queen elizabeth

One-Of-A-Kind Remy Martin Louis XIII Decanter for Sale at $70,000

On March 12 in Singapore the renowned House of Rémy Martin will offer a unique decanter of its famed Louis XIII cognac (above) from the 1930s for sale at about $70,000. The precious elixir will be on offer at the Master of Spirits event organized by DFS, one of the world's leading travel retailers, in partnership with Changi Airport. The Baccarat crystal decanter contains Louis XIII Grande Champagne Très Vieille Age Inconnu cognac dating back to the mid-19th Century, a crown jewel of the House of Rémy Martin.

The decanter, certified by the Rémy Martin's cellar master Pierrette Trichet, was created from a series of carafes that were served as part of a royal banquet in 1938 at the château de Versailles in the presence of His Majesty King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. It comes presented in a unique seamless full-grain leather and rare wood box set. In addition, Rémy Martin will offer for sale two of the last remaining carafes of Louis XIII Rare Cask and one magnum decanter of Louis XIII Black Pearl at the prestigious event.

Tags: Asia, Baccarat, brandy, cognac, decanter, France, Louis XIII, Louis XIII Black Pearl, Louis XIII cognac, Queen Elizabeth, rare spirits, Rémy Martin, Remy Martin Black Pearl, Remy Martin Louis XIII, royalty, Singapore, spirits, Versailles

Cunard's Queen Elizabeth's Maiden Call to New York (with Video)

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Cunard Line's Queen Elizabeth has her maiden call to New York on January 13, 2011.

Yesterday, New York was host to all three of Cunard Line's magnificent ships including the recently commissioned Queen Elizabeth, Queen Victoria and Queen Mary 2. In honor of the historic occasion, the day was proclaimed "Cunard Royal Rendezvous Day" by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The highlight of the historic event was a grand fireworks display, produced by Grucci, as the trio sailed past the Statue of Liberty as they began their respective journeys around the world (see video below).

Cunard has a long history with New York. "The great city of New York and Cunard Line have a history that is interwoven," says Peter Shanks, president of Cunard Line. "Our ships have called at New York more than any other port---with the first call being made by Cunard's Hibernia in 1845. Today marks another historic day, as our newest ship, Queen Elizabeth, marks her maiden call into New York, and we continue the legacy we have built with this city."

The ship's captain, Julian Burgess, has more than 30 years of experience at sea and nearly seven years of experience as captain. Burgess was most recently a captain with Princess Cruises. "This is my first Cunard ship and I am honored to be captain of Queen Elizabeth," Burgess told Luxist. "So many people have wonderful memories of the QE2 and there is such an interest in coming on the new Queen. She is very elegant and a great successor."

Luxist had the opportunity to tour the grand ship and found it to be beautiful, much like that of its slightly older sisters, Queen Mary 2 (winner of Luxist's Readers' Choice Award for Best Caribbean Cruise) and Queen Victoria. Remarkably, although Cunard is one of the oldest names in shipping, it operates the youngest fleet in the industry. Queen Elizabeth is the third new ocean liner to be introduced by Cunard in six years and it is the second largest Cunard ship ever built.

Gallery: Cunard's Queen Elizabeth's Maiden Voyage to NYC

Cunard's Queen Elizabeth's Maiden Voyage to New York

Tags: awards-main, Bernard Warner, bloomberg, cruise, cunard, Cunard Line, cunard+queen+elizabeth, cunard+queen+victoria, cunard+royal+rendezvous, cunardqueenelizabeth, cunardqueenvictoria, cunardroyalrendezvous, david linley, Fireworks by Grucci, Grucci, Julian Burgess, Luxist-Awards, mayor bloomberg, new york, Peter Shanks, queen elizabeth, Queen Mary 2, queen victoria

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The Launch of Cunard's New Queen Elizabeth Ship

by Jason Cochran (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Yachts & Sailing

The latest Queen Elizabeth ship, the third generation of ocean liners going back to the late 1930s, was named by the actual Queen Elizabeth Monday in Southampton, England. The $634 million ship, the third and final new vessel to be launched by Cunard in a decade, begins its maiden voyage on Tuesday.

She will be nearly full with her maximum 2,094 passengers. The sailing sold out some 18 months ago in 29 minutes and 29 seconds.

Much has changed since the QE2, which went out of service two years ago and was ignominiously sent to Dubai to function as a hotel. Gone are the ripple-effect ceilings and bachelor-pad brass fittings that made the previous ship the latest in 1970s sophistication.

This iteration, technically the QE3 but called simply the QE like the first in the line, hews closely to Cunard's current design ethic, and in both ethic and size, is largely similar to the Queen Victoria, launched in 2007. Extensive wood paneling, art deco touches, and swooping shapes in the ceiling and balustrades mark the interior.

