Queen Elizabeth II was never without her trusty handbag, carrying her preferred Launer purses for decades. But while her bags become an iconic symbol of Her Majesty, one thing that many have wondered is exactly what she kept inside her luxurious purses.
It turns out the late monarch, who died at the age of 96 in 2022, was a romantic at heart. According to royal author Phil Dampier, who wrote What's In The Queen's Handbag: And Other Royal Secrets, told Hello! that she kept a sweet memento from her husband, Prince Philip, in her purse.
"One of her most personal and prized possessions in the bag is a small metal make-up case," he told the outlet, noting that the late Duke of Edinburgh gave it to her as a gift for their 1947 wedding. Pass the tissues, please.
Speaking of tissues, a handkerchief is another item you could've found in Her Majesty's purse, along with items like reading glasses and a pen. Phil Brown, manager of soccer team Hull City, told The Lady that he peeked inside The Queen's bag when he sat next to her at a luncheon.
"It was almost like a lady’s prop with essential items," Brown said. "It had things that you would expect– makeup, [coin] purse, sweeteners she put in her coffee, the normal stuff."
The Hull City manager added that he would've thought "a lady-in-waiting would carry her handbag, but for The Queen, it was almost like a comfort blanket."
Another sentimental touch to her handbag collection was a series of "good-luck charms, including miniature dogs, horses, saddles and brass horsewhips," per Dampier, who noted they were "mostly gifts from her children."
Per The Lady, Queen Elizabeth was also rather thrifty, keeping "a precisely folded £5 or £10 note on Sundays for the church collection plate."
Another secret weapon in her purse's arsenal? A handbag hook. A guest who once attended a dinner with The Queen and her cousin, Jean Wills, told The Lady, "I watched The Queen open her handbag and remove a white suction cup and discreetly spit into it," adding the monarch "then attached the cup to the underside of the table. The cup had a hook on it, and she attached her handbag to it."
While her bag was full of tricks, Queen Elizabeth also used it as a way to communicate, counting on her purse to "deliver subtle yet cutting messages,” per The Mirror. If The Queen was done with a conversation, for example, she'd move her bag from one arm to the other to signal her impending exit to her team. What a legend.
