We talk about why the monarchs of Britain do not fly on the same plane, what the shells in the jet of the Sultan of Brunei are made of, and what does ketchup have to do with it.
Royal family, Great Britain
Prince William and Kate Middleton have made several world tours in recent years, with official visits to New Zealand, Australia, India, Bhutan and Canada. On all trips, the royal family is accompanied by a British naval doctor and a small retinue of 10-20 people. Two royals, for example, Prince Charles and the Queen or Prince Charles and Prince William, cannot fly on the same plane at the same time. This is done for greater security of the crown. Prince William can only be on the same plane as Prince George until he turns 12. On the eve of the trip, Buckingham Palace contacts chefs in the countries where the monarch is traveling and discusses the menu. One of the mandatory conditions: the dishes must contain a minimum of seasonings so that the royals’ breath remains fresh. By the way, British monarchs do not eat seafood when traveling – they are the easiest to get poisoned from.
Photo: Ralph Freso/Getty Images
Donald Trump, USA
Every country has Air Force One, which transports top officials of the state. In the USA it is the Boeing VC-25A. On Air Force One there is a presidential office and a reception area for guests, and the presidential suite is located at the very bow of the ship. The presidential liner can comfortably accommodate more than 100 people. Rumor has it that the current American leader always keeps a bottle of ketchup on his plane so that the president can be served his favorite dish – steak with ketchup – anywhere. The President of America is always accompanied by an impressive number of bodyguards (sometimes they occupy an entire hotel at the destination),
and he travels only in an armored vehicle.
Salman ibn Abdul-Aziz ibn Abdurrahman Al Saud, King of Saudi Arabia
The King of Saudi Arabia loves to travel on a grand scale: in March of this year he made a tour of Asia, in which he was accompanied by 1,500 retinue. The king traveled on 36 planes with 459 tons of luggage, two Mercedes S600 limousines and two gold-plated escalators that were used as airplane steps. More than 100 bodyguards were responsible for the king’s safety. The monarch is accustomed to luxury – in any hotel they lay out expensive Arabic carpets for him, which are carried around the world.
Pope Francis, Vatican
The Pope always travels accompanied by officials from the Vatican and his own press service. On any trip, Pope Francis takes with him a small bag in which he carries a liturgical book with texts of prayers (breviary),
a notebook with a schedule of upcoming meetings, a book to read and a razor. Despite the fact that the Pope is the head of the Catholic Church, he travels modestly – he just rents an ordinary passenger airliner from Alitalia for a while.
Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan of Brunei
The first person of Brunei is one of the richest people on the planet. Hassanal Bolkiah pilots his own plane, traveling on his personal Boeing 747-400. The decoration of the liner cost the Sultan $120 million. The living room, bedroom and bathroom of the plane are decorated with precious metals and crystals, and the sinks are made of solid gold. Bolkiah takes with him at least 400 retinue.
Mohammed VI, King of Morocco
The King of Morocco travels around the country in a Mercedes, accompanied by a guard motorcade, and for foreign trips he uses his personal Boeing 747 with a cinema and billiards on board. All year round, in 12 royal palaces across the country, everything is ready for the owner’s arrival and, regardless of the weather, the temperature is maintained at 17 degrees. The monarch owns an impressive collection of cars, including Aston Martin, Maybach, Rolls-Royce and Ferrari, which he likes to use for their intended purpose and drives them around his residences.
