Kate Middleton and Prince William's strict rule for staff to protect their children
Prince William and Princess Kate have a non-negotiable rule in place for their trusted staff in order to shield their three children, insisting on a no-gossip policy to protect their family's privacy.
The Prince and Princess of Wales, along with their kids—Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis—moved into Adelaide Cottage in 2022. Despite it being a modest four-bed home without live-in staff, a small team does pop in when needed, including nanny Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo, a gardener, and a housekeeper.
Their extended team operates from 'the office' at Kensington Palace. Previously, a role advertised on the Royal household's site highlighted the need for confidentiality as an essential criteria labelling the position as an 'exciting opportunity' within a supportive environment.
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Crucially, members of the household staff are expected to refrain entirely from gossiping, with the advert placing emphasis on "maintaining confidentiality and exercising discretion".
There's also a twist when it comes to staff dress code at their residence; per Valentine Low, author of Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown, a source disclosed to The Sun that casual outfits trump formal attire, suggesting an informal approach is preferred, reports the Mirror.
A source has shared with the public that the Cambridge children enjoy a lively presence at home, as their father Prince William shuns formality: "The kids run around the office, and he [William] does not want it to be stuffy. If we have important meetings or are going to Buckingham Palace, then, of course, we [dress up],".
Even in their residence at Adelaide Cottage, the practical couple have opted to skip adding a butler to their team, Royal biographer Robert Hardman reveals in his new book 'New King, New Court': "The couple did not seek to boost the staff numbers at Adelaide Cottage, not least because there would be little room to do so. Reports that the Prince was hiring a valet were knocked back."
Hardman points out that while the Kensington Palace staff does include a versatile 'yeoman', there is no traditional 'gentleman's gentleman' or butler in the mix: "The Kensington Palace team does include a 'yeoman', a multi-tasking attendant who looks after everything from luggage to uniforms, but there is no 'gentleman's gentleman' on the staff. 'And certainly no butler,' adds one source. 'It's very much them at home with the kids.'".
In related insights about the personal lives of William and Kate, an insider previously told the Daily Mail how surprisingly normal life is within their walls: "I think it would surprise people to see how ordinary things are at home. The children help with laying the table, clearing their plates when they've finished eating, and tidying up. There's no preferential treatment."
This inside look into Royal staff recruitment follows reports of the ingenious strategy used by the late Queen's head of recruitment, Tracey Waterman. She revealed the uniform method of testing potential cleaners to assess their response - those who succeeded secured the roles.
Tracey Waterman revealed a unique test used to gauge the attention to detail of potential Royal housekeepers during Channel 5's documentary 'Sandringham: The Royals at Christmas'. She said: "The difference between a housekeeper in a five-star hotel and in a royal palace would be attention to detail.
"One of the tests I like to do, to see if a candidate has a potential eye for detail, is to place a dead fly, either in the fireplace or on the carpet. Once the dead fly is placed, I then bring the candidate into the room.
"I lead them into the room quite slowly, just giving them a chance to glance at the room, have a little look at what we've got inside the room. Bringing them to the fireplace, maybe highlighting that we've got a beautiful fireplace."
Waterman hopes this subtle hint will alert them to the presence of the dead fly. She concluded: "It's a great test. Maybe out of 10 people, half the candidates will notice the fly. One out of ten will actually bend down and pick it up. That's the special housekeeper."
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