Silence in court(yard)!
Monarch complains over noisy sentries outside his Palace office window
THE King has long been admired for his exhaustive work ethic and tireless commitment to his duties.
So much so, that despite his advance in years, he is at his desk before many people are even out of bed.
But Charles’s early morning phone calls have been disturbed by troops marching noisily to and fro and barking commands outside his office window.
Now the 74-year-old monarch has requested the sentries announce their arrivals and departures more quietly, so he need not compete with their raised voices and stomping steelcapped boots. Last night, royal sources insisted the King’s suggestion had been relayed ‘gently and politely’, not in a fit of pique.
As an email sent within the Army’s Household Division confirmed: ‘Dear all, HM [His Majesty] remarked how loud the outgoing sentries were at St James’s Palace in the morning.
‘Full marks for vigour and volume, but please could you pass down to those on guard that Clarence House is a residence and so some volume control would be very much appreciated by those inside! Please could you pass on to your troops that when posting sentries first thing in the morning at St James’s Palace they should do so at a slightly lower volume.’
The changeovers were taking place around 8am, by which time the King has often started backto-back telephone and video calls. A piper plays under his window at 9am every day, a wake-up call tradition that dates back to Queen Victoria.
Last night, Army sources declined to name the regiment of foot guards who offended His Majesty’s ears.
A recent book on King Charles quoted former employees who claimed he was a demanding boss with a ‘fierce temper, enormous stamina and a ferocious work ethic’. One former member of the Royal Household said His Majesty was ‘very demanding of himself’ and expected the same standards from those around him, with phone calls coming ‘at any time’.
Courtiers added he could go ‘from zero to 60 in a flash and then back down again’. The Ministry of Defence and Buckingham Palace declined to comment.