John
12-29-2008, 02:36 PM
Shut one's gob! Queen's Servants banned from talking about work
THE Queen has slapped a gagging order on all palace staff—to preserve royal family secrets.
Servants must also GIVE BACK all royal mementoes, letters and gifts when they quit. Workers who don’t sign up to the extraordinary secret service- style contract face the sack.
One angry employee said: “We will fight this—it’s like working for MI5.”
The Queen has been forced to act in the wake of embarrassing antics by some former servants—notably slimy blabbermouth butler Paul Burrell who has made a fortune trading on his royal connections.
The new rules ban all employees from discussing with family or friends ANY aspect of their work in the royal households.
They are also required to hand back any memorabilia —including innocent thank-you notes from the royal family, even simple handwritten labels on Christmas presents, PLUS their own personal diaries— when they leave their post.
Letters detailing the move were sent out to more than 200 staff—including butlers, footmen, dressers, valets, cooks and cleaners—in the run-up to Christmas by the Master of the Household David Walker.
But the decision has angered a lot of below-stairs workers, many of them on poor wages and banking on their perk of being able to sell off souvenirs after leaving royal service to create a nest egg.
In a bid to get the scheme dropped, some are even planning to lobby the Queen personally. Others believe the contracts are illegal and will prove unenforceable.
A palace insider told us: “There’s uproar among the staff about this.
“For years servants have written to their friends with little harmless snippets of gossip. It’s part of the job.
“But now it seems the royals are worried about these notes, letters etc being sold on by relatives after the servant’s death.
“Some of the Queen’s longer-serving staff are up in arms about this and have so far refused to sign. In fact, only about half have signed it.
"They’re hoping to have the chance of a word in Her Majesty’s ear to get it dropped.”
As well as the vow of silence the new contract is also designed to stifle the mushrooming auction market in royal mementoes.
Recent lots going under the hammer include a saucy condom greetings card from Princess Diana to chef Mervyn Wycherley, sold for £1,300, and a pair of Queen Victoria’s bloomers for £4,500.
A note from the Queen Mother to her page ‘Backstairs Billy’ Tallon, requesting gin and Dubonnet for an outing, fetched £16,000 this summer.
News of the clampdown tops off a week in which paedophile former royal butler Paul Kidd was jailed for six years on child sex charges—after using his regal links to groom and abuse a series of young boys.
-NOTW.
THE Queen has slapped a gagging order on all palace staff—to preserve royal family secrets.
Servants must also GIVE BACK all royal mementoes, letters and gifts when they quit. Workers who don’t sign up to the extraordinary secret service- style contract face the sack.
One angry employee said: “We will fight this—it’s like working for MI5.”
The Queen has been forced to act in the wake of embarrassing antics by some former servants—notably slimy blabbermouth butler Paul Burrell who has made a fortune trading on his royal connections.
The new rules ban all employees from discussing with family or friends ANY aspect of their work in the royal households.
They are also required to hand back any memorabilia —including innocent thank-you notes from the royal family, even simple handwritten labels on Christmas presents, PLUS their own personal diaries— when they leave their post.
Letters detailing the move were sent out to more than 200 staff—including butlers, footmen, dressers, valets, cooks and cleaners—in the run-up to Christmas by the Master of the Household David Walker.
But the decision has angered a lot of below-stairs workers, many of them on poor wages and banking on their perk of being able to sell off souvenirs after leaving royal service to create a nest egg.
In a bid to get the scheme dropped, some are even planning to lobby the Queen personally. Others believe the contracts are illegal and will prove unenforceable.
A palace insider told us: “There’s uproar among the staff about this.
“For years servants have written to their friends with little harmless snippets of gossip. It’s part of the job.
“But now it seems the royals are worried about these notes, letters etc being sold on by relatives after the servant’s death.
“Some of the Queen’s longer-serving staff are up in arms about this and have so far refused to sign. In fact, only about half have signed it.
"They’re hoping to have the chance of a word in Her Majesty’s ear to get it dropped.”
As well as the vow of silence the new contract is also designed to stifle the mushrooming auction market in royal mementoes.
Recent lots going under the hammer include a saucy condom greetings card from Princess Diana to chef Mervyn Wycherley, sold for £1,300, and a pair of Queen Victoria’s bloomers for £4,500.
A note from the Queen Mother to her page ‘Backstairs Billy’ Tallon, requesting gin and Dubonnet for an outing, fetched £16,000 this summer.
News of the clampdown tops off a week in which paedophile former royal butler Paul Kidd was jailed for six years on child sex charges—after using his regal links to groom and abuse a series of young boys.
-NOTW.