A new book by royal insider Paul Burrell has revealed some of the bizarre habits of King Charles, who is said to have always insisted on his servants conforming to very strict standards
Royal insider Paul Burrell has revealed His Majesty the King’s inflexible daily regime, claiming the 76-year-old sovereign has always demanded his staff adhere to exceptionally stringent protocols.
Burrell, who began his royal career as a footman at Buckingham Palace aged just 18, transferred to Highgrove House in Gloucestershire to join the then Prince of Wales’s household in 1987.
For ten years, he served as both servant and trusted confidant to Princess Diana – claiming that he was “the only man she ever trusted.”
His bond with the princess, however, remained considerably more formal, he reveals.
In his latest publication, The Royal Insider: My Life with the Queen, the King and Princess Diana, he describes how, despite being merely nine years Charles’s junior, he perpetually felt “much older and from a different generation.”
Burrell proceeds to expose the King’s contradictory fixation with avoiding waste, which he claims conflicts with some of his peculiar personal practices.
“His routines have never changed,” Burrell writes.
“His toothpaste is squeezed onto his toothbrush every morning and he uses a silver key which winds down the tube to avoid any waste.”
Yet whilst Charles professes to “abhor” waste, Burrell claims he is simultaneously remarkably extravagant regarding his wardrobe: “His pyjamas are laundered or pressed every day, the drawstring tapes pressed flat like his shoelaces.
“He, again like his father, likes his dress shoes to be ‘spit-and-polished’ to a mirror finish.”
The royals have some rather unusual food preferences and rules.
For instance, the King has a strict no-garlic policy, as revealed by Queen Camilla on MasterChef Australia, where she stated that garlic “is a no-no” for the King.
Since 2008, Charles has also taken a stand against foie gras due to the animal cruelty involved in its production.
The late Queen Elizabeth II, the King’s mother, was also known for her stringent dietary rules, particularly when dining alone. She would avoid carbs at her evening meal.
Former Buckingham Palace chef Darren O’Grady shared with The Telegraph: “When she dines on her own she’s very disciplined. No starch is the rule. No potatoes, rice or pasta for dinner. Just usually something like grilled sole with vegetables and salad.”
However, this carb-free rule wouldn’t sit well with Prince George. The future king is said to be a big fan of spaghetti carbonara, according to renowned chef Aldo Zilli.
Zilli, who was informed of George’s pasta preference by Prince William himself, said: “I’m waiting for the call because apparently his little boy’s favourite is spaghetti carbonara, so I’m waiting for the call to go and cook it for him.
“If George has my carbonara, he will never have another one,” Aldo added, “so I need to go and make it. Let’s get the ball rolling, send me to the palace to cook!”
