OHMYGOSSIP — Tim Peake presented Queen Elizabeth with the Union Flag from his space suit.
The British astronaut handed over the special present to the 91-year-old monarch in April last year when he and his wife Rebecca were invited to a “dine and sleep” event with the queen at Windsor Castle.
The 45-year-old British Army Air Corps officer wore the present, confirmed by the latest annual Gift Lists, on his space suit during a spacewalk on January 15, 2016.
It is now framed alongside a note explaining its significance, which reads: “Presented to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by British ESA astronaut Timothy Peake.
“This Union Flag was worn during a spacewalk on 15 January 2016. It is the first Union Flag to be worn in the vacuum of space.”
Tim – the first British astronaut to be a member of the European Space Agency – is said to have taken inspiration from legendary explorers such as Captain James Cook when he was deciding what to give the queen.
A piece on the Royal Collection Trust website states: “Major Peake attached the badge to the left arm of his spacesuit before undertaking the first spacewalk by a British astronaut, outside the International Space Station on 15 January 2016.
“He was inspired to present the badge to Her Majesty by gifts made to monarchs by other great British explorers, such as Captain James Cook and Captain Robert Scott, which are also in the Royal Collection.”
As well as the Union Flag, the queen also received two framed photographs of elephants, a purple fleece bed for her beloved corgis and glittery baubles for her Christmas tree.
What’s more, her husband Prince Philip was presented with an array of items last year, including a bugle, a paperweight, and a travel backgammon set which could serve him well in his retirement.