Queen Elizabeth II: Daily Routine

Even at 94, Queen Elizabeth starts her day with Earl Grey, answers fan mail, and reviews government briefs — all before her royal corgis get their midday walk.

With a reign that started in February 1952, Queen Elizabeth II is currently the longest-serving female head of state in world history, as well as the world’s oldest living monarch at 94 years old. And yet, she’s as busy as ever, maintaining a full daily schedule, still taking care of a range of public duties as she has for the past 8 decades.

On a typical day, the Queen is up at 7.30am. But there’s no alarm in the royal bedroom, instead one of her maids knocks on her door, and brings in a pot of Earl Grey tea. To help her get ready in the morning, the Queen has three dressers — overseen by Angela Kelly, who goes by the title of Personal Assistant and Curator of her Wardrobe — prepare several outfits for the day, depending on how many engagements the Queen is planning to attend.

“She is not ‘my’ Queen, she is everyone’s and so I have to share her,” Kelly once said in an interview. “Once she has chosen something to wear, I just want her to look good in it. I love seeing the faces of the public when they meet the Queen, and when she gives them that special smile. It makes me feel so proud of her.”

Breakfast is usually at 8.30am — Darren McGrady, the former royal chef, wrote in his book, Eating Royally: Recipes and Remembrances from a Palace Kitchen, that she prefers cereal first thing in the morning, followed by more tea and some biscuits.