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Queen Elizabeth II, 94, owns a vast portfolio of properties including stately homes and castles across the UK. The Royal Collection Trust is the charity which maintains and organises public displays of the large collection of royal artefacts in royal residences across the nation. However, the organisation has been hard hit by the coronavirus crisis and has come up with a new way to make money.

Following the pandemic, the Trust is currently seeking voluntary redundancies among its 650 staff and has taken out a £22 million loan after predicting losses of £30 million over the next year.

However, a Buckingham Palace-inspired gin might just be the project that helps the Royal Collection Trust back on its feet.

The gin is made from 12 botanicals some of which come from Buckingham Palace’s gardens and is currently for sale on the Royal Collection Trust’s website.

Buckingham Palace gin can be purchased online from www.rct.uk/shop for £40 (US$50) per 700ml bottle and is also available to buy from Royal Collection Trust shops.

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The Royal Collection Trust’s serving suggestion reads: “For the perfect summer thirst-quencher, the recommended serving method is to pour a measure of the gin into an ice-filled short tumbler before topping up with tonic and garnishing with a slice of lemon.”

Elizabeth, the late Queen mother was known to be fond of gin and has passed down he soft spot for a particular gin cocktail to her daughter Queen Elizabeth II.

The Queen mother’s penchant for the British tipple was touched upon in anecdotes shared in 2013 Amazon Prime documentary Royalty Close Up: The Photography of Kent Gavin.

The photographer himself recalled the day of William’s christening which was also the Queen Mother’s 82nd birthday.

Mr Gavin said: “I was chosen by Diana to photograph William’s christening at Buckingham Palace, I mean what an accolade, what an event.

“And there was a whole list of pictures, group shots, I’m looking through the list, and as I’m ticking through them I saw that the main picture, the iconic picture that had to be done, was the Queen Mother holding William.”

Royal biographer Anthony Holden added: “Everybody held the baby except the Queen Mother!

“She wasn’t on the list he’d been given and he actually defied orders and went over and spoke to the Queen and said: ‘Look ma’am, it seems extraordinary that the Queen Mother is not holding the baby – let’s have the oldest and the youngest. A great picture!”

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Mr Gavin continued: “And the Queen looked at me and said ‘Goodness me, mother! Mother!”

“Out came the Queen Mother, had a gin and tonic in her hands, she put it down, sat down on the couch in front of me, picked up William from Diana and laughed her head off – and it made a prize-winning picture.”

The Queen mother enjoyed a cocktail made with gin and a fortified wine called Dubonnet which the Queen is also said to enjoy.

The drink is made with two parts gin and one part Dubonnet and garnished with a slice of lemon.

Given the Queen Mother’s liking for gin, she would no doubt approve of the Royal Collection Trust’s new venture.

All profits from sales of the gin go to the Royal Collection Trust.

The new gin will be served at official events at Buckingham Palace.

As lockdown measures ease, some public attractions including the royal palaces will reopen their doors on July 23.

Social-distancing measures and one-way routes will allow royal fans to visit the Palace of Holyroodhouse, parts of Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.

The Royal Collection Trust galleries at Windsor Castle will reopen while the Queen and Philip are still likely to be in residence there.

Royal Collection Trust website states: “To ensure your safety, we have introduced advance booking, reduced the number of people we can welcome at any one time and a range of other measures.”

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