The Strange Restroom Request That King Charles Makes To His Staff

Yes, while the public does get to see the royals in action when they attend events, walk red carpets and make official visits to other countries, the family keep their personal routines strictly private. That is, of course, until a supposed inside source speaks to the press. And this is precisely what happened to Charles before he became king.

You’re probably thinking, though, that Charles’ household staff would simply help him with the chores that the rest of us have to do. After all, you wouldn’t expect to see the king making his bed or loading the dishwasher. But, apparently, his team have much more responsibility than that. And one particular request is especially outlandish — even if it is on behalf of a king.

Of course, for many of us, morning routines don’t require help; we roll out of bed, brush our teeth and get dressed without a personal assistant. But Charles has a full cohort of staff ready to make his waking hours as pain-free as possible, and that’s precisely what they do.

So, who spoke out about Charles’ strange daily requirements? That individual was none other than Paul Burrell — a confidant of the future king’s ex-wife, Princess Diana. He once worked as her butler, meaning he had close ties to the royal family. And, naturally, this gives him a better idea than most of what happens behind closed doors.

Over the years, Charles built a sizable staff around himself and his now-Queen Consort Camilla. The pair have mainly been based at Clarence House — one of London’s last remaining aristocratic townhouses that lies just a stone’s throw away from Buckingham Palace. And, naturally, quite a few people were required to keep the property running.

As of April 2020, Charles had at least 200 people working for him, according to the Mail on Sunday. And one alleged source claimed that he can be a demanding boss. They told the Daily Express in 2018, “For some of those who serve in [Charles’] household, he’s difficult to work with. You’ve got to do what he says, [and] he is very hard work.”

In fact, some pretty interesting claims about Charles have in come to light over the years, and they seem to corroborate the suggestion that he’s got high standards for his staff. For his 2018 biography Rebel Prince: The Power, Passion and Defiance of Prince Charles, author Tom Bower interviewed more than 120 people from the then-future king’s staff and inner circle. And the revelations that emerged paint an intriguing picture of the king’s life away from the public eye.

The biography claims, for instance, that Charles refuses to use pesticides on his property. Yet while this sounds a suitably planet-friendly decision, it allegedly comes at the expense of his gardening staff. Supposedly, four of them had to lay on a trailer transported by a gently driven car so that they could pick weeds from the grass by hand. The book also states that Charles had his gardening staff working nights to pluck slugs from plants.

Then there were the supposed rules for Charles’ staff inside Clarence House. Apparently, guests to the lavish townhouse had footmen who would take them to their rooms — which, by itself, is nothing unusual. But, strangely enough, the same employee will never bring a visitor all the way to their destination. Instead, Charles is said to assign his footmen to cover only a small amount of space each, meaning they have to pass guests to another staff member once they reach the edge of their territory.

Charles’ employees have also claimed that he has strange — and sometimes inconvenient — eating habits. Reportedly, the king follows a schedule that seems to mimic intermittent fasting, sitting down for a small breakfast in the morning and only eating one more meal after that in the evening.

And Charles’ busy schedule can be a bit of an issue for his staff members. In 2004, one purported employee told the Daily Mail, “It can be a problem sometimes. When we do day visits or foreign tours, [Charles] can go the whole day without stopping for a break, which means we all have to miss our lunch as well.”

Thankfully, Charles’ staff know what to do to compensate. The alleged insider added, “[Avoiding lunch is] good in a way [for Charles] because it means he has time to meet more people, but he doesn’t seem to notice all the rumbling stomachs around him. You just learn that you have to have a big breakfast on those days.”

What’s more, it seems that Charles may have some pretty strict requirements for life on the homefront. And arguably the strangest one of all revolves around his time in the bathroom. But first, Burrell had something to say about the King’s clothing requirements.

According to Burrell, Charles requires that “his pajamas are pressed every morning.” After that, a member of the royal household allegedly turns the iron onto something unexpected: Charles’ shoelaces. And, of course, there’s the bathroom to get ready, too.

So, Charles’ staff grab him a towel and gather his clothing for the day ahead. But, of course, it’s not as simple as that. Burrell claimed, “[Charles’] underwear is folded in a certain way, and his bath towel has to be placed in a certain fashion.”

And when it comes to bathing, Charles is allegedly similar to his late mother. He won’t just hop into any bathtub. Instead, Burrell said, “The bath plug has to be in a certain position, and the water temperature has to be just tepid.” But that’s still not the most specific — or strangest — of the king’s alleged requests of his personal staff.

