Prince William and Princess Kate require their members of staff to follow one strict rule in order to protect their three children, George, Charlotte, and Louis
The Prince and Princess of Wales do everything they can to protect their three children, and with that in mind, they have a strict rule that must be upheld by every member of staff who works for them.
The royal couple, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, have lived at Adelaide Cottage since 2022. It’s a relatively humble four-bedroom property, with no live-in staff – but the family do have a small team come in to lend a helping hand, including their nanny Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo, a gardener, and housekeeper.
They also have a team on hand based at ‘the office’ – Kensington Palace. And a job advert previously posted on the royal household’s official website revealed an important rule in place for members of William and Kate’s team.
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The job in question was for a housekeeping role, described as an ‘exciting opportunity’ to work for the royal couple and ‘join a supportive and positive team’.
But, in order to protect the family’s privacy, there is a strict zero-tolerance for gossiping, with the couple specifying that applicants had to be good at “maintaining confidentiality and exercising discretion”.
There are also rules about what the staff should wear when they are on duty at the couple’s home – but it will likely surprise fans.
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According to Valentine Low, author of Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown, an employee told him that casual wear is preferred while formal wear is actually frowned upon, as reported by The Sun.
“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],” the source said.
In keeping with their low-key approach at home, William and Kate have also ruled out hiring a butler at Adelaide. Writing in his book New King, New Court, royal biographer Robert Hardman wrote: “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.
“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.'”
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Last year, an insider told the Daily Mail of William and Kate’s family life: “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.”
It comes after an insider revealed the secret challenge they would set for applicants for cleaning positions, working for the late Queen. Tracey Waterman, head of recruitment, said the team would test all interviewees in the same way to see how they react – and those that passed, got the job.
She confirmed that someone would place a dead fly somewhere around the room to see if the candidate noticed it, and see if they disposed of it.
Speaking during Channel 5’s documentary Sandringham: The Royals at Christmas , Tracey 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.”
Tracey hopes this hint will make them aware 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.”
