........Thanks for the article, that is an interesting rundown of events for the royal Christmas. I'm exhausted already thinking of the vast clothing changes ............
Baroness, don't forget that all the clothes changing is quite easy for members of the Royal Family [plus royal relatives] because they are all attended by Ladies' maids [dressers to the BRF] and valets. Some of these will be staff employed by the Queen, some will be the particular Royal's own staff.
Catherine appears not to have had the services of her own dresser to date [if we can believe all that we read] but I imagine that she will need the services of a dresser for Sandringham.
Just in case anyone here is interested, we do not have our own personal staff, but on those occasions when I have stayed in large houses, the host's staff have always attended on us - first they unpack for you, then they whisk off any clothes that need pressing after the journey, then they lay out your outfits on your bed and then they help with the actual dressing [note: no valet sees me [female] being dressed, and no lady's maid sees my husband in a state of undress.] Incidentally, you are required to tip the host's staff generously when you leave [quite right too - it has been a lot of extra work for them]
[second note: if anyone here is intending to be invited to the Queen's house party for Royal Ascot(!), a lady I know who has been just such a guest tells me that it is a bit of a nightmare getting dressed and ready on time: reputedly, back at Windsor Castle after racing, the Queen keeps you glued to the tv screen , as she wants to watch the re-runs on her DVD player. When the Queen decides that enough is enough, she return to her rooms [very close nearby] for a bath [that has already been run for her] and her Dresser then helps her into her evening dress. Guests however find themselves staying in rooms some distance away from those of the Royal Family, and apparently sit uneasily through the racing re-runs, fervently wishing that the Queen would come under starter's orders and ajourn because time is becoming short as they [guests] need as long as possible to get changed for drinks and dinner: when eventually the Queen moves, every non-royal has to RACE along to their rooms, run their own baths and mostly get ready themselves [overstretched maids/valets as EVERYONE needs to be attended-to at the same time], and then guests have to RACE back in order to beat the queen to pre-dinner drinks, as it is quite improper to arrive after her....]
Hope some of this is of interest.
Alex
I kept thinking of the white rabbit in Alice in Wonderland, "I'm late, I'm late..."!!
