Queen Elizabeth II's handbags served as both practical fashion statements and a means of communicating with her servants in secret about when she wanted conversations to finish, according to a number of Royal specialists. The Queen always carried a handbag on her arm to match her extravagant attire or the occasion.
Launer CEO Gerald Bodmer said in 2018 that Queen Elizabeth always has a handbag with her because “she doesn't feel fully dressed without her handbag”. But it goes beyond just completing her outfit - Mr Bodmer added in the same interview that Her Majesty is specific about what she likes or dislikes about a bag.
For almost 60 years, Queen Elizabeth II has been carrying a near-identical version of the same bag, according to New Idea Magazine. Designed by British brand Launer, the 77-year-old monarch has made a seemingly simple bag her trademark-style.
If you take a good look at some of Queen Elizabeth II's photos right from the 1950s to 2022, you'll notice she almost always had her black purse hanging from her hand or by her side. It was indeed a fashion statement that lasted over seven decades. But it was also something that made her feel comfortable in public.
Rarely seen without a Launer London purse hooked on her arm, the Queen treated her handbags like an appendage, permanently in view whatever the occasion. Even in her final picture—stood by a fireplace dressed in a kilt, cardigan, blouse, and her trusty heels—her glossy Launer handbag is tucked neatly beside her.
“I believe there's etiquette that ladies do not make their faces up in public,” the former royal footman explained, “but she had her bag over the side and she would take her lipstick out and put it on with no mirror or anything, and that was a signal to the ladies that she was ready to leave.”
Each one of the Queen's handbags is kept in perpetuity. They are stored in cupboards at Buckingham Palace. Sales of Launer London handbags rose by 60 per cent after the Queen carried one at Prince William's wedding.
“The Queen has very little time to herself and no time to wear in her own shoes, and as we share the same shoe size it makes the most sense this way,” Kelly noted.
"They're necessary because if you're the Queen, you're shaking a lot of hands, so they protect her hands as well." Like the Queen, Princess Diana would often wear gloves for formal occasions or royal engagements.
During the Renaissance, given their rarity and high value, these jewels of the sea became associated with wealth and high social rank. For Queen Elizabeth I, keen to project her image as the Virgin Queen, pearls represented purity and chastity, as well as being a visual code that conveyed her extreme wealth and power.
As per a report in Express UK, the Queen used to have a private mobile phone for only two people. The special phone for Her Majesty was “packed with anti-hacker encryption” and was set up by MI6, the portal quoted royal expert Jonathan Sacerdoti.
Back in the 1960s, the monarch re-wore her custom-made gowns at high-profile events, including the Norman Hartnell dress that Princess Beatrice borrowed for her wedding day in 2020. The Queen's personal dresser, Angela Kelly, previously explained how the royal's repeat-wears were always carefully considered.
She typically carries Launer's classic black patent leather Traviata handbag, which clocks in at £1,550 (about $1,900).
The only time the Queen was photographed in pants was during the Royal Tour of Canada in 1970, when a young tailor crafted her a matte-silk trouser suit in an effort to update her look. Apparently it never stuck, and the moment has become the only time the royal wore trousers in public.
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh
He just wears contacts most times. The Queen recently had cataracts surgery and appeared in public in sunglasses, just like her late Uncle, The Duke of Windsor did after his surgery in 1965.
Royals including Princess Kate, Princess Eugenie and Meghan Markle were seen wearing gloves. While this accessory isn't compulsory at a state event, there's every chance they were chosen as a nod to the late Queen, who was always seen with her signature white gloves.
Etiquette expert William Hanson previously told Harpers Bazaar: "Open-toed shoes are considered informal footwear and inappropriate for formal occasions."
Queen Elizabeth never wears the same outfit twice at important events. Therefore, the sovereign prefers to either change her outfits and if she gets bored of them, she sends them to her dressers, who are then allowed to either wear them themselves or sell them.
Queen Elizabeth's Shoe Style From the 1960s
Queen Elizabeth II wears a satin-y coat and flat sandals with stockinged feet during a January 1961 trip to India.
King Charles inherits not just the throne after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, but also her private fortune -- without having to pay inheritance tax.
Queen Elizabeth is believed to have left an estate worth approximately 782 million dollars solely to her son, King Charles. King Charles' inheritance from his mother will not be taxed due to the fact that money exchanged from "monarch to monarch" is exempt from taxation.
Royal Inheritance
Representatives told Forbes in 2021 that Harry was not a beneficiary of any of the $100 million left to the royal family by his great-grandmother, the Queen Mother.
By Amy Mackelden Published: Nov 2, 2019. Queen Elizabeth does her own makeup almost everyday, apart from when she's filming her annual Christmas speech.
Queen Elizabeth II's Evolution From Princess to the Longest-Reigning British Monarch. According to the monarch's long-time dresser, the queen does her own makeup every single day except for one special event: the yearly Christmas speech.
Minimal makeup
Queen Elizabeth II seldom wore little more than lipstick and a hint of blush for her public appearances, and called upon Clarins Compact Powder for her complexion (the brand made an exclusive lipstick to match her suit for Coronation Day in 1953 to celebrate the Queen's loyalty to them).