Yesterday marked the end of Prince William and Kate Middleton's three day tour around the UK, where they dropped into various spots around England, Wales and Scotland to thank frontline workers and meet with charitable organisations. Given that they had a lot to cram in, the royals decided to borrow a very swish train owned by Her Majesty, the Queen, in order to get around – and as you might expect, this is no ordinary vehicle.
Described in the biography about Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's relationship, Finding Freedom, one chapter centres on the first official trip that Meghan took aboard it with the Queen. During her journey on the aptly named Royal Train, it's believed that Meghan bore witness to a few impressive details too.
The book (which has not been authorised by the royal family) writes: "It was a daunting journey for the new wife, despite the amenities of Her Majesty's personal train, which had private bedrooms (Prince Philip's pillows are plain; the Queen's, with a small royal cipher in one corner, are trimmed with lace); a sitting room with a sofa of hand-stitched velvet cushions, a dining table for six, a desk where the Queen worked on her papers; and secondary air suspension for a smoother than average ride." So far, so magical.
And there's more! The book goes on to add in that the train also contains a fully functioning bathtub, which Her Majesty likes to use at a certain time each morning – and knowing this, the driver of the train will deliberately slow their speed in order for the Queen not to have water sloshing about all over the place while bathing. The true definition of getting the royal treatment, then? "The train conductor drives extra slowly around 7.30am to make sure the water stays in the tub while the Queen has her bath."
The bedroom set-up on the train, while no doubt luxurious, is reported to be a bit of an odd one though – and saw the Duke and Duchess in separate 'his and hers' beds. But fear not, that inconvenience is certainly soothed by the fact that they also had a 12-seat dining room on board.
In the spirit of discussing the royals and their preferred modes of transport, let's also quickly cast our minds back to the time that Queen Elizabeth hopped onto the tube to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the London Underground. Honestly, could you imagine spotting her on your commute, just casually reading a newspaper and grumbling about the lack of air con? Incredible scenes.
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As well as trains, planes and automobiles, The Queen also boasts a very luxurious array of properties, including the Sandringham Estate, that royal fans were treated to a glimpse of earlier this year.
Now, how does one get a ticket to ride this Royal Train then?
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Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
