Queen Elizabeth’s unexpected cleaning ban has been revealed in a new book. Broadcaster and writer Gyles Brandreth revealed in his new book, Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait: “No vacuuming was permitted in the Queen’s quarters before 8:00 a.m. Her clothes were laid out for her, her hairdresser was waiting.
He continues: “At 9:00 a.m., as her personal piper played beneath her windows, the Queen would walk from her bedroom, through her sitting room to her dining room, holding her Roberts radio, listening to the news of the day. Breakfast was modest: cereal (from those derided Tupperware containers), a slice of granary toast, a layer of Oxford marmalade.
“At 10:00 a.m., the business of the day began: her private secretary appeared; correspondence was considered, state papers noted; if it was a morning for receiving ambassadors or the day of an investiture, Her Majesty studied her briefing material – closely.”
A royal housekeeper’s role
The role of a housekeeper in one of the late Queen’s properties (many of which were transferred over to King Charles following her death in 2022) is vital. According to a previous job listing for a Housekeeper at Windsor Castle role, the job “is a role of immense variety”.
© WireImageIt continued: “You’ll manage many aspects of our Housekeeping operation, including the presentation of the Castle, laundry services, guest hospitality, and daily conservation care of furniture and works of art.”
Windsor Castle, where the Queen primarily lived during the final years of her reign, was, of course, just one of her residences. Housekeepers are also responsible for keeping Buckingham Palace and Scotland’s Holyrood Palace clean and tidy. She had cleaners at Balmoral Castle and Sandringham House.
Cleaning historically significant items at royal homes
A previous job advert for a role on the Sandringham estate stated that housekeepers are put on a rota covering Monday to Sunday and may include some unsocial hours, including Bank Holidays, weekends and evenings.
Main duties included dusting, hoovering, making beds and cleaning bathrooms, as well as assisting with laundry and linen care, including ironing and steaming garments.
Conservation care at Sandringham House extends to the dusting of the ballroom chandeliers, which were once housed at Osborne House, Queen Victoria’s holiday home on the Isle of Wight.
“They are each made of over a thousand pieces of Venetian crystal, and on the ground stand at seven feet high. They are carefully lowered twice a year for cleaning – hats off to the housekeeping staff,” Osborne House’s site states of the relocated fittings.
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