Kensington Palace, servants and all related articles

[Princess Pea]

Well Kate likes shopping and she is a shopaholic if the last eight years are anything to go by. William is a party animal so Bijous beckons and Kensington Palace is central so let's carry on as before.... Well let's wait and see.

[Jenee]

That's fine - but I thought William was meant to be different, but only when it suits him, he wants all the trappings that go with being royal, but wants to be 'normal' at the same time.  Why not give up the security and back up range rovers for a start - just an idea  :shrug: - He can't have it both ways  :nono:

He can't... and for all intents and purposes, it seems he's resigned himself to being "royal". I haven't heard him remark that he wished he were "normal" since his Eton days.

[SophieChloe]

Well Kate likes shopping and she is a shopaholic if the last eight years are anything to go by. William is a party animal so Bijous beckons and Kensington Palace is central so let's carry on as before.... Well let's wait and see.

Exactly!

That's fine - but I thought William was meant to be different, but only when it suits him, he wants all the trappings that go with being royal, but wants to be 'normal' at the same time.  Why not give up the security and back up range rovers for a start - just an idea  :shrug: - He can't have it both ways  :nono:

He can't... and for all intents and purposes, it seems he's resigned himself to being "royal". I haven't heard him remark that he wished he were "normal" since his Eton days.

He wants all the privilege of royal life, but - for now, none of the responsibility - or at least the minimum he can get away with - but look at the payback.

[Jenee]

Hmm, I guess I disagree that he's trying to get away with minimal duties. He has a full-time job with the military and I think that he takes on a respectable number of royal engagements on top of that. Kate, however, does not work, and should be out and about more, working with other senior members of the royal family.

[SophieChloe]

^I'm sorry to disagree again, but a "full-time job" is stretching it slightly! But I agree with your point regarding Kate  :hug:

[crownjewel]

William & Catherine are not average normal people. They will not live like avg normal people live. Until the UK decides differently they are royalty & will live like royalty. William has lived in palaces his whole life. Why would it be any different now that he's married  :shrug:? I think he & Catherine will try to modernize certain aspects of the monarchy but at the end of the day they are still royalty and will live and act like that. And they may not do 300 or 400 engagements right now but in few years they'll be full time royals just like the Queen and Charles and Camilla. 

[SophieChloe]

William has lived in palaces his whole life. Why would it be any different now that he's married  :shrug:? I think he & Catherine will try to modernize certain aspects of the monarchy but at the end of the day they are still royalty and will live and act like that.

No, he has not lived in palaces his whole life.  I hope he will eventually modernise the RF - but Kate will just go along with his plans - she, at the end of the day as NO say.  William believe it or not, is not the 'second coming' = hells bells, he is just as spoilt as his father - let's get real here please. 

[XeniaCasaraghi]

Good gracious, this is going to come off incredibly b---y, but get off their freakin backs! Both William and Harry are doing more with their lives than I have seen a lot of royals do. The fact that they essentially have two jobs I feel shows that they are a modernized version of royalty and are not just sitting around in palaces doing nothing. It really seems that this family can not get a break; William has a long time to wait before he is king so he goes out and finds a career of his own and people still find something to complain about. So W*K are going to live at KP; who cares! Whether you like it or not, they are royalty and royalty tend to live in a palace. It was said that it was only going to be their home in London for crying out loud; it's not like they are hiring a bunch of people from Anglesy to build them a Gone With The Wind type mansion.

[CanRoyal]

^I'm sorry to disagree again, but a "full-time job" is stretching it slightly! But I agree with your point regarding Kate  :hug:

I don't know his schedule, so can't express an opinion as to whether it's "full-time" or not, but it is an important and often dangerous job:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20110307/en_ac/8009128_facts_about_anglesey_airport_prince_williams_duty_station

[cinrit]

I thought they were going to get married and then live a quiet life in Anglesey - for 2 years at least - well that was the spin we were given - oh so down to earth.  Now it's a palace, albeit an apartment in a palace - but grand all the same - for two, with no children.  When they have to be in London, why not stay at BP or CH - or indeed the Goring Hotel.  I've been duped :wait:

You really have been duped in a way.  It was said that William and Kate would live in Anglesey, and the assumption was that because they would live there, they would stay there and that they (she) would make no appearances for two years.  But now it's said they'll be in London, and in all probability (though this was not blatantly reported) be doing some sort of charity appearances ... much to our surprise.  Except that it shouldn't be a surprise at all since long ago, it was reported that the Queen had offered them rooms in Buckingham Palace, so we knew that they would be staying in London at times.  I believe we talked about how they wouldn't exactly like living with William's grandmother.  That, too, is in one of the William and Kate threads from long ago.  William and Kate will obviously be visiting London from time to time, and they could either stay in a hotel and live out of a suitcase and incur extra expense for whatever length of time they stay ... or they could stay in someplace owned by the Royals, someplace that's empty and available.  If I were paying the bills, I know which one I would choose.

