What *does* Queen Elizabeth carry in her purse?  I mean really, does
anybody know (besides Herself and whoever waits on her)?

Always wondered--
Apteryx

"Officials at Buckingham Palace were unreachable for comment, but it
has been reported in the past that the queen's purse contains four
items: a comb, a handkerchief, a small gold compact and a tube of
lipstick. On Sundays, Her Majesty likes to carry an undisclosed amount
of money for the collection plate at church."
SOURCE: http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/local/3402724.htm

"As anyone who reads Majesty magazine knows, the Queen carries a comb,
a handkerchief, a small gold compact, and a tube of lipstick in her
handbag. However, you were somewhat misled by Buckingham Palace. The
Queen does carry money on Sundays--a folded note of unknown
denomination which she discreetly places in the collection plate"
SOURCE: http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_318.html

"He then called Buckingham Palace, where a press aide told him the bag
contained "items of a personal nature, but not money...what you'd
expect to find in a woman's purse." Baffled by this stonewalling,
Cecil fell back on the notion of puppy biscuits for the corgis. A
reader of the column came to the rescue with the following from
Majesty Magazine, which listed the contents as "a comb, a
handkerchief, a small gold compact, and a tube of lipstick" plus - on
Sundays - a folded note for the collection plate.
This very well-informed SD reader went on to say that the Queen uses
the handbag as a sort of security blanket, carrying it from room to
room throughout her day *even within Buckingham Palace*, and that all
tables and desks at the royal residences have special hooks to hold
the handbag."
SOURCE: http://groups.google.com/groups?q=queen+comb+%22gold+compact%22&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&selm=20001210105747.02304.00004319%40ng-fr1.aol.com&rnum=1

I hope that this was the type of answer you were expecting. Please let
me know if you require any clarification, and I will do my best to
further assist you.

tisme-ga


Search Strategy (on Google & Google Groups): 

"queen's purse"
queen purse comb gold compact

---

Request for Answer Clarification by apteryx-ga on 16 Nov 2003 19:42 PST

Thank you, tisme.  Do you consder these sources reliable?  I confess
I'm in some doubt.  I mean, I don't really believe that if I had the
opportunity to peep into Her Majesty's purse, I would see four items: 
a comb, a handkerchief, a small gold compact, and a tube of lipstick. 
Do you?

Apteryx

---

Clarification of Answer by tisme-ga on 17 Nov 2003 06:27 PST

Hello apteryx,

The question is, do you consider Majesty Magazine to be reliable? 

See: http://www.majestymagazine.com/

It does sound like the kind of exclusive tidbit that this magazine
would have, I have a list of contacts for you here:
http://www.majestymagazine.com/contact.php if you want to email the
magazine to find out the issue number. :)

All the best,

tisme-ga

Me?  I never even heard of it.

Well, I can't fault your research, even if the answer doesn't feel
very satisfying.  I'm actually leaning toward adopting nautico's &
owain's propositions as equally likely candidates for belief.  But I
do thank you for your work, tisme.  It's everything I asked for.

Apteryx

Though it's not widely known, she has a special slot in her purse for
her AARP card. "Those 10% discounts save us a bundle," she was
recently reported to have said.

I understand that a gentle swing of the handbag is a discreet sign to
her aide that she has had enough of talking to the person she is with
and wishes to move on to the next person.

I'm surprised there aren't choccy drops for the corgis or peppermints
for the horses though. Perhaps she keeps them in her 'at home'
handbag.

Owain