Tags: cruise ship, cunard, england, qee, queen elizabeth

Continue reading “The Launch of Cunard's New Queen Elizabeth Ship”

Queen Elizabeth II's 1984 Daimler Double Six LWB up for Auction

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions

It's not every day that the Queen's limousine is offered for sale. That day came a few months ago in the UK, where Her Majesty's 2001 Daimler Majestic V8 went up for sale. Now comes to consignment of Her Majesty's previous vehicle, the 1984 Daimler Double Six Long-Wheelbase Saloon you see here, marking the first time a royal limousine has been offered for sale publicly in the United States.

Built specifically for Her Majesty's use, this Daimler underwent over 2,000 miles of testing to iron out any kinks and was fitted with a series of special features before being delivered to Buckingham Palace, upon which it became the Queen's personal transport. Her Majesty was known to drive it around herself much of the time rather than take a back seat to an official chauffeur, driving herself along with princes and prime ministers around London and to her palaces across the kingdom. After being retired from service, it was returned to Jaguar where it became part of the company's museum.

Jaguar says that this will be the last of its royal limousines offered for sale, offered as it will be at the upcoming RM Auctions event in Monterey, California, during the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, with pre-sale estimates placing its value between sixty and eighty thousand dollars.

Gallery: Queen Elizabeth II's 1984 Daimler Double Six Long-Wheelbase Saloon

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Tags: 1984 Daimler Double Six long-wheelbase saloon, 1984 Daimler Double Six LWB, daimler, elizabeth II, jaguar, pebble beach, queen elizabeth, queen elizabeth II, rm, rm auctions

Queen Elizabeth Plans Frugal Holiday Season

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wealth

No Christmas gifts for the Queen of England? CBS News says that in an effort to show solidarity with the recession-stricken people of her land, Queen Elizabeth II has let it known that she and her husband Prince Philip do not require gifts this year. The Queen has had some financial struggles of her own this year, forced to cut costs and ask for additional money from the British government for the upkeep of the royal castles. According to Forbes, the monarch has a fortune of $450 million which sounds like a lot but that number is down $200 million from recent years.

The royal family generally spends Christmas at Sandringham Estate, the Queen's country manor in Norfolk, England, a few days before Christmas. The Royals generally don't splash out on fancy gifts anyway but the Queen is taking extra precautions requesting that any potential gifts be donated to local charities and hospitals instead. The Queen has also been reusing more of her wardrobe and has instructed family members to cut back.

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Tags: christmas, holidays, queen elizabeth, queen elizabeth 2, queen elizabeth ii, QueenElizabeth, QueenElizabeth2, QueenElizabethIi

William & Son Granted Royal Warrant

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Handbags, Jewelry, Timepieces / Watches, Celebrity Shopping

William & Son, the luxury goods emporium located in London's elegant Mayfair district founded by William Asprey after his family's business, Asprey of London, was sold off back in the '90s, was recently granted a Royal Warrant to HM Queen Elizabeth II. The firm (which we wrote about last year), offers high-end jewelry, silver, watches, leathergoods, china and crystal, as well as custom-made shotguns and other bespoke services. The Royal Warrant is awarded as a mark of recognition to companies who have regularly supplied goods or services for at least five years to members of the Royal Family. Warrants have always been regarded as a mark of excellence and quality, and are highly prized. Other firms holding the Royal Warrant include Asprey, Swaine Adeney Brigg, Barbour and Laphroaig.

Tags: alligator, Asprey, Barbour, jewelry, Laphroaig, London, luxury goods, LuxuryGoods, Queen Elizabeth, Queen of England, QueenElizabeth, QueenOfEngland, Royal Warrant, RoyalWarrant, shotgun

Whisky Bottles Given as Gifts by the Queen Classified as a Matter of National Security

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits, Celebrity Shopping

Every year, Queen Elizabeth II awards miniature bottles of whisky to the guards at her estate in Sandringham. And we'd be telling you more about them – what kind, how much they're worth, how many she hands out annually – if not for a blanket classification issued on the subject by local police. That's right, the bottles of scotch handed out by the Queen are considered a matter of national security.

According to Norfolk police, if they divulged how many bottles were distributed, it would give away how many guards are stationed there. And if Al-Qaeda found out, it would make it easier for them to kidnap members of the royal family. That might seem like an extreme measure of paranoia, but not in the context of break-ins at royal residences in recent history. Aside from terrorism, one man infiltrated Buckingham Palace in 1982, the Queen awaking to find him sitting on her bed. Ten ears later a man was arrested on the premises twice, while another intruder broke into St. James Palace and had himself a scotch. Two years later, a drunken man knocked on Princess Anne's door to ask for directions to the railway station. The embarrassing intrusions have left local police on high alert to prevent further incidents, hence the refusal to disclose details of the whisky distribution. And there you have it.