We talk about William wanting to tone down the monarchy, but in the first place, even if he wanted to tone down drastically, he can't do anything until he becomes King.  He's not even first in line to the throne.  In the second place, what we consider "toning down" (or whatever we want to call it) is not the same as what he might consider "toning down".  It's true, the rich are different.  Their definitions often don't match our definitions, but that doesn't mean that they aren't sincere, and it doesn't mean that in their world they are toning down.

Sophiechloe ...  :hug:

Cindy

[dianab]

Both William and Harry are doing more with their lives than I have seen a lot of royals do. The fact that they essentially have two jobs I feel shows that they are a modernized version of royalty and are not just sitting around in palaces doing nothing

Are you talking about their Military careers?... IF yes ... 1 QUESTION:
Since when Royals be Military is a modernized version of royalty? :blank: :huh2: :blank: :unsure:

[wannable]

^I'm sorry to disagree again, but a "full-time job" is stretching it slightly! But I agree with your point regarding Kate  :hug:

I don't know his schedule, so can't express an opinion as to whether it's "full-time" or not, but it is an important and often dangerous job:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20110307/en_ac/8009128_facts_about_anglesey_airport_prince_williams_duty_station

Prince William is a full time RAF/SARF.

[MapleLeaf]

Well Kate likes shopping and she is a shopaholic if the last eight years are anything to go by. William is a party animal so Bijous beckons and Kensington Palace is central so let's carry on as before.... Well let's wait and see.

:flower: I'm sorry PrincessPea, but that information is four years out of date. 

Wills stopped doing all of the frequent clubbing/party animal stuff in 2007.  In 2008 Wills starting clubbing a whole lot less, sometimes to the point where he wasn't snapped by the paps out at clubs for months at a time.  Sometimes he would go to private parties with friends, but he wasn't doing all of the frequent clubbing and partying that he used to do in 2005 and 2006.

By the same token, up until the official engagement announcement, Kate hadn't been seen out shopping regularly since August of 2007.  During August 2007 Kate stopped being seen out and about all the time; she wasn't out shopping or doing anything else, and people even started commenting that pics of Kate were becoming scarce and infrequent.  Fast forward to 2011, and Kate was seen out and about a few times prior to the wedding, but her public appearances were still infrequent.

Basically, the old ideas about Wills clubbing all time and Kate shopping all the time became invalid almost four years ago.

As for Wills and his military duty: Paddy Harverson, Prince Charles' communications secretary, spoke with the BBC about that.  Paddy was quoted as saying "The most important thing to remember is that he's (William) not heir to the throne," "he's second in line, and he's not a full-time royal, he's a full-time pilot working a normal job for the RAF search and rescue.  Here's the full article, scroll down to 'Striking the balance' :

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13246783

Ever since he started his job in September, Wills has worked just as many shifts as his non-royal co-workers.  Here are a few facts to go along with the article: 

As of 14 April 2011 Prince William had carried out 12 operational search and rescue missions since becoming Co-Pilot of a Sea King Mk3 helicopter in September 2010.  As part of a four-person crew, by 14 August 2011 Wills had completed around 35 operational SAR standby shifts at RAF Valley, working eight to ten 24-hour shifts per month.  Each 24-hour shift is followed by a second day of being on standby to complete tasking, airtests and so on while maintaining a 1 hour readiness alert.

Wills and the other crewman are also required to do a minimum of 6-10 weeks per year on the Falklands Island rotational roster, and RAF Valley has to be available for short notice Out of Area detatchments to Ireland.  During a 24-hour shift, if there are no emergencies Wills sleeps in the ready room along with the other three members of his crew.  Wills has worked all of the days and hours he is supposed to work each month without asking for, or being given, any exceptions.  Some links to info about it:

http://www.tips4jobs.co.uk/job-bank/outdoors/search-and-rescue-helicopter-pilot.php
http://www.thisisdevon.co.uk/news/Flying-Prince-faces-working-24-hour-shifts-rescuing-people-helicopter/article-604894-detail/article.html
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article7098999.ece

ALL search and rescue crews have the exact same schedules and the exact same amount of time off:  Six weeks' paid holiday, plus the eight public holidays.  A link to the RAF pay and benefits page, which tells the paid holiday of all RAF personnel:  http://www.raf.mod.uk/careers/whatweoffer/payandbenefits.cfm

More articles about Wills work in the RAF SARF:

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/royal-wedding/latest-royal-wedding-news/2011/04/01/prince-william-reveals-pre-wedding-nerves-91466-28441450/
http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/newsandgallery/news/hm_the_queen_and_the_duke_of_edinburgh_visit_prince_william__1301200236.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/royal-wedding/royal-wedding-video/8420607/Prince-William-My-knees-were-knocking-at-Royal-wedding-rehearsal.html
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=135402429

:thumbsup: Hopefully this correct information will remove the idea anyone might have that Wills doesn't work full-time the way he's supposed to as an active duty member of the military.

