A Queen Elizabeth Approved Guide to London
Today marks Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday. To celebrate Her Majesty, Great Britain is pulling out all the stops: equestrian displays, longer pub hours, and a special set of birthday stamps printed in her honor. President Obama will even be on hand Friday to bestow some birthday wishes to her at Windsor Castle. In case your invite to the Queen’s birthday party never showed up in the mail (ours is still missing), we’ve rounded up a few of her favorite London haunts for tea, dinner, stationery, and more. Even if you can’t actually toast 90 with Elizabeth, you can celebrate her birthday like a queen.
Photo: Alamy1/5Favorite Hotel: The Goring
Situated just a short walk from Buckingham Palace, the Goring hotel is the hotel of choice for the royal family. It is the only hotel in the world to receive a royal warrant from the Queen (she is a regular at the hotel’s Michelin-starred restaurant by Chef Shay Cooper), and the Duchess of Cambridge stayed at the delightfully charming historic spot with her family the night before the royal wedding. The family-owned property (originally opened in 1910 by Otto Richard Goring) is now serving a special afternoon tea service in honor of Queen Elizabeth’s 90th birthday, complete with Her Majesty’s favorite fruitcake, a choux bun with an image of the Queen, and the hotel’s own take on the Queen Elizabeth Cake: a sponge cake covered in coconut that was originally made for her coronation in 1953. The 90th birthday tea service will be available through the summer.
Photo: Courtesy of Bellamy’s Restaurant2/5Favorite Restaurant: Bellamy’s
Opened in 2004, the Queen first visited this Mayfair brasserie in 2006 for her 80th birthday party with friends and family. More recently, she popped by with her daughter, Princess Anne, and her cousin Princess Alexandra. The restaurant, designed by Tim Flynn, features an oyster and sandwich bar; a cocktail bar in the evening; and a prix-fixe, three-course menu option with dishes ranging from classic steak tartare to croquettes parmentières to rillettes of duck. The Queen has been known to enjoy the eel mousse served with toast on her visits here.
Photo: Courtesy of Smythson3/5Favorite Stationer: Smythson
The Queen relies on Smythson to make her yearly planning calendar. Smythson, a Bond Street institution known for its exquisitely crafted leather goods, calendars, and stationery, holds the rare distinction of having three royal warrants. In addition to the Queen, the company has been supplying to royals and celebrities, like the maharajas of India (in the ’20s and ’30s) and Audrey Hepburn, since 1887.
Photo: Courtesy of Prestat Chocolates4/5Favorite Chocolatier: Prestat
Prestat, originally founded by Frenchman Antoine Dufour in 1902, has been the longtime chocolatier to the royal family. Both Queen Elizabeth and her mother granted Prestat a royal warrant, once in 1975 and then again in 1999. (Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother reportedly always kept Prestat rose and violet creams on hand.) For the big 90th birthday celebrations, the famed chocolate-maker has a special collection of sea salt caramel, English Grey tea, and pistachio truffles on offer.
Illustrated by Tom Purvis / Courtesy of Austin Reed5/5Favorite Clothier: Austin Reed
Austin Reed not only supplies members of the royal family with expertly crafted made-to-measure clothes, but it also creates uniforms for its household staff. The Queen bestowed the heritage brand, known for its expert tailoring, with a royal warrant in 1946 and has stayed a loyal customer ever since. Its flagship remains in the heart of London on Regent Street, but it has expanded to more than 100 shops around the globe.