No vacuum cleaners or rich perfumes: 5 strange rules that the royal family's servants must follow

Royal footmen, maids, nannies, butlers, or kitchen staff are positions in the palace that not everyone can do. Two key traits are required to get hired. The first is great patience: titled persons are often capricious. For example, Princess Margaret hired a personal butler just to keep an ashtray nearby so she didn't have to look at where to throw her cigarettes. The second trait is discipline: fast and high-quality performance of duties.

In the OBOZ.UA article, we offer to find out why working at the royal palace is not as sweet as it might seem at first glance. Some of the functions of the staff will surprise you.

1. No familiarity

In an interview, former royal butler Paul Kidd told us about a time when he felt embarrassed in front of Elizabeth II. He came to her and said: "Your Majesty, your dinner is ready." In response, the queen looked at Paul with irritation. "The point is that he should have said, 'Your Majesty, lunch is served'. Pedantic monarchs pay attention to even such small nuances.

Another interesting fact is that the staff of the royal palaces of the Windsor family is strictly forbidden to call children "kids". Why is this? Because in their environment, the word "kid" is used to refer exclusively to goats, and children are called by the more classic literary version ("children").

2. No vacuuming

Royal servants are not allowed to vacuum. Even if there are carpets everywhere in the palace, they are still not allowed! The workers have to sweep the floor several times every day. It sounds a bit archaic, doesn't it? You can never hear the sound of a vacuum cleaner in the royal residence, because titled persons appreciate peace and quiet.

It should be added that junior staff and royal footmen are not allowed to walk on carpets. This is to avoid damaging the threads.

3. Hot drinks should be at a specific temperature

Even if the servers put freshly prepared food and drinks on the table, it doesn't mean that the meal is complete. In addition, they must make sure that hot drinks are at the "ideal" temperature. For example, King Charles III drinks Earl Grey tea at 100°C and green tea at 70°C. In addition, there should always be fresh milk next to his cup in case His Majesty wants to diversify the usual taste of the drink.

4. It is forbidden to stand with your back to titled persons

It is a grave mistake to break this rule. Members of the staff should always leave the room backwards, so as not to turn their backs on the king, queen, prince or princess. The caring Elizabeth II sometimes made life easier for her subordinates by turning her back first: this allowed the servants to leave the room in the usual way (facing the door).

5. Taboo on strong odors

It is forbidden to use perfumes, lotions, or colognes with a strong smell in royal residences. A strong scent can upset members of the Windsor family. This rule was introduced after Prince Philip, Elizabeth II's husband, became ill because of an aftershave used by one of his footmen. We assume that the favorite perfumes of Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle, and other royals have a mild scent (to make people feel comfortable being around them).

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