If you’ve ever wanted to know what the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge look for when hiring a member of staff, then wonder no more, as a job advert posted on the Royal Household’s official website has just described one of the key things the young royals insist on!
As per the advert for a recent housekeeping role, which was described as an “exciting opportunity” to “join a supportive and positive team” and work for the family of five (which in addition to Prince William and Kate Middleton, also includes their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis), “You will be a self-starter who also enjoys working collaboratively. You will be keen to take on new challenges as these arise and develop your own knowledge and skills.”
However, no matter how good your aforementioned skills are, there is absolutely zero-tolerance for gossiping, as both Kate and Prince William have insisted that all members of household staff had to be good at "maintaining confidentiality and exercising discretion." Which we guess kind of makes sense!
And it seems to take a special person to successfully get the job, as there are apparently lots of secret challenges applicants have to pass before getting hired. And some of them are a lot sneakier than others! According to Tracey Waterman, the head of recruitment, candidates have to pass a special task, which in a nutshell, involves a dead fly being placed somewhere in the room, and the real test is whether the candidate notices it, and if they do, if and how they dispose of it.
"The difference between a housekeeper in a five-star hotel and in a royal palace would be attention to detail," Waterman revealed in Channel 5's documentary Sandringham: The Royals at Christmas. "One of the tests I like to do, to see if a candidate has a potential eye for detail, is to place a dead fly, either in the fireplace or on the carpet. Once the dead fly is placed, I then bring the candidate into the room.
"I lead them into the room quite slowly, just giving them a chance to glance at the room, have a little look at what we’ve got inside the room. Bringing them to the fireplace, maybe highlighting that we’ve got a beautiful fireplace. It’s a great test, maybe out of 10 people half the candidates will notice the fly. One out of ten will actually bend down and pick it up, that’s the special housekeeper." We'll bear this in mind if we ever fancy a career change!