Bizarrely, Charles supposedly has his team prepare his toothbrush in the morning — although they have to be careful about how they do that job. Burrell claimed, you see, that the king “has his valets squeeze one inch of toothpaste onto his toothbrush every morning.” He didn’t specify, though, whether an employee had to measure this.

Yet Burrell went on to suggest that Charles’ royal upbringing had influenced his quirky demands. Diana’s one-time butler theorized, “[Charles] has grown up in such a privileged lifestyle that he doesn’t have the mechanics to choose for himself anymore.” Apparently, he can’t even reach the things that he decides he wants, either.

It’s been reported that Charles asks his butlers to give him things that sit just a few feet away from him. And this allegation falls right in line with Burrell’s previous assertion as well as another statement that he made in the documentary. The former butler said of Charles, “Absolutely everything is done for him.”

Burrell even recalled one of the menial tasks that he claimed Charles had assigned to him. The former staffer said, “On one occasion, [Charles] rang me from his library, and he said, ‘Oh, Paul, a letter from the Queen seems to have fallen into my wastepaper bin. Would you pick it out?’”

Burrell also alleged, “If anyone gets anything wrong, everybody is scolded.” And this — combined with his alleged laundry list of sometimes outlandish demands — reportedly earned Charles a very apt nickname in some quarters: the “Pampered Prince.” Though it’s not quite accurate now that he’s king!

Charles has previously denied these so-called insider tips. Not only this, but it’s also important to remember that Burrell is just one of many when it comes to royal staff. Other staff members who opened up about working for the royal family only had positive things to say. One of Charles and Camilla’s former butlers spoke to Town & Country in 2019, for example.

Grant Harrold said, “One of the best things about working for the royal family is when you are recognized for your hard work. The family would show this by inviting staff to Christmas parties, tea parties, and balls. A fond memory of mine is getting to dance with the Queen at the Gillies Ball in the Balmoral ballroom.”

But those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities come at a cost for many employees. Erstwhile royal protection officer Simon Morgan pointed out just how much was at stake when speaking to Town & Country, saying, “You are working for the world’s number one family, and there is nowhere in the world they can go without being recognized.”

Morgan’s role in security came, then, with a whole lot of pressure. He explained, “Anything that goes wrong has massive implications, which include the threat of life.” And the royals grow used to this type of care from their staff — from protection officers to butlers and beyond.

In fact, Morgan added, members of the family require an exceptional “cradle-to-grave” service. So, if a new employee fails to fit the bill, they’ll just have to find another job, and the clan will instead find someone who can fill the role as it is expected.

According to the royal family’s official website, their staffers “[provide invaluable] support to [them] – enabling them to fulfill their duties and serve the nation.” And while there are plenty of people in service-centric positions, there are also IT workers, human resources officials, financial experts, engineers and more on the team.

In 2017, Queen Elizabeth and the rest of the royal family had approximately 1,500 people working for them, according to the National Geographic London Book of Lists. And there are some more unusual positions in the mix. Among these was the Master of the Horse — a role created in 1340 and maintained to this day.

Simply put, the Master of the Horse has the responsibility of being next to the monarch and their horse. Yes, that’s basically it. Years ago, such a job would be much more important than it is today. Now, though, the Master of the Horse fulfills a mostly ceremonial role — although they do look over carriages and equines before public displays.

Another position that’s more honorary than hands-on is that of the Astronomer Royal. This job was created in the 17th century when King Charles II needed accurate maps so that British ships could navigate the seas with the stars overhead. Today, however, the Astronomer Royal mostly “[advises] the [monarch] on astronomical matters,” according to Royal Museums Greenwich.

And alongside their butlers, chefs, nannies, and chauffeurs, the royals have a few other staff members with quirky tasks to perform. The family has an official composer, someone who slices their roast meats, and a person to keep the over 450 clocks in Windsor Castle wound and ticking. Bet you never knew that, now, did you? Well, without royal insiders opening up, we’d know a lot less about what really happens behind closed doors.

The same can be said for these candid photos, too. Each one was captured at the perfect moment and gives a rare glimpse at royal family members with their guards down. This one was taken at the 2015 Sandringham Flower Show. While there, now-King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla were given a swooping shock as the Army Air Corps' flying mascot gave the couple a wing-full. This was the first time the American symbol for freedom shocked Royal Brits since the Revolution. Poetry in motion.

