ART
Everybody has their own ‘most iconic’ image of The Queen. Her face is on our stamps and money; she was endlessly caught on camera throughout her life; and she was painted an estimated 960 times. For us, though, it is Andy Warhol’s colourful screen print of Queen Elizabeth II that springs most often into mind. Part of a series he did in 1985 of the four female monarchs ruling in the world at that time, it hangs in Tate Modern and is well worth a visit.
FASHION
Her Late Majesty famously said: ‘I can never wear beige because nobody will know who I am.’ The solution? A lifetime of monochrome dressing. From her hat to her handbag and shoes, via her dress and coat, she was regularly seen in just the one (bright) colour.
In 2012, her personal assistant and senior dresser Angela Kelly told The Telegraph: ‘The Queen loves clothes and is a real expert on fabrics. I do think she values my opinion but she is the one who is in control. She always makes the final decision.’
FOOD
If we hadn’t had The Queen, we would never have had Coronation Chicken, that delicious cold curried dish so beloved of summer hostesses. Rosemary Hume and Constance Spry, both principals of Le Cordon Bleu cookery school in London, invented the recipe especially for the royal banquets that were held after Her Majesty’s coronation in 1953.
The school has said: ‘It was unique for a culinary institution to be selected to cater for such a prestigious occasion and reflects the high regard for Le Cordon Bleu London. Further invitations to cook for royalty came from the success of this event.’ Find the recipe here.
DRINK
Drunk as cocktail, Dubonnet and Gin (with a slice of lemon) is associated entirely with The Queen and her mother. Who can swear they’ve ever heard of it in a non-royal context? Though HM was famously careful in all she ate and drank, Dubonnet, the aromatic French aperitif, was awarded a Royal Warrant last year. The Tesco website sold out of it in the days following her death. Top tip: she liked two parts Dubonnet to one part gin. Find the recipe here.
MUSIC
Love them or loathe them, the Sex Pistols caused quite the cultural stir when they released God Save the Queen in 1977. The punk rock band’s single attacked the nation’s deference to the monarchy, was banned by the BBC and every independent radio station and became one of the most censored records in British history. It is hard to forget. Have a listen here.
DOGS
It is fair to say that HM put Corgis on the map. She was rarely seen, off duty at least, without her beloved pack yapping around her feet. The Queen owned at least 30 Pembroke Welsh Corgis, whom she bred from Susan, the puppy her father gave her in 1944.
Roger Mugford, who trained HM’s dogs, says: ‘She [took] enormous pride in their health, and personally supervised the feeding, which she demonstrated for me by having somebody come in with a whopping-great tray of bowls. They were all individual battered household pots and pieces of silverware, each containing a unique supper of various home-made concoctions, some with homeopathic additions.’
VALUES
Finally, we have The Queen to thank for one of our greatest and most enduring national characteristics: our sense of duty. In her 21st birthday speech, Princess Elizabeth, as she was then, said: ‘I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service.’ She never wavered from that promise and instilled in her people the importance of duty and service until the day she died. Watch that speech again here.
By Becky Ladenburg
September 2022