[CanRoyal]

Great Post MapleLeaf!   :thumbsup:  Thank you for taking the time to write it out!

[wannable]

The royal couple do manage fine when in Anglesey, where William is based as an RAF rescue pilot.

But, as the Irish Daily Mirror revealed yesterday, they are about to take an apartment at Kensington Palace in London for when they need to be in the British capital.

Notices have now gone up at Buckingham Palace asking staff to apply for jobs as their housekeeper, butler, valet and dresser to help as they juggle engagements.

The source said: "The whole place is buzzing with excitement. Lots of people will want these prestigious jobs. The royals always like to promote existing staff rather than bring in people from outside.

"This is a golden opportunity for someone to be in at the beginning of William and Kate's working and domestic lives."

William, 27, is likely to have realised how useful a valet might be on Saturday when went straight from rehearsal for the Trooping the Colour ceremony in central London to the Derby race at Epsom Downs, Surrey. The insider said: "He needed to change from his Guards uniform with a bearskin into a top hat and tails for the racing.

"There is so much to remember if you don't have a valet to look after you. They will also need a butler for when they entertain."

Kate will be keen to find an excellent dresser because she is already a fashion icon whose outfits are studied and commented on around the world. Applicants for the job will have to be friendly and patient as well as being good at the job.

The source said: "They will need to get on with the Duchess on a personal level and help her along the way, while not becoming too familiar. It's quite a balancing act."

Kate, 29, will personally interview the applicants and will hope to appoint someone before she and William fly out to Canada on June 30 to begin their first official overseas trip.

Read more: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2011/06/07/kate-middleton-and-prince-william-advertise-for-servants-115875-23184422/#ixzz1OY3XOIV7 

[CanRoyal]

 :thumbsup: More evidence that they are talking things over & making decisions together & starting as they mean to go on.

Interesting how the staff are reported to be excited about being chosen to work for Wills and Catherine. Of course, in turn, those existing staff that are chosen will need to be replaced, so the net result is more jobs. Any renovations required to the apartment they are to be occupying will also result in more employment. 

[MapleLeaf]

Great Post MapleLeaf!   :thumbsup:  Thank you for taking the time to write it out!

:blush: :flower: Thanks for the compliment CanRoyal, and you're welcome!  And thanks for the article link wannabe, it was an interesting read.  :thumbsup: I'm glad the article stated very clearly that Wills and Kate 'do manage fine' in Anglesey, and that the staff they're hiring are for the Kensington Palace apartment.

That points out that Wills and Kate meant what they said about not hiring staff for their home in Anglesey, but they can't get around such a thing in a London palace.  I'd bet that at this point they're really happy they have the farmhouse in Anglesey to live in on a regular basis, so that they can get away from the lifestyle they have to live in London.

[XeniaCasaraghi]

Haven't they been living in Anglesy for 3yrs? Of course they would manage fine, they've been doing it long before they got married.

[wannable]

To date 1 year, 4 months. 

Prince William was transferred to RAF Valley on Anglesey to start his 'conversion course' as a search and rescue pilot end January 2010, he graduated as a fully operational pilot September 2010.

Previously he was stationed in RAF Shawbury in Shropshire, where he graduated from a 12-month advanced helicopter training course, mid January 2010.    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSjb_4tUrxM

[BritishRoyals]

Indeed it is impossible to do away without a skeleton staff in a London palace. Many royal correspondents have pointed that out in interviews. Previous reports of them going servantless in Anglesey remains unchanged. I just hope the media straightens up their stories. Must be an exciting time for the couple... Setting up their first royal household...

[angieuk]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2000005/Jobs-Jeeves-Kate-Wills-advertise-royal-servants-new-London-flat.html

[SophieChloe]

The newlyweds are looking for a housekeeper, butler, valet and dresser to assist them when staying at their new London apartment at Kensington Palace.

Have I woken up in a different century?  Didn't take them long did it.

[SophieChloe]

http://www.express.co.uk/ourcomments/view/251191/Vanessa-Feltz

Well which is it - this contradicts the DM story  :shrug:. 

[BritishRoyals]

Have I woken up in a different century?  Didn't take them long did it.

Didn't take long to do what?  It has always been reported that William & Kate would try not to take on extra staff IN Anglesey, not London.   And it's naive to think they can do without the skeleton staff while in London, running a household in a palace and doing official engagements.  Nothing has changed.

[SophieChloe]

Millions around the world manage it - but it's usually called working.  Or is it cause their royal.