The royal family is helmed by Queen Elizabeth who, at 94 years old, is incredibly particular about how things are done in her home — and by home, we of course mean palace. She's old-fashioned, very formal, and resistant to change, so her royal staff has rules they must follow, and some of the protocols are wilder than others.
Understandably, the Queen and the rest of the royal family are also incredibly private, so they do everything they can to quash leaks and discourage staff members from speaking to the press about the goings on behind palace doors. Still, some things have gotten out over the years from the mouths of the staff themselves.
According to Forbes, the Queen has over 1,000 staff — everything from maids to footmen to valets, chefs, and more — and there are rules for them all. For one, many live on site at the palace, where their meals are also free. In exchange, they don't get paid a whole lot. According to Express, when the palace was hiring a butler in 2011, the paycheck around $18,400 a year. A 2016 job opening for a dishwasher paid the equivalent of $20,850.
Not everyone is as interested in having staff as the Queen — and Prince Charles, who reportedly uses them for just about every task. When Kate Middleton and Prince William married, they reportedly didn't intend to have any domestic staff in their home for serving and the like. As a pretty modern couple, they wanted to manage on their own as much as possible.
But for the royals who do have staff, here are the rules they must follow.
Sweeping the Floors Instead of Vacuuming
According to the Daily Beast, vacuums are forbidden before 10 a.m., so the carpets are usually swept clean instead. That rule is in place lest any staff members wake up the royals too early with unsavory vacuum noises. We're not sure how effective sweeping is instead, but at least everyone in Buckingham Palace is getting lots of uninterrupted rest?
Never Walk Down the Center of the Carpet
The only people allowed to walk wherever they want are the royals themselves. The Daily Beast reported that staff members must walk on the sides of the hallways instead of down the middle of carpets so they won't wear the threads out or leave unnecessary footprints. Some of those rugs are probably valuable antiques, so we guess that makes sense. Plus, since they're just swept clean, they don't need any extra dirt brought in from staff shoes.
Special Uniforms for Different Occasions
In 2003, Daily Mirror journalist Ryan Parry went undercover as one of the Queen's footmen and learned a ton about the rules the staff must follow. Among them is a strict dress code depending on the time of year or occasion. For example, the regular black tails, white shirt, and red waistcoat were traded out in the summer for a white tropical pattern with gold trim. State events required a special scarlet outfit with a cape and gold-edged top hat.
Tea Trays Require Maps for Item Placement
Parry said that there were maps of how each royal's tray should be arranged for various meals. For example, Prince Phillip likes his oat cakes directly next to the honey. The royals have been eating this way for so long they could probably fix their meals blindfolded. Nothing has been rearranged in probably decades!
Princess Anne Has Particular Fruit Preferences
The Queen's daughter, Princess Anne, likes a fruit bowl for breakfast every morning, which must always include a black banana and ripe kiwi. Usually, overly ripe bananas are saved for cooking or baking, like in banana bread, but apparently, Princess Anne just prefers to eat them that way in her fruit salad — at least according to Parry's reporting.
Coffee Must Be Poured From a Silver Jug
Being royal has its perks, like coffee being served in fancy silver jugs instead of a regular old coffee pot. Parry wrote for the Mirror that one maid was in charge of pouring coffee from the hot plate into the silver pot. Then Parry would carry it on a tray to a different staff member who would carry it a few feet further to the Queen. That's quite a journey for a cup of joe.
The Queen's Cereal Is Kept in Tupperware
The Queen may drink her coffee out of a silver jug, but she eats her cereal out of plastic Tupperware containers, according to the International Business Times. She believes it keeps the food fresher, and her favorite cereal brand is Special K. That's about as low-key as the monarch can get — she's almost just like us! Parry even snagged a photo of the plastic containers on her breakfast table when he went undercover.
Prince Charles Hardly Lifts a Finger
According to Express, a documentary on the royal staff called Royal Servants revealed that Prince Charles allegedly doesn't do much for himself. His bath towel is folded just for him to sit and wrap it around himself, his clothes are laid out for him down the the left and right socks being in the exact correct spot, and his staff even reportedly squeeze toothpaste onto his toothbrush for him.
