While working for the Royal Family is undeniably prestigious, roles within the Royal Household come with a plethora of rules. According to one former royal butler, who started his tenure at Buckingham Palace, one rule made him particularly “nervous,” and it involved Queen Elizabeth herself.
In his new book The Royal Insider: My Life With The Queen, The King, and Princess Diana, former royal employee Paul Burrell discussed what it was like starting work as a royal butler. “I had progressed beyond empty cups to potatoes and gravy,” Burrell wrote of the tasks he was allowed to carry out as a new member of staff (via Manchester Evening News). “We were always told never to look at The Queen or to stare at her: never look her in the eye, always look down.”
According to the outlet, Burrell was especially “nervous” during one of his encounters with Queen Elizabeth as “he was carrying a silver tray with 20 Royal Worcester coffee cups, saucers, and gilt spoons.”
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A former royal butler has detailed working for Queen Elizabeth II.
(Image credit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
Burrell revealed in his book, “Then my nerves got the better of me and the cups and saucers all started to rattle.” He continued, “I will never forget the noise. All I had to do was stand behind The Queen and the pages would come to me and collect the cups.”
The former royal employee claimed that the items on his tray were rattling “so loud” that the monarch turned around to “look at what the commotion was.”
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‘The Royal Insider: My Life With The Queen, The King, and Princess Diana’
According to the outlet, Burrell’s fears about looking Queen Elizabeth in the eye were entirely unfounded. “The Queen simply smiled back,” the outlet explained. From there, Burrell became a trusted member of staff, and would go on to work for Princess Diana. Still, starting his role at Buckingham Palace was understandably overwhelming.
