Have you ever wondered what it'd be like to wake up as royalty? One writer decided to try the Queen's relaxing morning routine for herself.
Nia Dalton took lead from royal insiders and enjoyed a peaceful morning of relaxation. Worlds away from her usual morning habits, the elaborate royal routine starts with a cuppa in bed complete with two posh chocolate biscuits.
There were a few things Nia couldn't quite replicate on her own, after all like most of us she doesn't have maids or a personal bagpipe player (more on that later).
Here's how she got on, as originally reported by The Mirror.
7.30am - Pre-breakfast cuppa
No matter where she's residing, the Queen is always woken up at the same time and in the same way each day. At 7.30am, the Queen's personal maid knocks lightly on the door, enters and then places a tray with a silver pot of Twinings Earl Grey tea and milk next to her bed.
She has two of her favourite dark chocolate biscuits, Chocolate Olivers, beside her China teacup and saucer. I sourced the most fitting teacup I could find and managed to track down a tin of the fancy biscuits - which cost me a ridiculous £12 on Amazon (yikes!)
I raised my eyebrows even higher at the price tag when I took a bite and realised how bitter they are. Then I sat back and relaxed, listening to BBC Radio Four’s Today Programme, which - according to Brian Hoey, author of At Home With The Queen - is Her Majesty's staple show.
8.00am - Soak in the tub
Whilst the Queen drinks her first cup of tea, her maid will begin to run her morning bath. For me, the tricky part wasn't running my own water but measuring it to exactly seven inches - as royal staff have confirmed Her Majesty doesn't like her bath to be any deeper.
She also has a preference for the temperature and orders it to be tested with a wooden thermometer. I didn't have one to check, but I can safely say my bath would have been too hot for Liz's liking.
Next, a dresser is meant to lay out the Queen's outfit for the day. Unfortunately, I don't have a fashion expert to pick out my clothes, so I rummaged through my wardrobe myself - but to feel the part, I folded my outfit in a pile before getting dressed.
8.30am Breakfast is served
With a team of world-class chefs at the ready, Her Majesty could pretty much eat anything she fancies for breakfast. Which is why it's so surprising to hear that she often opts for a plastic bowl of Special K or Wilkins and Sons marmalade on toast.
Though on special occasions, Her Highness chooses something far more elaborate, and has scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and a grating of truffle. As I was only going to live like the Queen for one morning, I decided to go wild and cook myself eggs, minus the truffle (obviously).
And I have to say, it was a big improvement from my normal peanut butter bagel.
9.30am - Let the bagpipes play
My disappointing lack of staff then meant I had to do the washing up, which killed my royal mood slightly. But next it was time for the pièce de résistance - the sweet sound of bagpipes.
Apparently, the Queen spends every weekday morning listening to her kilted piper play out of the window. As you can imagine, there aren't many bagpipe players wandering around the streets of Bristol - though I did double-check.
So I had to make do with a quick YouTube video which was arguably enjoyable, but I'm not sure my neighbours would agree. At this point, the Queen carries on her day by sorting through her 'fan mail' and important sovereign letters - neither of which I had - so I finally logged onto work... 90 minutes late.
And that's the moment I realised, I definitely could not live like the Queen every day. Unsurprisingly, a bath, cooked breakfast and moment's peace was far from my realistic morning routine.