[Source: The Daily Mail]

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Tags: buckingham palace, BuckinghamPalace, queen, queen elizabeth, queen elizabeth ii, QueenElizabeth, QueenElizabethIi, royal gift, RoyalGift, sandringham, scotch, scotch whisky, ScotchWhisky, whiskey, whisky

The Queen Needs A Raise

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wealth

This year not too many people are looking for pay raises but the Queen of England may need to ask for a bit of a financial boost. The Queen of England could need an additional £4 million a year to make repairs on Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and St James's Palace. Reports revealed that the royal family spent £6.5 million on travel much of that on private jets to various locales. One of the surprising costs is the £300,000 the Queen spent to relaunch her website.

This year's annual publication of the cost of the monarchy found a less receptive audience than usual as many people have been experiencing a diminishing of their own fortunes in the past year. Some have called for the monarchy to open the palaces up and sell tickets for tours in order to make more money for their expenses. In an article in The Guardian, Richard Bacon MP, who sits on the Commons public accounts committee, said that if the White House could be open for most of the year then Buckingham Palace could be too. This year, Buckingham Palace will be open from the end of July until the end of September.

Sir Alan Reid, keeper of the privy purse, defended the family, pointing out the fact that the Queen attended 400 engagements last year. He pointed out that the money each taxpayer pays to subsidize the Queen in her role as head of state works out to around 69 pence (around $1.15) per person. The spokesman for the anti-monarchy group Republic called this technique of justifying the expense a way of spinning the truth. While the Queen did not decided to go through with plans for a new private jet, the Royal Family will be taking possession of a new Sikorsky helicopter this summer.

There's no doubt that homes need regular upkeep and homes of great size and age requires a great deal of money for upkeep. This is why older families in England have been selling off estates for years to those with deeper pockets. The queen gets £7.9 million pounds of public money each year for basic expenses including staff costs and she also has a reserve fund built up by saving her budget but the cost of living and the cost of upkeep is mounting higher than her savings. The queen is expected to negotiate her budget next year and ask for a funding increase. If she continues to draw from her reserve fund she could deplete it by 2012.

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Tags: england, queen elizabeth, QueenElizabeth

The Classicist: Sandy Lane's Multimillion $ Makeover

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, The Classicist

Since it first opened in 1961, Barbados' luxurious Sandy Lane has played host to a never-ending stream of royalty, socialites and movie stars. Arguably the Caribbean's plushest resort, Aristotle Onassis and Maria Callas, David Niven, Jackie Kennedy, Frank Sinatra and Queen Elizabeth all took sojourns there in years past, while the list of current habitués is no less impressive, including Tiger Woods who tied the knot there in 2004.

The ne plus ultra in exclusivity, luxury, privacy and white glove service is embodied by the palatial neo-Palladian-style main building of cream coral stone set in a grove of mahogany trees on a beautiful stretch of beach in the middle of Barbados' "platinum coast." A chauffered limousine (a Bentley for high-rollers) picks you up at the airport and you're greeted at the front desk with cold towels and fruit punch, a preview of coming attractions, so to speak.

Sandy Lane was rebuilt in 2001, and it's currently in the midst of a multimillion dollar makeover including upgrades to rooms, the spa, restaurants and public spaces. When it re-opens on October 3, in addition to 16,000-sq.-ft. of new marble, one of the biggest improvements will be an open plan, multi-cultural, all-day dining facility featuring a residential-style kitchen in the manner of a Caribbean Palladian conservatory, with a wine store, beach bar, sushi bar, lobster and live seafood tank, a fresh herb garden and a wood burning oven.

Gallery: Sandy Lane Luxe

The resort's 112 rooms average 900 square feet and feature marble floors and bathrooms, mahogany plantation furniture, private verandahs, plasma TVs and all the bells and whistles. The property features two Tom Fazio-designed 18-hole golf courses, nine championship tennis courts, a 47,000 square foot spa, a John Frieda salon, shops galore (Joan Collins still owes money in one of them) and seven bars and restaurants to choose from. On the beach, attendants will fetch you drinks, clean your sunglasses and even spritz you with Evian water should you so desire.

In addition to the main accommodations, there's also a five bedroom villa that sleeps 14 with a private pool, butler, housekeeper, chef and 24-hr. security guard for $25,000 a night during the holiday season. But if you have to ask, you probably can't afford it.

