David Morgan-Hewitt: who is ‘Big Dave’ at The Goring, how did he know the Queen and did he attend her funeral?

Amid concerns that London hotels were fully booked for the Queen’s state funeral as thousands descended upon the capital, one hotelier could be seen attending the service for the late monarch on Monday.

David Morgan-Hewitt, 60, also known as ‘Big Dave’, is the managing director of the five-star hotel The Goring and is said to be the Queen’s favourite.

Belgravia-based The Goring is the only hotel to be awarded the Royal Warrant for hospitality services and would often hold the Royal staff Christmas parties.

The 60-year-old hotelier is said to be the Queen’s favourite:

Who is David Morgan-Hewitt?

David Morgan-Hewitt is the managing director of The Goring Hotel after joining the group in 1990 and being promoted in 2006.

David studied history at Durham University and was the President of the dining club The Ambassadors - suggesting the hotelier has been interested in hospitality since the 1980s.

Since his promotion, Morgan-Hewitt has become the Honorary Catering Advisor for the Army, RAF and Navy and was voted the Top General Manager Worldwide in 2015 by Luxury Travel Advisor readers.

The hotelier is known for his thick-rimmed glasses and double breasted suits, evident from his attendance at the Queen’s state funeral on 19 September.

How did David help the Royal Family?

David had a close working relationship with the Royal family after hosting many of the Royal Christmas staff parties at The Goring.

Not only was the Belgravia hotel used for festivities but the Queen often dined there with friends and family.

David also offered The Goring in 2011 as a place to stay for the Middleton family before Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding.

Kate stayed at the hotel the night before the Royal wedding and a reception was also held there.

‘Absolute Unit’

Before being seen at Queen Elizabeth’s funeral, David Morgan-Hewitt found fame on the internet after a meme was first created of him and the Queen in 2017.

A picture of the hotelier escorting Her Majesty out to her car was shared online on Twitter.

The picture which generated over 13,000 likes and 3,500 retweets was captioned: “in awe at the size of this lad. Absolute unit.”

The phrase “absolute unit” was used multiple times online following the hotelier’s meme with the likes of Elon Musk describing himself as one.