The Queen Is Rumored to Drink Four Strong Cocktails Every Day

• According to some rumors, Queen Elizabeth (opens in new tab) is a regular drinker who knocks back four strong cocktails every single day. Royal insiders claim this is an exaggeration, but the Queen is known to enjoy a stiff drink, especially during stressful events. 
• In his new book Long Live the Queen! 13 Rules for Living from Britain's Longest Reigning Monarch (opens in new tab), royal author Bryan Kozlowski explains how the Queen's relationship with alcohol might be the secret to her longevity.
• According to a longevity researcher, it's possible that the stress reduction the Queen experiences from strategically drinking has improved her overall health and contributed to her long, record-breaking reign.

The royal family (opens in new tab) knows how to drink. The tradition goes back several generations and Queen Elizabeth's mom, the Queen Mother (opens in new tab), was such a heavy drinker, there were jokes that she had a "hollow leg."

Rumor has it Elizabeth has carried on (opens in new tab) her mom's tradition with libations. In his new book Long Live the Queen! 13 Rules for Living from Britain's Longest Reigning Monarch (opens in new tab), royal author Bryan Kozlowski (opens in new tab) points out that the Queen reportedly (opens in new tab) "outmatches her mother's self-avowed 'drinking powers' by habitually knocking back four strong cocktails a day—starting just before luncheon."

This is just a rumor, of course—Kozlowski also notes that former royal chef Darren McGrady disputes the claims, saying that the Queen would be "pickled" if she drank as much as gossip suggested. Still, Kozlowski suggests that Elizabeth's relationship with alcohol (opens in new tab)—which she does enjoy regularly, by all accounts—might actually be the secret to her longevity and her mental wellbeing. "Throughout her reign, alcohol has always served in the function of fast-acting stress reliever—a dose of liquid decompression on hectic days," he writes.

According to Kozlowski, a daily drink to decompress and destress is a habit found in "blue zones"—places with much higher-than-average life expectancies—around the world. He also quotes longevity expert Dan Buettner (opens in new tab), who has researched the lifestyles of people in blue zones and believes that "it may also be that a little alcohol at the end of the day reduces stress, which is good for overall health."

The moral: Drink like a Queen (opens in new tab) to live like a Queen.