A recent interview on Wednesday with Former Press Secretary to Queen Elizabeth II, Dickie Arbiter IN ‘Hello! A Proper Royal Podcast’ revealed that there’s one thing the royal family never travels without: the blood.
The former press secretary announced that Queen Elizabeth rarely traveled without blood matches her blood type on her various travels around the world.
A royal level of care
“[You’ve] we have to make sure you’re covering every eventuality,” Arbiter explained to podcast hosts Emmy Griffiths and Andrea Caamano.
“The plane would carry blood in case there was a blood transfusion. there are never any guarantee you will get the right blood type at your destination.”
Along with blood, the Queen also traveled with one Royal Navy Physicianwho made sure they were up to date on which hospitals were available in whichever country the Queen was traveling to.
In one 2016 article for the Telegraph, Gordon Rayner explains that “In countries where the reliable supply of blood is questionable, The Queen and Prince of Wales both travel with their own personal blood packs following in their convoy wherever they go.”
It used to be also a rule that no more than two heirs to the throne can travel to same flightbut this rule was broken 2014 when Prince William traveled with his son Prince George in New Zealand. The arbitrator explains that allowing two or more heirs to travel together was always at the Queen’s discretion.
The arbitrator also added that when the Queen would travel on flight 146, the then Prince of Wales, Charles, would join the pilots in the cockpiteven taking over flight duties for the flight.
“If we were to use the Queen’s flight, the Prince of Wales would invariably be piloting the plane. He was a qualified, commercial pilot,” he added, adding that the late Prince Phillip would also fly the plane.
Royal travel requirements also include an artist and orthopedic bed
Health concerns aside, the royal family can employ their own personal painters to join them on their travels to paint their favorite scenes on their travels.
During his time, then Prince Charles is said to have had his touring artist available anytime, ready to paint anything he asks. He is also said to have traveled with one orthopedic bed, toilet seatand land landscape paintings of various places in Scotland.