Princess Margaret's Staff Included One Specific Job
The Queen's sister, Princess Margaret, died in 2002, but was a heavy smoker all her life and could almost always be found with a cigarette in her hand. That's why she reportedly required one staff member to stand by her side at all times with an ashtray, according to Express. Imagine trying to explain that job to friends and family. Not exactly a career high, that one.
Nannies Must Be Trained in All Kinds of Areas
Town & Country reported that royal nannies are no ordinary nannies. The royal family hires nannies trained at the prestigious Norland College, where recruits learn about everything from how to make young princes and princesses eat their vegetables to defensive driving and cyber security. Their charges are not just ordinary children, so the nannies need to be prepared for anything.
Royal Nannies Have Mary Poppins-Style Uniforms
For special occasions, like weddings or christenings, the royal nannies wear an old-fashioned uniform of a tan dress, white gloves, and a bowler hat, according to Town & Country magazine. The whole thing makes the nanny look rather like Mary Poppins. It also calls a lot of attention to the nanny which is why she doesn't wear it all the time. If she's not wearing a uniform, people are less likely to recognize her as a member of the royal family's staff — especially when she's with the children.
When the Queen Stands, Everyone Stands
She isn't called Her Majesty for nothing. The Queen is such an important figure that anyone in her presence must stand if she does and remaining standing until she sits down. This applies to staff, of course — who mostly remain standing at all times anyway — but also to her guests and even her other royal family members, according to Harper's Bazaar.
The Corgis Have Their Own Butlers
While the Queen no longer keeps corgis, she reportedly still has two dorgis. She is particular about her dogs and makes sure that their every need is attended to. That's why her pets have their own royal butler, according to royal dog trainer Dr. Roger Mugford. In an interview with Town & Country, he said that the dogs' meals were hand-delivered by the butler in porcelain bowls — one bowl for each dog so no one has to share.
Menus Are Made Special for the Dogs
Canned dog food isn't a thing at Buckingham Palace where former royal chef Darren McGrady cooked up yummy meals for the Queen's dogs every day. He told Hello! magazine that the dogs' diet consisted of beef, chicken, lamb, and rabbit which were alternated throughout the week. Sometimes, fresh game hunted by Prince William and Prince Harry would even be added the menu.
The Queen Is Particular About Carrot Length
McGrady told the Telegraph that the Queen was also particular about what her horses eat — or rather, the size of what they eat. She feeds them carrots that must be finger length and peeled. "If ever a horse bit the Queen’s finger, it was the chef’s fault for cutting them too short," McGrady said. That's a lot of pressure for one carrot to carry.
The Royal Chefs Can't Make These Foods
When it comes to the Queen's menus, she has several no-go areas. Shellfish is off limits, because it could cause food poisoning, according to Business Insider. Marie Claire reported that she also hates garlic, so it's left out of meal preparation. And the aforementioned Telegraph article also added that she eats all her meat cooked well-done.
Perhaps again to avoid food poisoning?
There's a Specific Way to Call the Queen to Dinner
In the Royal Servants documentary, one staff member remembered accidentally calling the Queen to dinner in much too informal a way. He said to her, "Your dinner's ready," instead of the appropriate, "Your majesty, dinner is served." The Queen likes everything to be done with the highest possible air of formality, even something as simple as being told it's time to eat.
Stylists Must Pack One Black Outfit for Royal Trips
Ever since then-Princess Elizabeth was caught traveling without a black dress when her father died, she instituted a rule that stylists and staff members who pack her bags or any royal family member's luggage for a trip must include a black garment. That way, should someone die while the family is traveling, they can properly attire themselves during the trip home.
Prince Charles Likes a Particular Type of Egg
The Royal Servants documentary also said that Prince Charles is particular about his post-hunting snack of soft-boiled eggs and whiskey. But because the staff members don't always know when he'll return, they reportedly keep making eggs every three minutes about 30 minutes before he's expected home, so they'll have some ready to go when he walks in the door. If he's on the late end of that 30 minutes, many eggs are wasted because the staff had to keep making new ones every three minutes.
Don't Be Seen or Heard
"The best servant is one that is neither seen nor heard," says the narrator in the Royal Servants documentary. As royal staff member Peter Russell explained, "They want you there but they don’t want you there. They want you there because you have to be there. They want you there because they can't manage without you." But the Queen and her family reportedly seem to prefer when the staff makes no noise so the royals can perhaps pretend they're not really there at all.
