The Queen Is Rumored to Drink Four Strong Cocktails Every Day

According to a new book, Queen Elizabeth's relationship with alcohol might be part of the secret to her longevity and mental health.

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  • According to some rumors, Queen Elizabeth 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, 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 knows how to drink. The tradition goes back several generations and Queen Elizabeth's mom, the Queen Mother, was such a heavy drinker, there were jokes that she had a "hollow leg."

Rumor has it Elizabeth has carried on her mom's tradition with libations. In his new book Long Live the Queen! 13 Rules for Living from Britain's Longest Reigning Monarch, royal author Bryan Kozlowski points out that the Queen reportedly "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—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.

Long Live the Queen: 23 Rules for Living from Britain’s Longest-Reigning Monarch
Long Live the Queen: 23 Rules for Living from Britain’s Longest-Reigning Monarch

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, 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 to live like a Queen.

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Kayleigh Roberts
Contributing Editor at Marie Claire

Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with over 10 years of professional experience covering entertainment of all genres, from new movie and TV releases to nostalgia, and celebrity news. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.