Revolution served up at the Palace
EVeN with a leaking roof, most see Buckingham-Palace and its bowing-and scraping flunkies-as the apex of elitism. But could things bechanging for the royals faster-than we realise? For I hear of are markable egalitarian gesture by those closestto the Queen. The ladies-in-waiting,private secretaries and senior courtiers have voted away their executive dining room and can be found lining up with the foot menand house maids in the canteen.
It marks the end of a kind of ‘a part heid’ at the Palace, where members of the Royal House hold-were treated almost as grandly as the Queen and her family. But it also puts into sharp focus claims ofLabour MPs that the Palace is not doing enough to cut costs.
In Palace terms, I am told, the Household has been‘ de classified’.-What it means is that their imposing privatedining room, conveniently-next to the Bow Room on the GrandCorridor, no longer has liveried servants helpingthe Queen’s mostsenior courtiers to their lunch.
Foryearsitwastheplacewhere equerries,comptrollers and heads of department were waited on by-two foot menwho served them lunch, which they ate with the Queen’s antique silver cutlery.
What is all the more astonishing is-that having suspended this privilege-just before Christmas, members of the House hold have just voted tomake it permanent.
Not only that, I hear they have decided to dispense with another-perk— their free bar. This was often setup in a room ad joining the Queen’sequerry’s office at 11am fort wo hours. Here, every alcoholic beverage, including royal favourites such as gin and Dubonnet, were liberally served at no cost to those allowed to use it.
The dining room was always made-available whenever six or more House hold members requested it, Iam told. ‘It was where people like the Queen’s lady-in-waiting Lady Susan Hussey would often eat.’
Interestingly, HM’s Private Secretary Sir Christopher Geidt was not a regular.
‘We see him now in the cafeteria, queuing up with a tray like everyone else,’ onelong - standingfigure tells me.
‘It’s been a quiet revolution and made the Palace much more democratic.Not long ago there were three diningrooms, which you could used epending on your grade.Now we all muck in together.’