Why the Royal Family can’t travel without their own supply of blood

A recent interview on Wednesday with Queen Elizabeth II’s former press secretary, Dickie Arbiter on ‘Hello! A Right Royal Podcast’ revealed that there’s one thing the royal family never travels without: blood.

The former press secretary disclosed that Queen Elizabeth rarely traveled without blood matching her blood type on her various voyages around the world.

A royal level of care

“[You’ve] got to make sure that you’re covering every eventuality,” Arbiter explained to the podcast’s hosts Emmy Griffiths and Andrea Caamano.

“The aircraft would carry blood in case there was blood transfusion. There’s never any guarantee you are going to get the right type of blood at your destination.”

Along with blood, the Queen also traveled with a Royal Navy doctor, who ensured they were up-to-date on what hospitals were available in whatever country the Queen was traveling to.

In a 2016 article for the Telegraph, Gordon Rayner explains that “In countries where a reliable blood supply is questionable, the Queen and the Prince of Wales both travel with their own personal packs of blood following in their convoy wherever they go.”

It was also once a rule that no more than two heirs to the throne could travel on the same flight, but this rule was broken in 2014 when Prince William traveled with his son Prince George to New Zealand. Arbiter explains that allowing two or more heirs to travel together was always made at the Queen’s discretion.

Arbiter also added that when the Queen would travel in the 146 plane, the then Prince of Wales, Charles, would join the pilots in the cockpit, even taking over flying duties for the flight.

“If we were using the Queen’s flight, invariably the Prince of Wales would pilot the aircraft. He was a qualified pilot, commercial,” he added that even the late Prince Phillip would fly the plane.

The royal traveling requests also include an artist and orthopedic bed

Aside from health concerns, the royals could employ their own personal painters to join them on their trips to paint their favorite scenes on their travels.

During his time, then Prince Charles reportedly had his own tour artist available at all times, ready to paint whatever he requested. He also reportedly traveled with an orthopedic bed, toilet seat, and landscape paintings of different locations in Scotland.