The foibles staff must observe
It is frowned upon for junior members of staff to walk along the middle of the carpets in royal residences (the carpets are fussed over as much as the wicket at Lord's). Therefore, they keep to the edges on what is described as "the slow lane".
The royal family enjoy ice in their drinks but are said to be irritated by the sound of the icecubes clinking against each other in the glass. A special machine was therefore installed at Buckingham Palace to produce ice balls - they are quieter apparently.
When the waiters serve lunch or dinner at any of the Palaces, the staff are under strict instructions not to make eye contact with any of the diners. "The royal family does not like to be watched when eating," a valet remarked.
New employees to the household learn their trade from serving lunch to the ladies in waiting in the grandiose surroundings of the Lady Barrington room in Buckingham Palace; only later are they allowed anywhere near the royals.
In his book, Paul Burrell describes how a six-foot-high Chinese blind is placed just inside the Queen's sitting room behind which the junior footmen must wait before being summoned into the royal presence.
The Queen bathes twice a day and staff know that the morning bath must be slightly cool (so as not to tire her) while the evening one is set to her preferred "mildly hot" temperature.
One royal servant once cheekily remarked to the Queen that the steak he was feeding the Corgis "was better than I'm given". Her Majesty did not reply and the servant was later ticked off.
When one of the Queen's children wishes to see her, their own page must telephone the Queen's head page to ascertain whether Her Majesty has time for a visit. Prince Charles is known to avoid going out into the grounds of Sandringham if his page has informed him that the Queen is taking a walk because she doesn't like to be disturbed - even by her own family.
Housemaids are taught that the Duke of Edinburgh and the Queen have their own sheets: the Queen's are six inches longer on her bed (they have separate bedrooms with an interconnecting door) because she prefers a larger overlay.
