What does one serve royalty? For the late Queen, a Rhine wine, sherry, or Canada Dry ginger ale. And for her husband Prince Philip, a scotch whisky and soda water, or a gin and tonic.
The royal couple's surprising drinks requests were shown to HELLO! in documents belonging to the NYC Municipal Archives, on the occasion of the late Queen and the Duke's visit to New York City in 1957.
It was a landmark trip for the royals, and one which our hosts of A Right Royal Podcast recreated as they retraced the royal family's tour of New York City. One stop took our hosts Emily Nash and Andrea Caamano down the Hudson River, where they enjoyed views of the Big Apple from the water, courtesy of City Cruises.
It was a ride that Elizabeth and Philip did themselves in the fifties, ticking off something on the late monarch's bucket list, stepping aboard the Staten Island ferry.
© Getty ImagesEmily and Andrea reminisced on the late Queen's visit as they pored over the archival documents. "We've uncovered archives from that time," said Andrea. "How they preferred their food, what drinks they liked, how they should be addressed."
"Protocol," said Emily. "The kind of thing that would be provided by the British embassy or the local consulate general to help people prepare for the visit."
"This was quite a special visit," said Andrea. "Because it hadn't happened for a while, it was four years after her coronation, and so it was very, very important to get everything right."
Find out what else our podcast hosts uncovered by watching the video below.
A Right Royal Podcast takes New York:
Our hosts of A Right Royal Podcast also recorded a very special episode during their time in New York City. Speaking in front of a live audience at the Moxy NYC Chelsea hotel, our hosts Emily Nash, Andrea Caamano, and Emmy Griffiths explored the royal family's love affair with New York City.
They were also joined by JFK Jr.'s former chief of staff, RoseMarie Terenzio, author of Fairy Tale Interrupted: A Memoir of Life, Love and Loss and JFK Jr.: An Intimate Oral Biography. RoseMarie revealed details about JFK Jr.'s top secret meeting with Diana, Princess of Wales at The Carlyle hotel – a royal who famously loved the city.
RoseMarie remembered John describing Diana as "shy" and having "great legs." The meeting is said to have been "warm," with the Princess having a "sort of motherly tendency toward" John, who by that point had lost both of his parents. "She felt for him and she felt empathy for his life," RoseMarie said. "And I think she also had a lot of respect for the way he carried himself and the way he lived his life."
To watch the full episode, and to hear more untold royal anecdotes, sign up to HELLO! VIP. Here's a teaser of what to expect:
