The Queen smiles as she watches the fly past
(Picture: Getty Images)Despite being an incredibly high-profile individual, often out greeting members of the public, there are certainly some elements of the Queen’s lavish lifestyle which are shrouded in mystery - such as the contents of her handbag.
The hashtag #WhatsInTheQueensHandbag began trending on Twitter on Sunday, as users decided to hazard a guess as to what items Her Majesty keeps handy.
While Liz has been seen retrieving a lipstick and glasses from her bag before, the exact items that lie inside the bag remain unknown.
In 2016, author Phil Dampier, who wrote What’s in the Queen’s handbag: And other royal secrets, claimed the accessory sometimes contains “a crossword cut from a newspaper by a servant in case she has time to kill; a penknife; a diary and a small camera”.
Meanwhile Sally Bedell Smith, a royal biographer, has claimed that it contains a hook to hang it under tables, as well as everyday objects such as a mirror.
All of these are, of course, reasonable claims, but Twitter is Twitter, and people have decided to offer some rather bizarre and hilarious predictions as to what is actually stored in there by the Queen:
#WhatsInTheQueensHandbag spare set of keys to Windsor castle pic.twitter.com/sYDAdtf2l7
— 👩⚕️Trudy B vaccinated (@trudytalk) June 13, 2021
#WhatsInTheQueensHandbag bingo chips, hard candy and pic of the kids pic.twitter.com/LkqQbRfNVe
— Justme (@Ladyfish666) June 13, 2021
Her cake knife #WhatsInTheQueensHandbag pic.twitter.com/Aflb2HmZqb
— is this the right Mask? (@stamishinc) June 13, 2021
#WhatsInTheQueensHandbag
— Dee (@Deew04) June 13, 2021
Her house keys pic.twitter.com/op3L4KkOtw
#WhatsInTheQueensHandbag?
— Daphne -Vote Blue- Shepherd (@antifashyst) June 13, 2021
Like all good moms... tissues, cough drops, and a couple of band-aids.
Like all good grannies... some candy.
And like all good rulers... a burner phone with her best assassin on speed dial. pic.twitter.com/pSpRw3JArL
First class stamp incase she needs photo id #WhatsInTheQueensHandbag
— Rob (@Robp64) June 13, 2021
Pepper spray in case the unpredictable one returns #WhatsInTheQueensHandbag pic.twitter.com/qxs4p4IkNq
— Portmanteau leaves home😷💉💉 (@SadlyCatless) June 13, 2021
#WhatsInTheQueensHandbag Boris Johnson’s comb pic.twitter.com/cApI802eaI
— Matthew reist (@ReistMatthew) June 13, 2021
It’s not just the contents of the bag which have been met with speculation, either.
There have also been reports that the bag itself is used to signal particular messages to the Queen’s staff, with The Telegraph reporting last month that a bag on the table means she wants things to finish in five minutes, while a bag on the floor means she wants her lady-in-waiting to come to the rescue.
