"The best trip I've been a part of" - that is how the man responsible for flying the Queen to Bermuda rated the experience.
Pilot Rod Mitchell has flown countless trips across the globe with the royals and their entourage.
But he told British Airways officials he thought the organisation of the Queen's visit to Bermuda was the best by a distance.
Mr. Mitchell was one of three pilots and nine cabin crew responsible for the royal party's welfare in the air.
The first class section of the British Airways 777 had been specially adapted to cater for the royal party.
And the Queen had a choice of a bed or a seat during the seven-hour flight from London's Heathrow Airport.
BA's airport manager Marianne Wilcox said: "It's a special plane for a special person. The aircraft was specially chartered for this voyage to Bermuda and the area where the royals are is adapted to their needs.
"There are beds and a dining table as well as specially made first class seats."
Mrs Wilcox had the honour of being presented to the Queen when she left Bermuda yesterday.
She added: "I had been practising my curtsy and think I managed to get it right.
"It was quite nerve-racking at first but once we got talking it was fine. It was a huge honour for me to see the Queen and the Duke - let alone speak to them when they left Bermuda."
