about private matters.
Ken Moule waits on them and the Queen always enjoys the same breakfast when she is on board: scrambled eggs and bacon, prepared by chef Martin Carter. Her Majesty doesn't always clear her plate as she is not a big eater.
All the morning newspapers are delivered to the train and one of the private secretaries marks anything he thinks might be of particular interest.
The one newspaper no one ever touches is The Racing Post, the 'bible' of the racing fraternity that is required reading at the Royal breakfast table every morning, no matter where the Queen is. Without this, it is said, she would suffer severe withdrawal symptoms.
If the Queen or Prince of Wales is to give a reception on the Royal Train, the stewards' first job will be to welcome guests on board and offer drinks. Always dressed immaculately, they carry silver salvers with crystal glasses of chilled champagne, buck's fizz or fruit juices.
For such occasions the Royal dining coach has a long middle table which can be extended to accommodate up to 12 guests. The table is laid with white linen cloths and dressed with beautiful flowers, gleaming silverware and sparkling glasses. The Prince of Wales insists on taking his own travelling crockery and cutlery sets on the train.
Place settings are carefully measured to ensure the appropriate space is laid for each guest. The stewards carry out their duties as if they were waiting at a State Banquet, but with slightly less formality because the Royal dining carriage is quite an intimate area where the Monarch and guests sit in relatively close proximity.
The present Royal Family has few extraordinary culinary demands, unlike some previous monarchs: Edward VII preferred to eat food that had been shot, caught or trapped on his own estates, while Queen Victoria believed it was 'unnatural' and harmful to the digestion to eat while on the move.




Read more: Inside the Queen's travelling bedroom in her mobile home-from-home | Mail Online