Tom Hanks has revealed what Queen Elizabeth II's "cocktail of choice" is.
The actor dined with the British royal alongside then-President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama while they visited the U.K. in 2011, and on Monday he recounted the experience during an appearance on BBC's talk show "The One Show."
"I sat right next to the Queen," Hanks recalled, according to Insider. "The chit-chat with the Queen is something you gotta get ready for. I knew I was going to be sitting next to her so I wanted to be able to talk about things that were of import but not presumptuous. So a few things about how often she truly has time off and what have you. It was a nice chit-chat."
Hanks said at some point during the dinner he saw a servant place a glass with clear liquid that did not look like water on the table next to the Queen.
"Then out of the corner of my eye, I saw this white-gloved hand just put between me and her royal majesty this glass of water," Hanks said. "But it wasn't in a water glass. It was a clear liquid and so I dared to ask the Queen, 'What is Her Majesty's cocktail of choice?' and she said, 'Ooh, martini.'"
The Queen did not overdo it though and instead sipped on the one drink the entire night, Hanks said.
"She had the one. That's what she nursed throughout the course of the night, and I think, Well, she's had a wonderful reign so maybe if I want to polish up my game a little bit, I will start drinking martini every now and again."
In 2016, Hanks spoke about the same banquet during an appearance on CBS' "This Morning," saying that he and the Queen discussed David Beckham, who was sitting at the same table.
"I did say to Her Majesty that David Beckham is a quite handsome man, and she said, 'Oh yes, oh yes, oh yes,' " Hanks recalled.
The "Forrest Gump" star appeared on "The One Show" to promote his new film "Elvis," which stars Austin Butler. The film received a 12-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival last week and according to Variety, moved Priscilla Presley to tears.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.