In order to keep everything running smoothly, The royal family has to employ all kinds of staff.
Working for royals might seem exciting, but these individuals have to follow a long list of strange and unique rules.
While the new generation of royals like Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are doing things their own way, the staff members for Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles have a lot of rules to follow. Some of them might surprise you!
Working for the royal family is no easy thing to do. In fact, there are so many strict rules that it certainly wouldn’t be a job for just anyone.
The narrator of Royal Servants which was uploaded to YouTube back in 2011, gave a huge insight to what the staff can and can’t do in the palaces.
“Behind the scenes butlers lay out clothes, footmen carry early morning trays and cleaners sweep carpets, lest royal ears are offended by vacuum cleaners,” she said.
“The Royal Family demand the most professional servants in the world, the kind of servants who would rather die than make a mistake.”
Peter Russell, who was a servant between 1954 and 1968, explained that the royals didn’t even know how to feel about the staff.
“They want you there because you have to be there. They want you there because they can’t manage without you,” he said.
So, let’s get into all the rules that these people have to follow in order to keep their job.
Some of them make sense, while some are completely and utterly wild.
Hold onto your big hats, because you are about to be so surprised.
1. They can’t vacuum before 10 a.m.
This rule actually makes total sense because no one wants to be woken up in the morning by the annoying sound of a vacuum.
Instead, the staff responsible for cleaning has to sweep, which seems a bit ineffective, in the mornings to not disturb anyone.
2. Chefs must avoid certain foods
Queen Elizabeth has certain foods that she just doesn’t like or want to eat.
To be fair, we all have foods that we can’t stand, or love more than others. So this is definitely not a shocking rule.
While the rest of us just make or buy our own meals, she instructs her staff on what not to serve.
She hates garlic according to former royal chef Darren McGrady , and she also prefers to eat all meat well-done.
3. Keep the Queen’s cereal in tupperware
Many of the rules on this list seem uptight and fancy, but this one is just odd!
Queen Elizabeth prefers her cereal to be kept in tupperware because she thinks it keeps the food fresh. She also loves Special-K brand cereal. Maybe royals are just like us after all.
4. Prepare for Prince Charles’ morning routine
Wouldn’t it be nice to wake up and have your bath drawn and your clothes set out? That’s exactly what life is for Prince Charles.
He reportedly expects staff to do nearly everything for him, and this is especially true for getting ready in the morning.
5. Always pack a black outfit for Queen Elizabeth.
The reasoning behind this strange rule is actually rather sad.
Since Princess Elizabeth was traveling without a black dress when her father passed away, she now has a rule that staff must include one black outfit whenever she travels.
6. Be professional at all times
Working for the royal family comes with specific challenges. In order to protect the family and their secrets, all staff members have to be professional at all times.
Most of the servants try their best to avoid making even little mistakes. Sounds stressful!
7. Nannies must be highly trained.
Given that nannies spend so much time with the royal children, it makes sense that they would need to be skilled and intelligent people.
These nannies are trained at Norland College where they learn how to care for children, as well as the ins and outs of cybersecurity.
8. Nannies also wear old-fashioned uniforms.
While only for special occasions, nannies have to wear a very old-fashioned uniform made up of a tan dress and white gloves.
The whole ensemble is very reminiscent of Mary Poppins. Some might think it needs an upgrade to fit in with modern-day fashion looks.
There are also different uniforms for different occasions, and that applies to the entire staff.
Depending on the time of year, or what the occasion is, the outfit that they need to wear will change.
Fashion is very important in the world of the royals.
9. Call the queen to dinner in a specific way
In the documentary Royal Servants , a staff member recalled that the queen must be called to dinner by saying, “your majesty, dinner is served.”
It seems a bit ridiculous in some ways, but the queen clearly enjoys old-fashioned ways of doing things.
10. Be seen and heard as little as possible.
One of the main rules the staff must follow is to try to stay out of the way as much as possible.
While this might not be surprising, it does feel outdated. After all, the staff members are just people, too!
11. Take special care of the royal corgis
Most dog owners want to spoil their beloved pups, and the royal family is no different.
These dogs are much more spoiled than most as they even have their very own butlers ! They live better than most people.
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12. Feed the dogs a special diet
The corgis have basically their every need attended to, and this includes being fed a special diet. Canned dog food just isn’t going to cut it for these doggos.
They eat beef, chicken, lamb, rabbit, and even fresh game meat on occasion.
13. They also have to worry about carrot length for horses.
It’s not just corgis who get treated like royalty. Queen Elizabeth also wants her horses to be fed finger-length, peeled carrots.
This seems like a strange request , but it’s meant to keep Queen Elizabeth from getting her hand accidentally bitten.
14. Stand up when the queen enters the room
Whenever the queen stands up, everyone else around her is supposed to stand to show respect.
This rule of decorum doesn’t just apply to the staff, however, as other guests and even other members of the royal family do this as well.
15. Hold an ashtray for hours
Peter Russell, a former servant for the royal family, said he was sometimes treated like a “human ashtray” by Princess Margaret.
He also said he would sometimes have to stand next to her for hours during social occasions holding the ashtray.
“Of course, at a banquet for instance or a big social occasion, it meant you had to dance attendance on her all night long,” Russell said.
“Possibly to be just standing to her left or right with an ashtray, so she didn’t have to look to see where she flicked her ash.”
What do you think of all these very strict rules that the royal staff has to follow?
Do you think they are ridiculous or make a lot of sense?
Either way, let us know down below in the comment section! We would love to hear from you!
