The Phoenicia, known to be a favourite haunt of the Queen when she was a Princess in Malta, will be bidding its own ‘special farewell’ to Her Majesty by screening her state funeral on Monday in its Club Bar, also enjoyed by Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh in the late 1940s.

Her signature, dating to November 28, 1949, in the visitor book is on display in the iconic Valletta hotel’s lobby, and it has also set up a condolences book in view of its strong connection with the royal couple.

Both books will be moved to the Club Bar tomorrow morning as the hotel, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, has decided to mark the special event and act as point of reference on the sad occasion.

Living in Malta as a princess between 1949 and 1951, when Prince Philip was serving with the Royal Navy, The Phoenicia was one of the couple’s favourite places to dance.

Malta is the only other country the Queen had lived in, moving here as a newlywed with Prince Philip. Before they made Villa Guardamangia their residence, they had stayed at the island’s first luxury hotel.

With so many UK guests staying at The Phoenicia Malta at present, the hotel’s management decided to open its popular Club Bar all day from 10am tomorrow for the live broadcast of HM Queen Elizabeth’s funeral.

Non-residents would also be able to watch it from what is considered to be “another favourite of the Prince and Princess” and, in fact, photos of both are hanging behind the bar.

“It seems a fitting place to watch the final farewell of Queen Elizabeth II – a once-in-a-lifetime event,” said general manager Robyn Pratt.

The Phoenicia’s Club Bar, with a photo of the Prince and Princess, where the Queen’s funeral will be aired tomorrow.

The hotel felt it was apt to show solidarity with its British guests and its flags will also be flying at half-mast as a sign of respect.

“Since the announcement of Queen Elizabeth’s passing, we have received many messages as we posted various memories and our condolences on our social media channels,” Pratt said.

Her death has also thrust the hotel back into the spotlight, with a crew from the BBC visiting to interview Phoenicia ambassador Neville Juan Cardona.

Pratt said that since this aired on BBC World News on Monday morning, also featuring the visitors book the Queen had signed, people who were not staying at the hotel have been asking to see it.

Her signature in the guestbook reads simply, Elizabeth – as she was known to Malta, two years before she returned to London and prepared to become Queen.

Pratt said people also came in asking if they could sign a condolences book.

“We had not thought of that and subsequently felt that, as our hotel was a favourite of the Princess and Prince when they lived in Malta, it would be fitting for us to do something of the sort.”

Pratt said she felt “a special sense of nostalgia when I walk into the ballroom of the hotel, knowing it was a favourite place for this famous couple to enjoy their Malta evenings”.

As it prepares for its own milestone 75th birthday, The Phoenicia Malta has been working on a photographic exhibition and has been going through many images, which include the celebrated couple.

As it prepares for its own milestone 75th birthday, The Phoenicia Malta has been working on a photographic exhibition and has been going through many images, which include the celebrated couple

“I believe it is certainly fitting that we do something special,” Pratt said as Brits in London and people from all over lined up to see the Queen’s coffin while it lay in state to unprecedented demand.

The queues there were expected to stretch for miles, with waiting times of multiple hours, and the public was requested to head to areas in Hyde Park to watch the proceedings on large screens.

Because of its royal ties, the Phoenicia Malta has also featured in the website Wanderlust, making it to a list of the top nine of the Queen’s favourite hotels as she travelled around the world.

It joins a handful of luxurious, prestigious and historic properties that are considered the Queen’s “most spectacular” hotel stays, from California to Singapore.

Dubbed the most well-travelled monarch in history, visiting more than 120 countries in her lifetime, Queen Elizabeth II had checked into many iconic hotels during her 96 years.

Among these, the Phoenicia lines up against the Goring in London, just a five-minute drive from Buckingham Palace, as well as stunning lodges in remote national parks in New Zealand and Canada.

The Art Deco hotel, overlooking the bastion walls and set in seven acres of gardens, also competes with Jamaica’s Half Moon, which many generations of royals made their way to, and some of the oldest and most impressive hotels the Queen chose as accommodation.