The Weird Item The Royal Family Keeps While Traveling
Queen Elizabeth ascended the throne in 1952, and since then has become one of the most well-traveled monarchs in the world, totaling up a whopping 120 visits to different countries around the globe, according to Express. Because of her royal duties and the fact that she's the head of the 53 Commonwealth nations, the Queen's visits sometimes demand lengthy stays. For this reason, the Queen brings one rather unusual item on all of her trips: a bag of her own blood.
While it sounds like something out of a Dracula story, the reason for an accompanying bag of blood on all of the Queen's travels actually makes sense. According to Yahoo's The Royal Box, The Sun's former Royals Editor Duncan Larcombe said it's "just in case something happens." If the Queen visits a country with unreliable blood supplies and she needs an emergency blood transfusion, she'll already be all set.
However, it's not just Queen Elizabeth who carries a blood supply. All of the heirs — including Prince Charles and Prince William — carry a bag of their own blood. As per Yahoo, "If it's the Queen on tour, the royal physician is with them with a bag full of their own blood." A doctor is always nearby on royal visits. And as the U.K.'s National Health Service states on their website, "red blood cells can be stored for up to 35 days," while platelets can last for 7 days and plasma can remain in storage for upwards of 3 years.
The changing nature of Queen Elizabeth's travels
While Queen Elizabeth is one of the most-traveled English monarchs, her international visits grow less and less frequent now because of her age. According to Yahoo, "the Queen doesn't do foreign visits much any more." So even more royal travel will soon fall to Prince Charles and Prince William. (In 2018-2019, Charles actually surpassed his mother and became the royal who spent the most money traveling.)
However, with the spread of the coronavirus, even the royal family is quarantining to take precautions. Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla were scheduled to tour Bosnia, Herzegovina, Cyprus, and Jordan, according to Harper's Bazaar, but that journey has been postponed. An official statement from Buckingham Palace notified the public that the annual garden parties would be canceled and that the Queen herself, to avoid the coronavirus, would be moving to Windsor Castle earlier than planned and will stay there for the Easter season. Other events, including the "Trooping the Colour, the 75th anniversary of VE Day and a State Visit from the Emperor and Empress of Japan," will be decided on an ongoing basis, per Harper's Bazaar.
After much speculation, Princess Beatrice's wedding has finally been canceled because of the spread of the coronavirus. According to Express, the couple was supposed to marry on May 29, but the nuptials have been pushed back and they are waiting to make further decisions about their wedding.