Read Online Not in Front of the Corgis by Brian Hoey - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Brian Hoey
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way to dress their master in one of his many uniforms: military, naval and Royal Air Force, and also the proper order in which his decorations should be worn. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh are believed to quietly disapprove of their eldest son’s ostentatious lifestyle. He lives in a far grander manner than they enjoy, with Clarence House, said to be the most elegant council house in Britain, maintaining standards few other houses in Britain are able to sustain today.
Of course, as with Buckingham Palace, Clarence House is not merely the London home of the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. It is also the centre of an enormous business undertaking, with the Prince’s links with his hundreds of charities needing office space. So much so that his staff, including the Prince’s Trust, has expanded to take over a large number of rooms in St James’s Palace, across Stable Yard, much to the annoyance of the Royal Collection who have been forced to abandon their own expansion plans for the building.
New staff at Clarence House – and it applies to Highgrove in Gloucestershire and Birkhall in Balmoral, where a skeleton staff remains throughout the year with the main body moving with the royal couple as and when required – rapidly learn their boss’s idiosyncrasies. He hates waste, calling it his ‘Scottish meanness’ and has been known in the past to check the contents of the larder and fridge to make sure he is not being overcharged. Food is not one of his great passions however. He prefers simple dishes;school food really. He drinks tea in the afternoon, but unlike his father, does not care for coffee and no one can recall him ever drinking a cup.
The housemaids who work for the Prince and Duchess have a difficult task in keeping their rooms dust free. They collect so much of what the maids call junk that the rooms are dust traps and take hours to clean. And the Prince seems to know every item, where it came from, who gave it, and where its proper place is. So if one is missing, he will not rest until it’s found.
His valets are expert in knowing how to tie their master’s shoelaces. Some have to be cross-stitched and others simply tied straight, depending on which pair of shoes he is going to wear. And all laces have to be ironed whenever the shoes are taken off.
The valets keep a checklist of the outfits worn on a particular day, and where, so they can tell their principal if he has worn something to the same place on more than one occasion.
They also need to be taught how to recognise the different uniforms the Prince wears. Like his father, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles has over forty uniforms: Army, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, plus tropical kit for his overseas tours. The valets are meticulous in making sure his decorations are placed in the correct order. His Royal Highness has an encyclopaedic knowledge of military medals and notices if one is even slightly out of place. And even if he didn’t, The Queen would quickly point it out. His knowledge is exceeded only by hers.
The Prince of Wales’s staff are kept on their toes as he has only one standard – perfection. He is atemperamental man, given to introspection, and among the Royal Family he is considered to be the most indecisive member. Charles was once said to always reflect the views of the last person he had spoken to, which is not entirely fair, as he does have definite opinions of his own. However, his staff, and that includes not only the domestics but also his large secretarial team, never quite know where they stand with him. One day he will be friendly and talkative, the next distant and aloof. And, as was previously stated, as he avoids direct confrontation, it is often unclear to someone whether they have done something wrong, or indeed what that might be. The only way they can tell if they have fallen out of favour is if there is a slight cooling towards them in his manner.
However, his staff tend to remain loyal
Of course, as with Buckingham Palace, Clarence House is not merely the London home of the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. It is also the centre of an enormous business undertaking, with the Prince’s links with his hundreds of charities needing office space. So much so that his staff, including the Prince’s Trust, has expanded to take over a large number of rooms in St James’s Palace, across Stable Yard, much to the annoyance of the Royal Collection who have been forced to abandon their own expansion plans for the building.
New staff at Clarence House – and it applies to Highgrove in Gloucestershire and Birkhall in Balmoral, where a skeleton staff remains throughout the year with the main body moving with the royal couple as and when required – rapidly learn their boss’s idiosyncrasies. He hates waste, calling it his ‘Scottish meanness’ and has been known in the past to check the contents of the larder and fridge to make sure he is not being overcharged. Food is not one of his great passions however. He prefers simple dishes;school food really. He drinks tea in the afternoon, but unlike his father, does not care for coffee and no one can recall him ever drinking a cup.
The housemaids who work for the Prince and Duchess have a difficult task in keeping their rooms dust free. They collect so much of what the maids call junk that the rooms are dust traps and take hours to clean. And the Prince seems to know every item, where it came from, who gave it, and where its proper place is. So if one is missing, he will not rest until it’s found.
His valets are expert in knowing how to tie their master’s shoelaces. Some have to be cross-stitched and others simply tied straight, depending on which pair of shoes he is going to wear. And all laces have to be ironed whenever the shoes are taken off.
The valets keep a checklist of the outfits worn on a particular day, and where, so they can tell their principal if he has worn something to the same place on more than one occasion.
They also need to be taught how to recognise the different uniforms the Prince wears. Like his father, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles has over forty uniforms: Army, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, plus tropical kit for his overseas tours. The valets are meticulous in making sure his decorations are placed in the correct order. His Royal Highness has an encyclopaedic knowledge of military medals and notices if one is even slightly out of place. And even if he didn’t, The Queen would quickly point it out. His knowledge is exceeded only by hers.
The Prince of Wales’s staff are kept on their toes as he has only one standard – perfection. He is atemperamental man, given to introspection, and among the Royal Family he is considered to be the most indecisive member. Charles was once said to always reflect the views of the last person he had spoken to, which is not entirely fair, as he does have definite opinions of his own. However, his staff, and that includes not only the domestics but also his large secretarial team, never quite know where they stand with him. One day he will be friendly and talkative, the next distant and aloof. And, as was previously stated, as he avoids direct confrontation, it is often unclear to someone whether they have done something wrong, or indeed what that might be. The only way they can tell if they have fallen out of favour is if there is a slight cooling towards them in his manner.
However, his staff tend to remain loyal
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