As a part of his Caribbean tour in 2016, Prince Harry went to Lover's Beach on the island of Nevis to learn about turtle conservation. Here he is alongside project volunteers, heavily focused on cradling the tiny turtle resting in his hands!

Normally, princesses are expected to "behave like ladies," but Princess Charlotte looks to be paving the way for a new royal attitude, sticking out her tongue at unsuspecting paparazzi. Already a rabble-rouser, it's going to be interesting to see what kind of Princess she grows up to be.

Whenever Queen Elizabeth’s racehorse won gold, royal family members would get very excited — especially Princess Eugenie, it would seem. She looks like all her Christmases have come at once. Eugenie likely had no idea she was being photographed, but she probably didn't care! Genuine thrill caught on camera.

Prince William was hyped during the training for the 2017 London marathon, so it's not much of a surprise that this is the expression he made while passing out water to the runners. We can only imagine the faces on runners as the future king handed them a drink.

The Princess of Wales has a magical smile — and a magic wand. While visiting Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden, Kate Middleton took a deep dive into all things Harry Potter and pulled off her most practiced expelliarmus while the cameras were watching.

Queen Elizabeth may have been a powerful figure, but don't think for a minute that she was just a stick in the mud. Here she is showing that she was the life of the party, cracking a hilarious joke that Kate seems to have adored. The whole family will no doubt miss Elizabeth's sense of humor.

When hilarious Harry made an inside joke between him and his step-mom Camilla during the 2009 Trooping the Colour parade, the paparazzi were there to capture the endearing moment on camera. PR points to the Royal Family for this wholesome reveal! If only we were in on it, too.

Being a royal doesn't always have to mean looking your best and being hard at work — sometimes it can mean stuffing your face with tasty treats, ignoring the people around you for a glorious minute. You deserve it, Camilla.

All sports fans have been there. That moment when your team was just dominated by their opponent or made a game-losing blunder. Here, Kate and Prince Edward share the pain of that moment together, and we think it's absolutely hilarious.

Princess Charlotte isn't the only wild child in the Royal Family. Here, the young princess stands unamused by the Trooping the Colour parade alongside her brother Prince George and their cousin Savannah Philips. Maybe they'll appreciate the whole ceremony when they're older.

Without a little context, we can assume that the Queen Consort has finally snapped and introduced the King to his maker. But don't be alarmed — Camilla was just having a little fun with her husband, and his playing along just makes it all the funnier.

Prince Harry wasn't the only goofball in the Royal Family. Paparazzi have revealed the funny side of Prince William, too. When he and Kate attended a London marathon training session in 2017, this was a heat-of-the-moment face he made while cheering on competitors. If that didn’t spur the runners on, we don’t know what will.

That little troublemaker! Though Prince Harry may seem highbrow and mature these days, he's always been a fun-loving goofball at heart. It's clear that Princess Charlotte gets her sass from her red-headed uncle.

We're not sure what Prince William is so riled up about, but it's definitely rubbing off on little Prince Louis. The apple really doesn't fall far from the tree, even for royalty. At least Kate seems totally oblivious and is enjoying whatever’s in the skies above.

Kate must have learned a lot at the screening of David Attenborough's Natural History Museum Alive 3D — after all, she made this face at the show. Either that, or she was just told she left her car's lights on.

Ever have that moment when you think you smell, but you don't know how bad the odor is unless you take a good whiff? Even in public? Even the former-Prince Harry can't resist the urge to assess just how bad he might smell. Does the situation call for deodorant?

Appearances are everything to the Royal family, and here it appears that Prince William is making a buffoon out of himself. While he's really just warming up for a polo match, the photographer managed to make the situation look a little strange — and hilarious. We'll be forever grateful to them.

Who knew the royals had smartphones? Well, it seems like the younger ones, at least, carry them around. And during the Invictus Games in 2014, a woman in the royal party handed one to Prince William. He in turn showed it to his father, now-King Charles. He looked horrified at first — but then cracked up. What was on it? We may never know.

Savannah Philips doesn’t have a royal title, but she’s related to Prince George by blood. Even though technically she could be George’s subject one day, that didn’t stop her from putting a hand over his mouth at the Trooping the Colour ceremony in 2018. He didn’t seem to mind, though.