Tags: Barbados, Bentley, caribbean, Jackie Kennedy, JackieKennedy, Queen Elizabeth, QueenElizabeth, Resort, Sandy Lane, SandyLane, Tiger Woods, TigerWoods, Tom Fazio, TomFazio

Globe-Trotter Celebrates 110th Anniversary with Bulletproof Bag

by Tracy Chait (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Globe-Trotter, the British luggage designer which since 1897 has furnished luxury carryalls for the likes of Queen Elizabeth II and Winston Churchill, will soon add another formidable piece to its collection: a bulletproof case designed by Ross Lovegrove. Weighing in at under three pounds, it's the lightest rigid suitcase of its kind. Even before this news, Globe-Trotter was getting around: the luggage maker recently collaborated with J.Crew to craft limited edition pieces for its new luggage collection, and it showed up last year in the Conran Shop with a special rolling fashion statement.

The Lovegrove piece will make its debut during New York Fashion Week in September, posing from the windows at Moss. Until then, you can still get the perennial classic, the Centenary trolley suitcase in orange (designed by hand from Vulcan Fibre and lined in silk) at Moss for $1,580. The Lovegrove designed Air Cabin, by comparison, will retail for $3,500.

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Tags: bulletproof, centenary trolley suitcase, CentenaryTrolleySuitcase, conran shop, ConranShop, globetrotter, j.crew, luggage, moss, queen elizabeth, QueenElizabeth, ross lovegrove, RossLovegrove, travel, winston churchill, WinstonChurchill

Queen Elizabeth is Plane Shopping

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings, Celebrity Shopping

The Sunday Times reports that the Queen of England is in the market for a new plane. No Air-Force-One-sized jet for the Queen though, word from Buckingham Palace is that they are in the market for a small executive plane like a Gulfstream or Learjet. The plane would also be available for use by Gordon Brown and senior ministers.

The plane w ould be paid for by taxpayers and would include the usual private plane bells and whistles such as catering facilities and in-flight entertainment. The Queen had previously been able to use larger planes provided by the RAF. Also in the past, Prince Charles and other royals have chartered planes or flown first class for their royal tours, which they will still have to do for longer trips. The new plane will be best for short jaunts. The prime minister opted against a larger plane for himself and the royals because of the price. A decision on the type of plan and specific purchase details probably won't be available until later this year.

What's particularly interesting about the comments section of the article is that many of those who wrote in believe the Queen (and to some extent Gordon Brown) should have a bigger plane.

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Tags: private plane, PrivatePlane, queen elizabeth, QueenElizabeth

Slumping Economy Prompts Queen To Cancel Party

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Events, Celebrity Shopping

You know the economy is not doing too well when the Queen of England cancels a party, and not just any party, her diamond wedding anniversary party (60 years of wedded bliss with Prince Philip). The Daily Mail reports that Queen Elizabeth decided not to hold the party, which was to be at The Ritz this weekend, because she felt it would be "inappropriate" to hold a the extravagant soiree while so many people are hurting financially. The was to have include the usual Queenly appurtenances including plenty of Champagne and a diamond theme that would have included many glittering decorations with Swarovski crystals. Certainly such lavishness with a country on the brink of recession wound not be unprecedented but it would perhaps be a bit unseemly. The party was originally scheduled for last November but was rearranged because the Queen was in Uganda at the time and so she felt that a big celebration on a day that wasn't even near her anniversary was unwarranted.

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Tags: diamond anniversary, england, expire-images:2009-3-30, queen elizabeth, queen of england, QueenOfEngland, the ritz

Queen Elizabeth 2 To Become Floating Hotel

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing

The latest extravagance in Dubai will be the Queen Elizabeth 2 cruise ship. The ship is being sold to the Dubai World firm by Carnival for a cool $100 million. The ship will be turned into a floating hotel located on a pier in the Palm Jumeirah development. The company plans to recreate the original decor and fittings of the ship that she had when she was launched in 1967. The ship has crossed the Atlantic more than 800 times and carried over 2.5 million passengers. She will be docked at the Palm Jumeirah and open for business in 2009.

[Thanks, Timothy]

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Tags: dubai, expire-images:2008-6-17, floating hotel, palm jumeirah, queen elizabeth, QueenElizabeth

Crown Royal XR Whisky For The Queen

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

In order to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II's visit to the 2007 Kentucky Derby, Crown Royal has created the most expensive version of their whisky. The original Crown Royal Canadian Blended Whisky was made for the Queen's parents in 1939 to commemorate their Grand Tour of Canada. Crown Royal has a created a new version of the whisky that uses remaining barrels of the original whisky. The Crown Royal XR Extra Rare Heritage Blend is not for sale but a suggested retail price would likely begin at $10,000. Diageo commissioned Casey Hyland, a master glass designer at Louisville's Glassworks, to create a custom glass decanter, etched with 24 K gold leaf.

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Tags: crown royal, CrownRoyal, queen elizabeth, scotch, spirits, whisky

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