Ironing shoelaces, doling out toothpaste, and bagpiping the
monarch's daily wakeup. Sound ridiculous? It’s just a regular day for King Charles' staff.
When it comes to eating habits, plenty of people have unique preferences about how
they want their food. But, of course, if you're the king of the United Kingdom, your specific
wants aren't your responsibility, but that of the staff. Regarding peculiar dining habits,
MyLondon stated that King Charles III has some odd requests. A royal source told the
outlet that when it comes to biscuits, the king wants his staff to pre-warm
them to a specific degree; otherwise, he won't eat them. According to the source:
Hello! Magazine reported that staff must also accommodate some of the
ruler's unusual food preferences at state banquets. Graham Tinsley MBE,
former manager of the Welsh Culinary Team, told the publication that he's experienced some of
the king's unusual requests while catering for royal events throughout Wales. He revealed:
Likewise, Tinsley noted that King Charles desires a specific salad with
coddled egg at state banquets. His tea also has specific instructions,
as the royal will only drink tea made with loose leaves in a teapot. If he's drinking green tea,
the water has to be heated to 70C or 100C if it's Earl Grey. Still, these aren't the king's
only accommodations for special events. Tinsley said that whenever the king goes to banquets,
he always brings things with him to make his spot at the table more comfortable, noting:
King Charles' particular preferences also extend to his daily morning routine. Of course,
being a high-ranking royal, his staff are the ones that assist him with his day-to-day needs.
In the documentary "Serving the Royals: Inside the Firm," Princess Diana's former royal butler, Paul
Burrell, didn't hold back from revealing some of the King's bizarre royal preferences, revealing:
At the time of its release, the then-Prince of Wales was splitting
his time between his home at Clarence House and Highgrove,
where he allegedly wanted the staff to also prepare his toothbrush for him. Burrell added:
When it comes to tradition, it's clear that the royal family prefers to follow long-running
customs. As such, when it comes to maintaining the royal residences, the ruler of the United Kingdom
has official Royal Horological Conservators who maintain and set the royal clocks. According
to a 2013 post seeking to fill the position from The British Monarchy's official website,
a Royal Horological Conservator is expected to maintain, set, and repair the more than 1,000
clocks located at Buckingham Palace and the other royal residences. The royal staffer will also need
to have historical knowledge and mechanical skill to care for these centuries-old clocks. While the
job sounds pretty unusual, there's clearly plenty of detail that goes into the work.
So just how much does this royal job pay? Well, at the time of the posting in 2013,
the salary for Royal Horological Conservator was listed as $50,163. Additionally,
according to the royal family's official website, the Horological Conservator is expected to work
37.5 hours per week, Monday through Friday. The site adds that a person who fills this position
will be expected to balance various projects and will need to use their expertise to provide advice
and guidance on maintaining and preserving the clocks. Likewise, a prior announcement
from the Royal Collection Trust in 2020 noted that it took a team of Horological Conservators
more than 40 hours to change all the clocks across all of the monarch's royal residences.
When it comes to odd jobs, there are plenty of strange roles to fill if you work for the King.
However, as noted by Express, one particularly unusual job the monarch employs isn't one that
can be applied for. The Grand Carver is a position with a unique and rich history.
As the name suggests, the Grand Carver's only job is to perfectly slice meat and serve it to
His Majesty and the rest of the royal family. While the position isn't a very prominent one
in modern times, previously, this post was considered one of great importance,
as a ruler is never supposed to carve their own meat. The outlet stated:
While that might not sound like a big deal to most people, English chef and restaurateur
Mark Hix declared that the role has become a "forgotten art" in today's society. However,
despite its lack of necessities in modern times, the write-up stated that the royal
family still "retains the hereditary office of the Grand Carver of England." Even so,
those interested in the job shouldn't bother applying as the work is exclusive to one special
family and has been passed down from generation to generation since the 17th century. Currently,
the position is held by Alexander Fielding, the Earl of Denbigh and Desmond.
With no shortage of odd jobs among those employed by the monarch,
one particularly interesting position is that of the Astronomer Royal. So what
exactly does the person holding this title do? According to Royal Museums Greenwich,
the Astronomer Royal is a job given to a prominent astronomer. This person is expected to advise the
King on astronomical issues. The job was first created by King Charles II when he established
the Royal Observatory Greenwich. The first, and most famous, Astronomer Royal was John Flamsteed,
who held the title from 1675 to 1720. Flamsteed was noted for his prominent role in helping to
establish the Royal Observatory and its reputation as an integral part of astronomy and timekeeping.
Other Astronomer Royals include Edmund Halley, who held the role from 1720 to 1741. Halley
took the job when he was 64 years old and is best known for discovering the comet that
bears his name. More recent Astronomer Royals were Sir Martin Ryle, Francis Graham Smith,
and Professor Arnold W. Wolfendale. The current Astronomer Royal is Martin Rees,
Baron Rees of Ludlow. The outlet additionally stated that nowadays, the position of Astronomer
Royal is mainly regarded as an honorary post. Likewise, the person holding the job is considered
a member of the royal household. However, the Astronomer Royal only receives £100,or
approximately $112.55 per year, so those holding the title probably shouldn't quit their day job.
The ruler of the United Kingdom has an unusual alarm clock that puts digital clocks to shame.
So what exactly is this special wake-up call? It's bagpipe music played by the Piper of the
Sovereign, a special position for a person within the royal household with one specific mission,
waking up the ruler of the UK by playing bagpipes. When it comes to this job,
the Piper gets no days off. They must be ready to play their music beneath the monarch's window
every day for exactly 15 minutes. This unique position has existed since 1843
when Queen Victoria first created the role after enjoying the sound of bagpipes in the Highlands.
King Charles recently appointed the Queen's funeral piper, Pipe Major Paul Burns,
as his personal piper. Burns gained notoriety for his striking rendition of Sleep Dearie Sleep while
closing Queen Elizabeth's state funeral. Burns officially began his new role in early October
2022. Regarding the announcement, a source told The Sun that everyone was pleased the tradition
would continue and stated that the King was very impressed by Burn's performance at his mother's
funeral. However, it sounds like one part of this custom might get altered; as the insider noted:
As noted by the royal family's official website, working for family members requires
a serious commitment. Likewise, many staff members are located at Buckingham Palace,
the primary residence of the ruler of the United Kingdom. Buckingham Palace is occupied with
private secretaries, government liaison officers, and media officers who assist the ruler with
representation, public oversight, and preventing scandal. Still, according to the Express, there
is one specific rule that staff members living and working in the residency are required to follow.
Though this regulation was initially announced during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, King Charles
hasn't announced any changes or alterations, so it's assumed that this rule is still in place.
This recent rule that staff is expected to follow is no pet dogs. This restriction might surprise
some people, considering that the late queen was a well-known dog lover. However, in 2018,
when the rule was first implemented, The Lord Chamberlain cited hygiene and security as the
reasons for the change. According to a young journalist from The Mirror who briefly posed as a
butler at Buckingham Palace, staff working at the royal residency should expect long hours and small
living quarters. Live-in staff should expect to eat and sleep at Buckingham Palace. But, live-in
workers do get the added perk of free meals, phones, bikes, and discretionary car leasing.