It didn’t take long for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to establish themselves as an adorable royal couple. After their engagement in November 2017, they did an interview with the BBC, and the broadcaster later released some outtakes. In the footage, the pair laugh with each other, pull silly poses, and basically act like any other young couple in love. Cute!

In 2017 William and Kate arrived at the London Marathon to hand out water to the runners. But no good deed goes unpunished, as they say. While giving out bottles, William was splashed in the face, and his expression was picture-perfect hilarious. Who splashed him? A prankster? Harry? No one’s ever admitted to it...

In 2015 George made his debut on the royal balcony for the Trooping the Colour ceremony, and all eyes were on him. Mostly he was on his best behavior, giving a little royal wave along with his parents and family. But as soon as he got inside Buckingham Palace, the cameras trained on the building saw him appear at the window in the arms of his nanny, sticking his tongue out.

The Prince and Princess of Wales are heirs, parents, fashion icons — and apparently also huge nerds. While visiting the Warner Brothers Studios Tour London in 2013, William and Kate picked up a pair of Harry Potter wands and enthusiastically mimed having a duel. William’s spell of choice? “Expelliarmus.” The man knows his Harry Potter, and that’s all a future king needs.

In 2015 Harry traveled to South Africa and stopped by The Sharks rugby club, a.k.a. The Shark Tank. There, he met local children and chatted with officials. He then stuck his face into the mouth of the Sharks’ mascot, which is, of course, a giant shark. Whoever was inside the costume probably got a bit of a shock.

When Harry was at the Invictus Games in 2017, the world got a glimpse of what he would be like as a dad. He sat next to the wife and young daughter of U.K. team captain Dave Henson, and the little girl kept stealing his popcorn. Far from being angry, though, Harry pulled some adorable silly faces with her.

William seems to be a pretty chilled-out guy. For example, when he attended an awards ceremony at the Royal United Services Institute in 2014, he was accidentally introduced as the Duke of Edinburgh. That was actually the title of his late grandfather, Prince Philip. But he didn’t appear to care at all and just laughed heartily.

At the wedding of his mother’s friend Sophie Carter, George decided to steal the show. He even did a little marching dance while standing with the pageboys, and the cameras covering the wedding snapped away. “George is a real star, quite the little chap,” an anonymous source gushed to People about the young prince.

This shot was taken at Hamburg Airport in July 2017, on the last day of the Cambridge family’s tour of Poland and Germany. It shows Princess Charlotte doing what most children her age do, reading a book at an inopportune time. It’s adorable but alas, she hadn’t quite got the hang of reading the right way up yet.

Meghan Markle loves dogs — just like her late grandmother-in-law Queen Elizabeth. This picture shows her with her pet beagle Guy. Guy was a rescue doggie from Ontario, and Meghan adopted him via the organization A Dog’s Dream Rescue. Now that Meghan is a duchess, Guy truly is living a dog’s dream.

Prince George packed a lot into the first few years of his life. In 2014 he went with his parents to Australia and Taronga Zoo, where he was introduced to an animal named after him: a bilby named George. The little prince was then offered a stuffed toy version, but hilariously, right after this pic was snapped, he tossed it away. Babies eh?

Before she became queen, Elizabeth was a young mother of two. She had Charles in 1948 when she was only 22 years old. Two years later, Princess Anne, her only daughter, came along. However, Prince Philip was present for neither birth. When Charles was born, Philip was off playing squash.

Princess Diana was determined that her children would have normal lives, and part of that included taking them to theme parks. Here they are riding a log flume at Thorpe Park in England. Diana’s royal parenting style went beyond just letting her boys relax and be kids — she also made sure that they lined up for all the rides.

There are some very famous people in this photograph… but they weren’t as famous then. It shows Meghan Markle, Chrissy Teigen, Shay Mitchell, and Nina Agdal taking part in the New York City DirecTV Beach Bowl in 2014. Of course, none of them knew at the time that Meghan would become a royal before a decade was out.

Royal kids are just kids at the end of the day, and they’re going to throw tantrums without the slightest concern as to whether a camera is on them. That’s how we got this very relatable photograph of Kate Middleton telling off a crying Princess Charlotte. Parents everywhere will surely understand.

This photo was snapped at the wedding of Lady Gabriella Windsor and Thomas Kingston at St George's Chapel in 2019. What have Edward and Anne spotted to make them appear so shocked? Who knows, but it makes for an amusing photo, if probably not one the bride is likely to hang up on her wall.

