At the age of 96, Queen Elizabeth II, the longest serving monarch, has never really been known to suffer from any medical conditions. She has only ever missed official engagements on health grounds through advice from her personal doctors. A Queen of her country, mother of four, grandmother of eight, and great grandmother of 12, Her Majesty has certainly lived a very long and illustrious life. Throughout the 70 years she has sat on throne, which have included many ups and downs, she has always shown her strength and resilience, until recently, when mobility problems caused her to cancel some engagements. But how has the monarch been able to display such health and wellbeing? Here are five reasons how.
1: Structured holidays
For Her Majesty, making sure you have a good amount of time off is very important. During her reign, she has travelled across the world through her royal tours and state visits. From Australia to Ethiopia, from Poland to Oman, she has virtually been to all four corners of the globe. Her trips can be extremely tiring and every summer, Her Majesty makes sure she gets some well-earned rest at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
2: A simple but healthy diet
According to Darren McGrady, the former royal chef at Buckingham Palace, speaking to The Independent, Her Majesty eats four small meals every day, breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner and prefers straightforward meals including grilled fish with vegetables or a simple chicken salad. One of her favourite meals is believed to be Morecambe Bay potted shrimp on toast. On the other end of the spectrum, McGrady states that she does not like strong flavours including garlic or any powerful spices.
See also: Monkeypox is Made a Notifiable Disease
3: A strong marriage
The Queen and Prince Philip were married for 73 years, and research has shown that a healthy marriage does have health benefits to it. According to a University College London study in 2017, marriage was linked to a reduced risk of dementia, while various other studies conducted have also revealed several other physical and emotional benefits that comes with a strong marriage.
4: Puppy love
The Queen is a big fan of dogs. She has owned more than 30 during her lifetime including corgis and cocker spaniels but every single one of them have brought a lot of fun and joy to Her Majesty. She walked all her dogs herself up until last year, when she reportedly became too frail to do. Studies show that having a canine companion is linked to lower blood pressure, reduced cholesterol, and decreased triglyceride levels, which contribute to better overall cardiovascular health and fewer heart attacks.
5: Top quality medical care
One of the biggest advantages the Queen has over most of us is that she has very good access to world-class healthcare. She has her own health officials that are always on hand whenever Her Majesty requires any medical attention. The royal household’s team of doctors is overseen by Professor Sir Huw Thomas, who was appointed head of the Medical Household and physician to the Queen in 2014.
Prof Sir Huw was last year knighted after being invested with the Insignia of a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order, it is believed as the Queen wanted to thank Prof Sir Huw personally for his care of her and the royal family.
Prof Sir Huw, who is professor of gastrointestinal genetics at Imperial College London’s department of surgery and cancer, has previously spoken of how grateful he was to be recognised for his service.
Speaking at Imperial College at the time of his knighthood, he said: “It’s been a busy couple of years in this role, so I feel very grateful to have been recognised for my service to date.”
He added: “You very much become part of that organisation and become the personal doctor to the principal people in it, who are patients just like other patients. With the pandemic, the key priority of the Medical Household is trying to make sure that the people under its care are kept safe.”
SEE ALSO: How Does COVID-19 Compare with Flu as a Cause of Death?
