For more than 50 years, Queen Elizabeth II always carried an iconic Launer bag. Her Majesty was a fashion reference and distinguished herself for her impeccable wardrobe style and her preference for this type of handbag.
The first one she used was given to her by the Queen Mother in the 50’s. Apparently, that moment was the defining moment of her taste for the Launer handbag because “she discovered that they were the perfect size to hang on her arm during walks”, reports the Daily Mail.
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As described by the British media, the monarch was faithful to the handbag in her “Traviata” style, in black and patent leather. The outfit was completed with her black leather Anello & Davide shoes that she wore for more than five decades.
The brand of Queen Elizabeth’s favorite handbags was founded in 1941 by Sam Launer, a Jewish refugee from Prague; its reputation grew quickly due to its perfect workmanship.
The Queen, who passed away on Thursday, September 8, 2022 at her Balmoral Castle in Scotland, owned more than 200 Launer handbags. Even, last Tuesday, September 6, in her last public appearance, at that residence, she received the first minister-elect Liz Truss wearing her favorite bag.
“She keeps all the handbags and even all the Queen’s Mother’s handbags,” Gerald Bodmer, CEO of Launer London, told Mail Online in 2016,
The queen was a lover of handbag practicality. Of course, the accessory was tailor-made for her, with long handles that didn’t interfere with her greeting at official events.
Queen Elizabeth’s bags were perfect in size to hold her personal and some very particular items.
What Queen Elizabeth II kept in her Launer handbag?
Although it was always a mystery to know exactly what the Queen kept in her inseparable Launer bag, information about its contents has finally been leaked.
The Daily Mail claims that royal aides were in charge of leaking what possessions Her Majesty carried in her handbag. Some of the accessories were:
- Lipstick.
- Compact mirror.
- Eyeglass case.
- Fountain pen.
- Peppermint pastilles.
- An S-hook, so you don’t leave your purse on the floor.
- A £5 or £10 bill folded in half to donate at religious events.
What’s curious about the revelations is that, according to Phil Dampier, author of What’s In The Queen’s Handbag, the monarch kept in her purse:
“miniature dogs, horses and saddles (her children’s good luck charms) and family photographs.” One of them, “of Prince Andrew on his return from the Falklands in 1982,” notes the Daily Mail in an extensive report.
What messages did the Queen communicate with her handbag?
The bag also had a functional use: the “secret code”. This allowed her to communicate with her staff and send them specific messages, as revealed by royal historian Hugo Vickers,
Vickers said that when the monarch shifted her handbag from one hand to the other she would signal to her royal aides that she was “ready to finish her conversation.”
When she rested the piece on the table she was informing her staff that she wanted “the meeting to be over in the next five minutes.”
And if the bag was placed on the floor it was almost a “cry for help,” because it revealed that she was not at ease with the conversation and was asking to be rescued by her maid of honor.