During a visit to New Zealand in 2014, the Duchess of Cambridge enjoyed a game of cricket. Unfortunately, it didn’t entirely go to plan. William accidentally tossed a ball right at her head, you see, and audiences were treated to some uncharacteristically hilarious faces from Kate. But to be fair, she was trying to play the game in three-inch heels, which is never a good idea.

Yes, Charles indulges in a bit of dad dancing every now and again. While visiting Mexico in 2014, he tried the traditional Sarao Campechano. And he wasn’t bad at it. Carlos Javier Zamorano, who helped Charles with his handkerchief-waving dance, told the press that if Charles had more practice “he would be very good.”

In 2006 Queen Elizabeth and her oldest child went to watch the tug-of-war contest at the Braemar Gathering. And something made the two of them absolutely crack up laughing. People of the internet loved the resulting photo so much that they made it into a meme.

This shot from Royal Ascot in 2013 probably wasn’t intended to be hilarious, but Princess Eugenie accidentally photobombing her famous grandmother Queen Elizabeth makes it so anyway. Despite the “we are not amused” look on the Queen’s face in the picture, she and Princess Eugenie were reportedly pretty close.

Prince William and Prince Harry always remembered Diana as a fun mom. Interviewed for the 2017 HBO documentary Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy, Harry remembered, “Our mother was a total kid through and though. She was one of the naughtiest parents.” And he also heartrendingly said, “Of course, as a son, I would say she is the best mom in the world.”

This photograph, taken in November 1992 during a trip to Korea, perfectly illustrates the tensions between Charles and Diana at that time. Just one month later, their official separation was announced by the British prime minister, and apparently Queen Elizabeth had stepped in and begged the couple to finally split.

Despite everything that happened with regards to their parents’ divorce, not to mention their mother’s tragic death, William and Harry are reportedly friendly with their stepmother and Queen Consort Camilla Parker-Bowles. It apparently took a little time, but they accepted her as part of the family. And both were present at her and Charles' wedding.

Diana did a lot of important humanitarian work throughout her life. This photograph shows her in Angola, walking through a cleared minefield in protective gear. Diana was a fierce campaigner against the use of landmines, and even today she’s remembered for the hard and dangerous work that she put in.

It’s traditional for British schools to have a Sports Day every year, and the parents are encouraged to join in. Even though Diana was a member of the royal family, she threw decorum to the wind and joined in the Mother’s Race, with no shoes on to boot. She didn’t win, but she’s a winner in our hearts.

This photograph from 1980 shows Princess Anne and her first husband, Mark Phillips, sharing a happy moment together. Unfortunately, their relationship didn’t end well. Phillips cheated on Anne and even fathered a daughter while still married to her, and the pair called it quits for good in April 1992.

Prince Harry was a pretty naughty kid. In the 2014 documentary Harry at 30, bodyguard Ken Wharfe remembered, “The one thing about Thorpe Park I remember, and I could kill him for it, was the manager gave William and Harry these two water pistols. They said, ‘Let’s fill them with water and get the policemen,’ and I said, ‘No, you are not doing that.’” But they did it anyway.

Despite Diana’s insistence that her sons lead normal lives, nannies were still brought into the picture every now and again. One of these women was the attractive Tiggy Legge-Bourke, pictured here. Her presence unfortunately made things between Diana and her husband even worse. Diana was absolutely convinced that Charles was sleeping with her.

In June 2016 princes William and Harry visited the set of Star Wars: The Last Jedi. They got to meet all the major stars, including Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, and Mark Hamill. Even more exciting was that they both got to film cameos for the film, hidden under Stormtrooper armor — but they got cut from the final movie.

A few days after Diana’s tragic death, Prince Charles took his two sons out to view the huge pile of flowers created for their mother. At the time, the boys were only 15 and 12 years old. It was a touching scene, of course, but the photograph of them at the gates also radiates sadness.

When Queen Elizabeth passed away in September 2022, well-wishers once again flocked to the royal palaces, laying flowers and paying their respects to members of the royal family. This photo was taken at Windsor Castle, where Princes William and Harry, along with their wives Kate and Meghan, went out to greet the crowd and to receive their condolences. One young fan had drawn this lovely card, which William reads with a look of sorrow on his face.