Prince Andrew, Duke of York current events 7: July 2011

[Mermaid1962]

Everyone in the picture seems to be enjoying the occasion. Nice to see.

[Princess of Durham]

IMO, the Daily Mail is directly responsible for the erroneously held, but common, belief among so many people that WHATEVER the Royals do it comes directly from THEIR (taxpayers) pockets. They don't take into account UK business endeavors, discounts or personally funded situations. Just reading the responses in the DM shows again and again how ignorant people really are and it is fueled directly by the less than honest reports by the DM. Andrew has made some dicey decisions but not nearly so many as the DM would have people believe and he certainly has been a contributing member of the RF for which he is given no, or little credit.

[Mirabel]

It's not just the DM, though. Lots of other sources are critical of Andrew, and they don't seem to want him to be a contributing member of the RF:

Duke of York's jet-set life continues despite trade role ending - Telegraph

[iceflower]

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The Duke of York attended the 2011 Centennial Of Naval Aviation Gala at the National
Building Museum in Washington, DC on December 1, 2011.




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Earlier that day he attended a public wreath laying ceremony also honouring the 100th
anniversary of Naval Aviation at the Navy Memorial Plaza in Washington, DC.


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[iceflower]

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The Duke of York has made a flying visit to Germany today!


He paid a visit to British troops based in the German state Niedersachsen to honour soldiers
of the Royal Lancers in Bergen-Hohne, who returned in November from their deployment in
Afghanistan.



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[Lumutqueen]

Darn my socks, polish my art and run the bath: Prince Andrew advertises for £16,000 dogsbody on Palace website | Mail Online

[Queen of Quitealot]

Just read the advert. Not being in the UK, I don't know if the duties/salary listed for what appears to be an entry level position is within the norm for that type of job. Wikipedia shows Royal Lodge as having some 30 rooms, although I assume that the majority of them are not in regular use. The indication is that there are 3 housekeepers although I'm sure there are other employees involved in upkeep.

Can someone in the know elaborate on royal domestic service (with the Yorks or others) vs similar work in other aristocratic homes? Would the position being offered be considered a 'good' job? The article seemed to have a definite 'slant'.

[Mermaid1962]

Prince Andrew and his family seems to be the family that the Daily Mail "loves to hate." I can't compare this job description to others, but I suspect that other members of the BRF have people who do similar work for similar wages.

[Iluvbertie]

When you convert the pay into Aussie dollars it isn't bad considering that after 4 years at uni a first year teacher starts on $AUS56,000 and this is about $AUS40,000 for a housemaid's job (I would describe that as unskilled labour).

[Meadow]

I was thinking the same thing. It isn't a bad wage I thought it would be much lower. I know there has been talk for years for the bad pay working for the Royals. But really this doesn't seem that low. There are also several other housekeepers so the work get's shared around and you get a meal! It is hard work but it also sounds like you can work your way up. Not a bad job if you like doing housework which some people do.

[Queen of Quitealot]

That's what I was thinking. Not bad for an entry level position in a home with only 3 - 4 residents to 'care for' on a regular basis. Obviously one would have to work to an exacting degree of excellence (for lack of a better phrase), but it would be quite an opportunity to learn about and/or care for priceless artifacts and expensive furnishings. If nothing else, you would have an excellent resume after a few years if you didn't really like the work atmosphere.

[Diarist]

I think that one of the difficulties when considering salaries and wages etc is that we forget that what seems a suitable amount of money may well not be when consideration is given to what the money the employee receives can actually buy.

Housing and other living costs are actually very high indeed in the UK, and particularly if you live in London, the Home Counties [i.e. those that border London] and the South East.

A family with a income of less that £22,000 a year is now considered to be living on the poverty line.

And, at the weekend, I was reading a newspaper article about a London filing clerk. Her wages [although they were not relevant] were given as £25,000.

Whilst it is true that many jobs in royal service carry accommodation, people obviously will wish to be able to buy their own home etc. It can be hard to achieve that for anyone in royal service.

