Those little things you've always wondered about the Royal family

[Saltandshake82]

Do the royals watch programmes about themselves.
If a senior royal suspects she's pregnant, who does she ask to get a pregnancy test? (Not sure why I wonder this)
Do they have a GP or a royal doctor. How to they go about seeing them.
Do they have security at the school where Prince George and Princess Charlotte go?
How do they employ staff and ensure they don't divulge information outside of their job.

Most importantly does someone really keep the toilet seat warm for the queen??

@VienneseWhirligig

Queen's handbag contents

I'd like to know if she chooses her duvet cover herself or if it's just chosen for her, and if she's in fresh sheets and duvet cover every day like staying in a hotel?

i think she's more of a blankets and sheets woman. can't see her using a duvet by choice.

Reading about Louise's birth, Edward was on business abroad and Sophie was rushed to hospital for an emergency section due to placental abruption and was in hospital for over 2 weeks. It's sounds horrendous.

'a selection of cereals, plus toast and preserves. Additional cooked items are provided upon request'

It was famously revealed that the Queen keeps her cereal in tupperware boxes.

Paul Burrell revealed that the Queen has a selection of daily papers laid out for her each day (including red tops) and completes the Times crossword every day, although sometimes falls behind on it.

I wonder when Kate was planning children did she have a pee on a stick obsession like the rest of us.

I also wonder if they get yearly scans like mri etc to check for serious illness or cancer to catch early.

Do we have a little wash basket to put dirty clothes in or do they wash their own pants.

I imagine Kate is a lot more hands on and can't see her sitting doing nothing all day.

My friend is royal household staff - they had security checks before starting, which took ages, and a watertight non-disclosure agreement.

Most hands-on staff are based at the palace or Windsor or KP - the other places like Balmoral and Sandringham just have skeleton staff and the rest are sent up from other areas when HMQ is in residence there. They are all moved around when there are functions etc - so Windsor staff will go to the palace for waiting on, room set up, coats etc. She also does maiding when HMQ has visitors staying, or for family events at Balmoral, or summer at Sandringham - they are allocated to a number of guests and clean their rooms, change their beds, pack and unpack for them, and wash their clothes - undies by hand apparently. She also said that the family or group who is allocated will give their maid a present at Christmas.

The pay is pretty much minimum wage, but she lives in, just has her personal expenses to pay for, and is having an experience she’ll be able to look back on forever. She loves it.

That's interesting SweatyBetty. DD looked at a job advertised at BP only this week, and the pay was pretty low for the responsibility. Be a fantastic experience though!

I wonder how Paul Burrell got round the official secrets act etc?

@Twisique

I wonder how Paul Burrell got round the official secrets act etc?

Pure guesswork, but I wonder if it was because his employer (Diana) is dead?

@Twisique

I wonder how Paul Burrell got round the official secrets act etc?

Because he didn't break it.

Even if he had signed it (unlikely as he wasn't a civil servant), it only applies to matters of national security, not to whether your employer is shagging the ex-England rugby captain.

change their beds, pack and unpack for them, and wash their clothes - undies by hand apparently.

Please tell me its only bras that are hand washed.
Could you imagine the embrassment of someone washing your knickers if you've leaking on your period 😳.

I think that sort of invasion of privacy must be hard to deal with. It's OK thanks I'll wash my own stained knickers (or hide them in the bin)

Surely you just throw stained knickers away if money is no object.

But that's not very environmental friendly. Normal people would wash them and get the stains out before they set.

But however they deal with it there is a invasion of privacy with someone else, dealing with your laundry.

Normal people don't send clothes to the dry cleaners after wearing them twice or have hundreds of outfits.
Throwing away some stained knickers is the least of the environmental issues.

Cherie Blair famously said the reason they conceived Leo was they were staying at Balmoral and she hadn’t packed her “contraceptive equipment” (diaphragm?) because the thought of the maid seeing it when she unpacked her wash bag was too embarrassing. So I guess they see everything!

I read in one of the books about Diana that the housekeeper saw her contraceptive pills in the bathroom! I would be mortified to have such things exposed.

@mermaidsariel

I read in one of the books about Diana that the housekeeper saw her contraceptive pills in the bathroom! I would be mortified to have such things exposed.

If you're really posh, you are supposed to pretend that the servants don't exist, and not to care about this sort of thing. Same as in at posh restaurant/dinner - you aren't supposed to thank the waiters - it's kind of an insult if you do because, if they are doing their job properly, you shouldn't notice them.

Having done a lot of catering work myself, I can never bring myself not to say thank you - I will have to reign this in when the Queen next invites me over

I suppose what do they do with all those outfits? I did find it amusing that Bea managed to rumble through her Grannys wardrobe for a dress to where to her very quickly organised lockdown wedding.
Can you imagine that phonecall "Em Grandma, do you have something that would be suitable for me to use as a wedding dress?"

So that brings another question how are the Royal wardrobes organised?
HMQ hasn't gained much weight but are they size, then colour like some sort of rainbow?

I imagine casual stuff gets worn multiple times but does dress stuff ever make multiple appearances. Different place nobody will notice?

Oh that's funny with the Blairs.

Haha! 🤣

@mermaidsariel

I read in one of the books about Diana that the housekeeper saw her contraceptive pills in the bathroom! I would be mortified to have such things exposed.

TBF though, my cleaner has seen my contraceptive pills (and my anti depressants as I tend to keep both things on my bedside table). I am not embarrassed, but it might be different if you are a Royal. (Mind you, my cleaner comes once a week and has done for 20 years.... the housekeeper would be daily, almost a part of the household? )

I don't think, even back in the 1980s, there'd have been any reason for a married, non-Catholic woman to be embarrassed about having contraceptive pills in her bathroom.

Embarrassed about the housekeeper seeing her contraceptives? She was shagging half the country!

The wardrobes thing is very carefully managed - especially for senior royal women like Kate. I'm sure I read that there is a log book (or online equivalent) of each major item (dress/coat etc) and when and where it has been worn. New items are worn first for major events (weddings/ foreign trips etc) then 'downgraded' to reuse at lesser events (charity visits/ opening ceremonies etc).

The media is certainly obsessed with Kate 'recycling' outfits. (For the rest of us mere mortals that just means wearing them for a second or third time!)

It's certainly makes sense that clothes are reused at different events.

I bet sometimes HMQ wishes she could be like a man and wear the same stuff over and over again with nothing more than a tie and matching hanky to decide on.

@LlamaDrama20

The wardrobes thing is very carefully managed - especially for senior royal women like Kate. I'm sure I read that there is a log book (or online equivalent) of each major item (dress/coat etc) and when and where it has been worn. New items are worn first for major events (weddings/ foreign trips etc) then 'downgraded' to reuse at lesser events (charity visits/ opening ceremonies etc).

The media is certainly obsessed with Kate 'recycling' outfits. (For the rest of us mere mortals that just means wearing them for a second or third time!)

I think Angela Kelly's book had some details about how they keep track. Both in a log book and with tags on the hanger if I remember right.

I always wonder how the cope with having people in their homes all the time. Security, staff etc. What about when W&K are having a massive barney, or fancy a shag on the sofa? Do these people come into their bedroom in the night if something happens? What about if one of them is ill (not gravely unwell, but horrid grotty cold or bad stomach bug etc) - you know when you look and feel absolutely foul and the last thing you want is so see anyone who isn't your immediate family (and not even them really!) - to have someone in your space then much be awful.

It must be so weird knowing that there are people around all the time. I couldn't be doing with the total lack of privacy.