WHETHER or not to add milk before OR after you pour your tea is a hotly debated subject among us Brits – second only to how you pronounce the word “scone”.
And when it comes to making The Queen‘s perfect cuppa, a former royal butler has revealed Her Majesty prefers a cup or Earl Grey or Assam over a builder’s brew – and always adds the milk afterwards.
Appearing on BBC Three’s Miss Holland, Grant Harrold – who worked for Prince Charles from 2004 to 2011 – gave insight into the Royal Family‘s afternoon tea habits.
Grant said: “I am sure the Queen enjoys her Assam or her Earl Grey the traditional way, made with tea leaves in a teapot and poured into a fine bone china teacup.
“She will also use a strainer. It is also a myth that members of Royalty use their pinky when drinking, I have never seen that happen once.”
While Earl Grey is flavoured with bergamot, Assam is a kind of fragrant black tea which is grown in India and available to buy in Fortnum & Mason in the UK.
The expert also explained how The Queen prepares her tea the “proper” way by adding milk after allowing it to brew.
Grant revealed that the tradition began in the 18th century when potter Josiah Spode began making fine china – which DIDN’T crack from the heat of boiling water – for the upper classes’ afternoon tea.
Drinking tea from high-quality china then became fashionable among the upper classes.
Meanwhile, those who couldn’t afford the expensive china continued drinking tea in crockery and adding their milk first to avoid breaking their mugs.
In more Royal Family news, you can take a free virtual tour of Buckingham Palace from your living room – and you get to zoom in wherever you want.
And The Queen slept in the beetle-infested dungeons of Windsor Castle during The Blitz in WWII.
Plus Denise Van Outen sent The Queen a cuddly toy camel to apologise for stealing a Buckingham Palace ashtray.
