The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee: Seven Decades of Travel and Expenses
This month we celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s platinum jubilee, marking 70 years on the throne – and off it, travelling the world on her many royal tours. Three weeks after her coronation in 1952, The Daily Telegraph published a letter from MP Colin Thornton-Kemsley, expressing hope that the new Queen would “make extensive Commonwealth tours, of which the itineraries and programme will be so arranged as to provide ample opportunities for rest and recreation.” 1
When you look at the travel history of a woman who has circumnavigated the globe more than 42 times, travelling over a million miles and visiting 120 countries out of a possible 1952, you wonder when she got her rest and recreation. At 96 years old, the Queen might be finally slowing down but her family are still on the global trail. Keeping them moving, within a multitude of royal protocols and new travel regulations, must be a complex endeavour.
To celebrate the Queen’s lifetime of globe-trotting, let’s look at seven fun and unusual royal travel facts – one for every decade of the Queen’s reign – with some handy tips on how this could be managed with automation.
1: The greatest number of countries that the Queen has visited in one trip is 14 during her 1966 trip to the Caribbean.3
Planning that kind of itinerary would have any royal travel agent scratching their head, especially when you consider all the transport options available to the family, from commercial and charter flights, private boat charters, train, helicopter and even a Royal Train (more on that later). Connections, timings, transfers and tickets – it all has to be considered. We’d recommend TripIt Pro, an itinerary app with dozens of other handy tools within it. These include interactive airport maps and walking directions, to get Kate to the Duty-Free shop for some her favourite Jo Malone perfume4 or George to Superdry for some last-minute shorts. After all, royal tradition dictates that Prince George and Prince Louis must have at least five pairs of different coloured shorts in their luggage.5 With a big family to consider, calendar synchronisation features within TripIt Pro keep everyone back at the palace up to date with the itinerary via text, email or apps.
2: When booking commercial flights, the royal family are encouraged to use British Airways to show support for the British economy.6
Flying commercial makes sense in today’s climate and doing the right thing, keeping costs down and boosting the national economy is imperative when you’re spending public money. This is a perfect job for TripLink. The Queen can choose which of her preferred suppliers appear in the App Centre and by synchronising her supplier account with her SAP Concur account she ensures any negotiated supplier rates are displayed.
3: Royal travellers must be aware of their destination’s cultures and customs.7
Any business traveller needs to be fully informed about where they’re going, especially if you’ll be meeting and greeting the locals and sampling the local delicacies. With TripIt Pro, royal travellers can tap into Neighbourhood Safety Scores and local Covid Guidance, to ensure a safe and risk-free trip. Nearby Places makes it easy to find places close to where they’re staying, whether that’s a fancy restaurant in the league of Claridge’s or Quaglinos (two of the Queen’s favourites apparently8) or a chicken place for William who in 2020 publicly declared that “Everyone loves a Nando’s”.9
4: Royal family members must pack a black outfit when travelling in case of sudden mourning. 10
Caught wearing brightly coloured or inappropriate clothing after a sudden family bereavement or death of a prominent figure, is a royal no-no abroad. Like any business, it’s important to ensure everyone can purchase the correct uniform expected in their role. SAP concur mobile apps mean users can expense on the go, saving time and boosting productivity. Kate could get her expenses in whilst still in one her favourite high street shops picking up a little black number, before popping to Costa for a coffee and using ExpenseIt to take a snap of the receipt and sending it across to the Sovereign Grant ASAP.
5: At 18, Princess Elizabeth joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS), where she trained as a truck driver and mechanic.11
The Queen has often been spotted behind the wheel of her Range Rover around her estates and when it comes to getting to meetings, nothing beats the convenience of four wheels. To log her miles from Windsor Castle to, say, Buckingham Palace, the Queen could use Concur Drive, which includes a mileage tracker that automatically tracks and documents distances to improve compliancy, cut costs and reduce reporting errors.
6: Two heirs can’t travel together on planes, trains or boats – just in case! 12
William and Kate have been breaking this royal ‘rule’ since Prince George joined them on his first official visit to Australia and New Zealand in 2014, when he was just eight months old. At the time, it was said that William had asked Gran for permission to take their little one on the flight with them, which was duly granted. If the Queen wanted to embed this kind of policy into the booking process, she could use Concur Travel. Once bookings are made, if the booking is not within policy, an out-of-policy note can be sent to the manager, or the person approving the travel. The Queen might still let William off, of course.
7: The Royal Train was a state secret until 1946 – but is still going strong.13
The royal family are no stranger to luxury when it comes to travel, from private planes to supersized yachts, but in today’s climate sustainability is top of mind. The nine-carriage Royal Train is used by the family for privacy, but also as a low-carbon choice. With Concur Travel, the family can get a carbon footprint report that allows them see the environmental impact of every journey and can choose sustainable options while booking within TripIt Pro.
So, as the country hangs out the bunting, pours the Pimm’s and comes together to say “Happy Platinum Jubilee Ma’am”, to celebrate the life of a remarkable woman, we applaud the team organising the royal itineraries and would say with a curtsy or a bow if one would like to find out more about how SAP Concur solutions can help one on future trips please visit www.concur.co.uk
3 70 facts to mark The Queen's Platinum Jubilee
4 How To Wear Fragrance Like Meghan and Kate
5 Why Royals Must Always Pack a Black Outfit in Their Luggage
6 8 secrets of how the royals travel
7 15 British Royal Family Travel Secrets You Never Knew
8 These are the Queen's favourite restaurants in London
10 The morbid reason members of the royal family always pack a spare outfit
11 ‘Princess Auto Mechanic’: the unseen footage of the young Queen at war
12 The One Travel Rule Prince William and Kate Middleton Constantly Break
13 The Secret History of the Royal Family's Train