A builder working on a Buckingham Palace desk told the Queen he didn't want any "nonsense" when she offered to make him a cup of tea, it's been revealed.
The incident came to light this week as part of a Channel 5 documentary Secrets of the Royal Palaces, with royal upholsterer Kevin Andrews recounting the story. It's unclear when it happened, but Andrews worked for the Queen Mother, who died in 2002.
"A builder was dismantling a desk so he could not see who was making the offer when the lady's voice asked him if he would like a cup of tea," Andrews said.
According to the former staffer, the man replied by saying he would like a cuppa, but with not in anything too fancy.
Andrews said the man, still oblivious to who he was speaking to, told the Queen: "Yeah. In a mug. Two sugars. Builder's tea."
"I don't want any of that nonsense I had the last time I was here, all that fine china and all that saucer stuff."
The Queen apparently got the man his tea, left it nearby and wandered off. When the builder got up to have a sip, he realised who he had been talking to as he saw the sovereign in the distance.
The Queen's former butler Grant Harrold has previously said the monarch "enjoys her Assam or her Earl Grey the traditional way" with tea leaves in a pot and then 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," he said in 2018.
British media have commented that while the incident was likely "embarrassing" for the builder, the Queen is well-known for having a good sense of humour and probably got a laugh out of the situation.
