FORMER ROYAL BUTLER LAUNCHES LONDON EYE TRIBUTE TO QUEEN’S PLATINUM JUBILEE
Former royal butler Grant Harrold served up Her Majesty’s favourite cocktail aboard The lastminute.com London Eye, to mark the official launch of its Platinum Jubilee experience.
To celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, from Thursday 27th May guests can step back in time to the 1950s and experience Coronation Day, while enjoying a gin and Dubonnet 135m in the air.
Honouring Her Majesty, the exclusive pod takes the form of a classic British pub, dubbed ‘The Queen’s Head’. The time capsule places guests inside a 1950s pub on the day Elizabeth II ascended to the throne – bedecked with vintage bunting and decor, authentic royal memorabilia from the big day, a photo gallery showcasing the Queen’s years in service and a traditional pub dartboard.
Grant Harrold, The Royal Butler, who worked with the royal family for over seven years, said: “Are there any two things more quintessentially British than the love of a good drink, and the love of our Monarch? It’s been my honour to work with the lastminute.com London Eye to bring the two together in royally good fashion.
“Having worked for the royal family and met Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth on many occasions I can attest to the fact that our Queen, like the rest of us enjoys a good tipple. Her favourite drink is a gin and Dubonnet made from two parts Dubonnet, a sweet, aromatised wine, with one part gin, along with two cubes of ice and a lemon slice. It’s a wonderfully traditional drink, so much so that it was also a favourite of her mothers. She’s such a fan in fact that more often than not Her Majesty will mix the drink herself to ensure it is done to perfection.”
To ensure the celebrations are fit for the Queen herself, guests will be served a choice of Beefeater Gin and Dubonnet-based cocktails, widely known to be our Monarch’s tipple of choice. The menu features the aptly-named Regal Spritz – a strawberry pink gin, Dubonnet and prosecco-infused glass of bubbles – and Royal Delight – a full-bodied signature serve featuring gin, Dubonnet and Italian Bitter Aperitivo, with a twist of orange. Both expertly crafted drinks make for the perfect accompaniment to the Jubilee celebrations and breath-taking views.
Imran Tauqir, General Manager of The lastminute.com London Eye, said: “We’re inviting people to step back in time to Coronation Day and party like it’s the 1950s again this Jubilee! From one iconic London institution to another, we’ve pulled out all the stops to pay homage to our longest reigning monarch. Guests will be transported back to the 1950s with a glass of HM’s favourite drink in hand, raising a toast as they sail 443ft above her Buckingham Palace home.”
‘The Queen’s Head’ Jubilee time capsule runs from 27th May until 4th September, from 12pm to 5pm on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets cost £65 per person and include two drinks plus fast track boarding. For further information and to book tickets*, visit londoneye.com/pubpod
*over 18s only