Prince William and Kate Middleton have a bit of a privacy problem. Despite the royal pair's best efforts, it seems that unsavory details about the inner workings of their family, relationship, and professional pursuits keep leaking to the press. No one is exactly sure who in the palace keeps dishing the dirt on these two, but a job posting shared by their team a year ago could be indicative of at least one reason why the people who work for Wills and Catherine aren't loyal: They aren't paid really well.
I don't know how much you can get paid for selling a story about the future king of England, but I bet it's a lot more than what he's willing to pay you to maintain confidentiality and exercise discretion at all times. A job posting shared to Royal Vacancies in 2020 revealed that William and Kate were looking for a new housekeeper … and planned to pay that person approximately $25,000 a year.
The job posting also described the kind of person the duo is looking for:
"You will have an organised approach and take pride in what you do. You will be able to manage a varied workload, show initiative, be content to work flexibly, including being able to travel. Maintaining confidentiality and exercising discretion at all times is paramount."
That last sentence is more than fair. After all, this is Prince William we're talking about! Not only are you taking care of his home, but you're also taking care of the home of his wife and children. These are some of the most powerful people in the country, and possibly the world, and you'll be bound to overhear tidbits that they definitely want to be private.
Since privacy is clearly such a huge priority for the couple, it's a little surprising that they're paying so little to ensure they receive it. After all, $25,000 a year is below the poverty line for a family of four here in the United States.
And when it comes to the actual details of the job, it's not like the family of five lives in a tiny little cottage. This is a family that lives in a massive estate, and a family that is super busy. While Kate and William are said to be a lot more hands on than previous generations of the royal family, it's likely this new housekeeper will be carrying a heavy load.
Their home in Kensington, which has been described as a "moderate estate," is four stories and has 20 rooms in it alone!
The person who secures this gig will also serve as senior housekeeper as needed.
Working for the royal family also comes with plenty of inconveniences that you probably wouldn't expect at just any job. Staff is expected to be extremely loyal to the family, and that means your own private life could become the subject of scrutiny by members of the family or even other employees and staff.
Simon Morgan, who worked for the family as a royal protection officer from 2006 to 2013, told Town & Country what the job is like:
"There is quite a rigid process to go through. You start with a written application that goes through to the royalty protection unit, and then, if you pass that element and have all the evidence and skills required around leadership and decision making, you'll be invited to an interview led by senior protection officers to see who the person is behind the application."
Grant Harrold, a former butler for Prince Charles and Camilla, also shared a little bit of his experience:
"I was fascinated by the film The Remains of the Day and after seeing [the movie], it became an ambition to be a butler. I, of course, thought that the highest goal was to be a butler for the British royal family, and I made that dream become a reality."
For Simon, a big part of the job was basically knowing your place:
"You're also taught how you speak to people, and how to address the 'principle' is massively important. There has to be an acceptance that you are in their life. You have to be very respectful of the role that they occupy. You're there to support them like any other support role, to help them do their job."
The opportunity also gives staff plenty of opportunities to really get to know the family … which could be where the problem Kate and William are juggling has its roots.
"Walking the dogs or generally going for a walk with them opened up a variety of conversations — sometimes that of two adults who are just talking, be it chatting about something important or trivial," Simon explained. "If you can't communicate with someone, then you will struggle. A royal protection officer needs to be able to walk and talk at the same time."
