Queen Camilla has one particular drink at lunch as she says ‘there’s no point otherwise’

Queen Camilla loves full-fat Coca-Cola and wine while King Charles prefers martinis – discover the Royal Family’s surprising drink preferences and dining habits

Queen Camilla likes to drink a specific beverage at lunch (Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Even the most dedicated royals find time to unwind, and many members of the Royal Family have made no secret of their love for a quiet tipple. The late Queen Mother was famously partial to a cocktail of her own creation — Gin and Dubonnet, served with a slice of lemon and lashings of ice.

Her fondness for this potent concoction certainly didn’t do her any harm. The Queen Mother lived to the remarkable age of 101, and her daughter, the late Queen Elizabeth II, inherited not only her mother’s longevity but also her preference for a 70% Dubonnet and 30% gin blend.

The late Queen’s sister, Princess Margaret, had rather “simple tastes” when it came to her drinking habits, according to the Queen Mother’s private secretary Sir Martin Gilliat. Princess Margaret’s tipple of choice was Famous Grouse whisky, served simply over ice, and she was never shy about making her displeasure known if the ice cubes had been left to melt.

Today’s royals, however, appear to be a considerably more restrained bunch. The Daily Mail’s Rebecca English, who has been travelling alongside King Charles and Queen Camilla on their tour of the USA this week, disclosed that the Queen “loves a glass of Coke, but only ever full fat, never diet because there’s ‘no point otherwise’.”

While she has a strong association with the wine trade, Camilla often goes for a Coke(Image: Getty)

Notably, the Queen also serves as president of the UK Vineyards Association and has previously made clear her appreciation for a glass of fine wine.

Speaking at a reception for the Worshipful Company of Vintners earlier this year, Camilla said that her love of wine had been instilled in her during childhood: “Probably everybody knows my love of wine, it’s in my blood and I was brought up by a father whose passion was wine, without a doubt,” she said.

The Queen, whose late father was wine merchant Major Bruce Shand, added: “We drank wine as children, we grew up like the French”, and recalled learning “how to spit properly”.

 

The King and Queen will also sample the occasional pint(Image: Pool/Tim Graham Royal Photos, Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)

Her son, Tom Parker-Bowles, told You Magazine in an interview that Camilla’s desert island meal would probably be washed down with “a really good glass of red claret”

In contrast, His Majesty The King has a fondness for a martini, according to Palace Papers author Tina Brown, and savours the 50/50 blend of gin and dry vermouth at least once daily.

The Telegraph’s royal correspondent Gordon Rayner reveals that the King is so exacting about his favourite tipple being served “just so” that he even travels with his own spirits and his own glass, to guarantee the cocktail is prepared perfectly.

 

The Queen has tried an occasional pint(Image: Getty)

His Majesty is also known to appreciate a dram of fine Scotch from time to time, and has bestowed upon Laphroaig’s 15 year old single malt a prized royal warrant.

Never one to overlook a commercial opportunity, King Charles also markets his own Highgrove Organic Single Malt Scotch for a not insignificant £36 per bottle.

Those who aren’t particularly keen on whisky will be glad to know that the King’s Highgrove estate also crafts its own organic gin, priced at £39.95 a bottle, alongside a rather appealing honey-infused rum that will set you back £44.95.