Hope some of this is of interest.

Alex

[Queen of Quitealot]

Thank you, Diarist, for the information. I'm not that familiar with the UK standard of living as far as costs of food, rent, etc. Would you say that the 16k being offered would be considered a 'living wage' for a single person?

Interesting about the poverty line amount. Here in the US, a family of four is at the poverty line if income is USD 22000.00 which equals GBP 14000.00.

A question; does the RF even have anything to say about salary amounts for household domestic staff in royal residences or is that considered a 'government' job where the salaries are/may be set by a governmental agency?

[PrincessKaimi]

Is it clear what the job terms are? For many young people, if the job provides accommodation and food, and there's not much need for transportation, nearly the entire paycheck can go into the bank - and that's an uncommonly high amount to save per month. I have known several personal assistants who have done this here in the U.S.

I doubt it's a government job since Andrew doesn't get money from the government except for expenses related directly to royal work/appearances (as I understand it). I would be very surprised to hear that he can hire a person at will and have U.K. taxpayers pay the salary (which would make it a "government" job).

[Meadow]

It doesn't say it includes accommodation. If it is someone younger and they are living at home with their family or an older women with a husband who also works it isn't a bad wage. If it's too low they won't get applicants but some people regard working for the Royal Family as an honour and do it in spite of the wages. There have been stories for years of how underpaid the workers are at the Palace etc. The money is coming out of Prince Andrew's own pocket so it has nothing to do with the taxpayers. I can imagine there is a strict vetting system in place!

[Diarist]

Wages paid to the Queen's staff are loosely based on some government scales - but this is in respect of maids and lower-paid staff. Executive-grade staff theoretically receive less than they could in the private sector. And yes, you are correct, there have been reports for years about how some household staff - maids, pages etc find it a struggle to live on the wages they are paid, and sometimes they even 'moonlight' as waiting staff etc at private parties etc.

Executive-level staff: Private Secretaries and their aides etc are not 'well-paid' by private sector standards, but enjoy a number of perks - pleasant working conditions surrounded by works of art on the office wall etc, with very pleasant dining facilities etc.

It should also be said that many 'courtier'-type roles [Private Secretary, Equerries etc] are occupied by people who have their own private means. It is also usual forthe Royal Family to have the services [for free] of Naval and Army Officers, who may work as asssitant private secretaries etc on secondment - from their regiment for a couple of years or so whilst still being paid by the Army etc and so do not require a royal salary. It also has to be said that - ahem! - if you work in royal service, and do NOT blot your copybook, there is a good chance the Queen will invest you with an appropriate medal for long service [from the Royal Victorian Order usually]. Many people who worked for the royal family in the past found that this was ample compensation for the low wages.

I think the real problem occurs if the staff member has a family or wishes one. Over the years of course, many household staff have been gay, and traditionally never married or had to support a family. This may all change now as equal opportunities are being realised and people realise that it may be possible to adopt etc.

Incidentally, the Queen advertised for an experienced gardener a couple of months ago - the salary was advertised at £16.000, which various papers commented upon as being low for central London. The position has just been re-advertised at a slightly higher wage - £17,500 from memory, which implies either that there were no applicants at all, or none who was suitably experienced.

Hope some of this is of interest,

Alex

[iceflower]

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The Duke of York paid a visit to the MG Motor UK factory at Longbridge, Birmingham yesterday, December 16.



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[iceflower]

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Prince Andrew has been pictured leaving Mosimann's restaurant in West London's Belgravia on
January 10, 2012. According to the agency he had dinned with a "a mystery female friend"
- what a sensation..


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[Russophile]

Ice, I'm having issues with the Belga link. Can you try it on your end? Might be my computer going whack job. Thanks!

[Osipi]

Originally Posted by Russophile

Ice, I'm having issues with the Belga link. Can you try it on your end? Might be my computer going whack job. Thanks!

Belga didn't work for me either. Says server error.