Queen Elizabeth Is This Frugal: Second-Hand Linens, Public Transport And More

Make no mistake about Queen Elizabeth II. She might have power over all of the UK, but she’s still as frugal as can be. Actress Joanna Lumley had a lot to say about spending a day or two at the royal family’s humble abode at Buckingham Palace.

The 73-year-old actress claimed that the Queen allows the use of second-hand cutlery, beds and linen, adding that “if it’s good enough for the monarch, then it’s good enough for her.” Lumley considers her as an “unlikely hero” whom she looks up to since she’s trying to be more sustainable by reducing plastic use.

“People say ‘You must need new things’ [but] when you go to stay at Buckingham Palace — guess what. You eat off second hand knives and forks, the bed you sleep in is second hand — and that’s Buckingham Palace,” Lumley teased Good Housekeeping.

The award-winning actress also noted that Her Majesty comes from a “make-do and mend” generation, dubbing the monarch as the “make-do and mend Queen.” In fact, The Sun reported that some bedspreads currently being used came from the Royal Yacht Britannia, a ship that was decommissioned back in 1997.

“In a materialistic world, how heartening to learn that the Queen continues to espouse frugalness in her households,” author Adam Helliker praised. He wrote an upcoming book about the royal family, where he revealed how soft furnishings from the said ship were saved and then used at all the main bedrooms at Balmoral. Until now, they’re in tiptop shape, but a source added that they will be cut up and made into cushion covers when they get “too moth-eaten.”

These aren’t the only instances when the Queen got really thrift. She also reused string from parcels, took public transport from time to time and recycled her wardrobe. Last year, she took the public train to Norfolk to spend her Christmas break there. Her ticket cost around £50.

“Very often when she’s at home she’ll be happy to have leftovers. She is careful with money and always watches the pennies,” author Phil Dampier also wrote in his own royal book.