What Queen Elizabeth's Daily Routine Is Really Like

Heavy is the head that wears the crown, they say. As a metaphor for weighty responsibilities, it may not be quite as pertinent to the members of Britain's royal family today. None of them play an active role in government, not even the reigning sovereign, Queen Elizabeth II. She's been obligated to slow down in the role she does play for the past few years, being 96 years old as of 2022. According to ABC News, her working days in 2019 came to 67, if the count is limited to official public functions.

There is more to reigning as sovereign than those hours counted by the Court Circular, however. Every day of the year for the past 70 years (excepting Christmas and Easter Sunday, per Hello!), the queen has tended to something related to her position. 70 years spent on any job would lead to almost anyone developing a routine to manage, and the queen is no exception. Let's take a look at what goes into the day-to-day business of a constitutional monarch – and what changes age and the pandemic have brought to the queen's daily schedule.

According to the Daily Mail, Queen Elizabeth's day begins at 7:30 a.m. That's when the overnight guard (the Royal Sergeant) steps down and the maid takes over. The maid brings with her tea (Twinings Earl Grey) and biscuits. (For the non-British, it seems the correct way to make tea, royal or commoner, is to add the milk before the hot water, per the Guardian). As the queen enjoys this properly made tea to the sound of BBC Radio 4's "Today," the maid draws a bath. Allegedly, the bath must be exactly seven inches of water for an 8 a.m. wash.

After her morning bath, the queen dresses. Her wardrobe is managed by her personal assistant Angela Kelly, with one of three aides lending a hand. Twice a week, according to the Daily Record, the queen then sits down for her hair appointment. The symmetrical hairstyle she wears hasn't changed in decades and is the work of Scott Ian Carmichael of Stirling. Of course, while isolating during lockdown in 2020, visits from the hairdresser weren't possible. Kelly assumed the duties then, according to the Guardian.

Many traditions of the British monarchy date to Queen Victoria's time, including matters of the monarch's daily schedule. According to Reader's Digest, after a sojourn up in Scotland with Prince Albert, Victoria became taken with the sound of bagpipes. She loved them so much that she resolved to have a piper with her even in England. Thus was born the title of Piper to the Sovereign. Every morning at 9 a.m., it is the piper's duty to stand below the monarch's window and play for 15 minutes. The job also involves playing music at dinner on certain occasions.

Queen Elizabeth is said to be just as fond of bagpipes as her great-great-grandmother. So great is her fondness for the instrument and the morning ritual that the Piper to the Sovereign travels with the queen to all but one of her residences within the United Kingdom. Sandringham House is the odd one out, being unable to accommodate a piper. The queen seems to have had a good relationship with her musicians, with 15th piper Scott Methven speaking publicly of her support for him (via the BBC). On the other hand, her tastes and expectations put a significant technical burden on whoever holds the job. Since the queen doesn't like having the same song repeated too often, according to former piper Gordon Webster (via WMUR-TV), it's necessary to have a large library of tunes committed to memory.

At 11 a.m. Queen Elizabeth begins a series of audiences, one-on-one meetings of about 20 minutes each. According to Royal.uk, those granted an audience can include government officials, religious leaders, military personnel, and recipients of prestigious awards. The primary purpose of these late-morning meetings, however, is to talk with members of the diplomatic community. Any ambassador or High Commissioner (an ambassador from a Commonwealth nation) has an audience with the queen shortly after they begin the job, and with more than 170 ambassadors in London at a given time, there's no shortage of diplomats to receive.

When the queen is in residence at Buckingham Palace, ambassadors are brought to their audience in a horse-drawn carriage known as State landau, a custom dating back to Victorian times. Meetings are held either in State or semi-State rooms in the palace, with the queen's private quarters made use of on occasion. Approving the credentials of a new ambassador upon their appointment is among the queen's ceremonial duties.

According to Victoria Howard of The Crown Chronicles, these morning audiences are kept around the 20 minute mark to ensure no time is wasted and that only pertinent subjects are discussed. But just what the queen and her visitors say in any of these audiences will never be known for sure; they are kept as private conversations. No written, audio, or video record is maintained for any of them.

Though the monarchy of Britain has long since given up a role as the head of government, the reigning sovereign and the prime minister keep in regular contact. Every Wednesday, according to Royal.uk, Queen Elizabeth will meet with her current prime minister (US Magazine has the time down at 6:30 p.m.). The meetings are typically held in Buckingham Palace (per BBC Newsround), though phone calls will suffice in the event of travel, or a lockdown in response to a global pandemic.

The queen has had 14 prime ministers over her 70-year reign. While she theoretically appoints and dismisses the prime minister at her discretion, no monarch has defied the majority will of Parliament since 1834 (per Liberal History). Their meetings, like her morning audiences with the diplomatic corps, are private conversations without any record kept. Former PM Harold Wilson once quipped that they were the only meetings he was confident would stay confidential.

It may be tempting to imagine that these weekly meetings are an anachronistic formaily, with the monarch so divorced from governance. But former PMs David Cameron and John Major both spoke of the value they found in the meetings and in the queen's ready knowledge of current events. Elizabeth herself once volunteered her perspective: "They tell me what is going on or if they have any problems, and sometimes I can help in some small way as well. They know I can be impartial and it is rather nice to feel one is a sponge."

On a typical working day, according to Victoria Howard of The Crown Chronicles, Queen Elizabeth will catch a light break for afternoon tea at 4 p.m., with scones and sandwiches for a recharge. But there is more work to be done after tea. After the morning's delivery of the red box, another official report arrives at 7:30, the record of the daily proceedings of Parliament. While reading over the report, the queen may indulge in a drink. Her favorite is a Dubonnet cocktail with gin in a 2 to 1 ratio.

If there are no more affairs to be tended to in a day, the queen takes her dinner privately, usually from a menu sourced from the royal stocks. Former chef Darren McGrady reports (via the Telegraph) that starch is left off the table as a rule, while options for a main course include salmon, pheasant, or venison. If there is a reception, however – for a visiting dignitary, or to launch an overseas visit – then dinner becomes another engagement for the day.

When there isn't a reception to host, the queen retires at 9 p.m. Sometimes she'll sit up to read, and sometimes she'll take in a bit of television. "Downton Abbey" was apparently a favorite (as was spotting any inaccuracies). Bedtime, according to Finty, is 11 p.m.

As the pandemic recedes, some matters of life may return to normal, while others are permanently altered. For several years prior to the pandemic, according to the Guardian, the royal family has been slowly and quietly carrying out "Operation Transition" ahead of Queen Elizabeth's eventual death and the ascension of Prince Charles. The pandemic in some ways accelerated the process.

Lockdown curbed the queen's usual itinerary, but even as movement restrictions have been lifted, she has not resumed her usual slate of duties. She came down with COVID-19 herself early in 2022 (per the Guardian) and has since suffered "episode mobility issues" in the phrasing of Buckingham Palace. In her capacity as head of state, this hasn't mattered much. Other than the State Opening of Parliament in 2022, which she entrusted to Charles, she is still able to carry on with such duties as reading and approving government policy and conducting audiences with diplomats and ministers, mostly virtually.

In her less formal role as head of nation, however, the queen has become much less active and is likely to further cede responsibility to the royal family (also per the Guardian). Charity patronages, military inspections, even the investiture of titles have been increasingly taken over by Charles and Prince William.