cepe
Majesty
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so short sighted.
Today--Oct.10, Cdn time--I carried out my usual monthly check-in with The Guardian; I follow the old adage that it is wise to keep your friends close and your enemies closer--and ran across an article by Tanya Gold, rabid republican, in which she stated categorically that, and I quote--
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge now employ a butler, a valet, and a nanny. End of quote.
Tanya somehow managed to overlook Antonella.
My question is, is there any truth to her assertion? I do hope so; IMO, the Duke is about as high maintenance as they come, and with a baby, a huge new apartment, another house to decorate, Anmer Hall, up-coming events, God knows the Duchess could use the help.
@Muriel. Quite correct, sort of. The difficulty arises because it is Charles, I assume, who pays WKs staff--it IS his responsibility--but, in the eyes of British republicans, Charleses wealth, which derives from the Duchy of Cornwall, amounts to ill-gotten gains. In sum, Charles is a robber-baron, a thief, and by association, so are WK. And yet, by past royal standards, WK are leading a rather spartan life which is reflected in the size of their staff.
@Muriel. Sympathize with your point-of-view, but disagree. There is a clear need to refute the arguments of republicans, intelligently, and without unnecessary hostility.
Unhappily, I know very little about the workings of the Duchy of Cornwall, and hence, am not yet in a position to debate the claims of republicans.
This is so off-topic. I can only reiterate that from my long-distance lens, WK are inordinately thrifty, as royals go, and not just in matters of staff.
Skippyboo. When do we go so off-topic that our posts are removed? Must say that the date you mentioned blew me away.
However, my concern re the Duchy is more modern. Are the finances transparent and above-board? And if not, why not? I am clueless in such matters, except to note that several other extremely rich and high-ranking families, the Westminsters and the Northumberlands spring to mind, seem to escape the scrutiny applied to the Windsors. Don't know why.
Do think that WK are getting an undeserved raw deal, re staff, re everything, esp in the DM.--Imagine my horror when I read--have forgotten where--that the Mail was the third most-read paper in the world, thanx to the internet. This makes this odious paper a force to be reckoned with.
Muriel, had no intention of ignoring your post; I happen to be a slow typist, so we missed each other. My reply to Skippyboo pretty much sums up my views.
If interested about Duchy of Cornwall, it has a website www.duchyofcornwall.org. There is a section about finances.
I think the stories about Charles having a toothpaste squeezer guy and taking his own toilet seat give the impression of an extravagant lifestyle of royalty.
The Price of Wales does make voluntary disclosures in relation to the financial affairs Duchy of Cornwall. Personally, I see no reason for any such disclosures. The income from the Duchy is the private income of the Prince. There are no public funds involved there. Everything is "above -board".
The full story of Charles having his valet squeeze the toothpaste on his brush is that his (Charles') arm was in a cast at the time, and he was having difficulty squeezing the toothpaste with one arm out of commission. It isn't like he has a special valet who is Squeezer of Toothpaste.
The story of his taking his own toilet seat with him when he travels is probably true, but it's not out of the ordinary. In fact, any time the Queen visits a facility, they must provide accommodations with at least one new toilet seat, just in case.
I'm not so sure Charles' staff think of themselves as "minions".
I suppose all of this is way off-topic, anyway....
According to Stephen Barry the valet , he squeezed the toothpaste every day, not just when C broke his arm. He also had the delightful task of holding the bottle while C peed into it for some test. That strikes me as being overstaffed! ;-D
According to Stephen Barry the valet , he squeezed the toothpaste every day, not just when C broke his arm. He also had the delightful task of holding the bottle while C peed into it for some test. That strikes me as being overstaffed! ;-D
I always thought that laying out clothes is valet's job (if you have a valet).From what I understand, Berry was very much Charles' right hand man and did a lot of everything for the Prince. IIRC, when Charles married, Diana felt that Berry was a little too close and felt that some of the things he did were rightfully hers such as laying out clothes etc. If I am not mistaken, he was one of the staff that Diana insisted on being let go.
I always thought that laying out clothes is valet's job (if you have a valet).
Which of Stephen Barry's book was that in? I don't remember reading that.According to Stephen Barry the valet , he squeezed the toothpaste every day, not just when C broke his arm. He also had the delightful task of holding the bottle while C peed into it for some test. That strikes me as being overstaffed! ;-D
You knew it was coming..... New nanny for George
Duke and Duchess of Cambridge seek new nanny for their trip Down Under | Mail Online
It was pretty canny to ask for Nanny Webb's help - even for 3 months. They were able to tap a known helper during the delicate period of Baptism, 1st Christmas when discretion and safety were at a premium. It gave them extra time to look for a longer term solution. And to vet that longer term solution.