When you think of what the typical contents of a 96-year-old woman's handbag might be, we are certain that a knife wouldn’t be very high on the list. Perhaps you may first think there would be a purse, an umbrella, maybe some knitting and the odd stray hardboiled sweet - and in The Queen's case, a marmalade sandwich - but certainly not a knife!
Well, it would seem that Her Majesty's signature Launer handbag is used to carry a penknife, among other things - and it certainly not for the reason you might expect. According to royal expert Phil Dampier, author of "What’s in the Queen’s Handbag And Other Royal Secrets", the monarch’s insistence at carrying a penknife is a "Throwback to her days as a girl guide”.
