Queen Elizabeth Hiring Extra Help to Work Around Buckingham Palace Amid Health Shift
Queen Elizabeth is making some changes to her Buckingham Palace staff. The Sun reports that the 95-year-old monarch is seeking a cleaner for her main residence, looking to hire someone who will "clean and care for a wide range of interiors and items, ensuring they're presented to their very best." Former cleaning experience Isn't a requirement, but the advertisement calls for a "keen eye for detail" and be "highly efficient and proactive." The job is reported to only pay £11,300 to £22,600 for a 20 or 40-hour week.
"Joining our professional team at our sites in London, you'll upkeep, clean and care for a wide range of interiors and items, ensuring they're presented to their very best," the listing on the Royal Household website reads. "Learning from your colleagues, you'll gain the specialist professional skills needed, always aiming for the highest standards. And on occasion you'll support functions and events too."
This addition to the household staff comes on the heels of some concerns about the Queen's health and stamina. According to a report from Vanity Fair, the monarch is being asked to forgo her favorite gin martinis. "The Queen has been told to give up her evening drink which is usually a martini," a family friend told the publication. "It's not really a big deal for her, she is not a big drinker, but it seems a trifle unfair that at this stage in her life she's having to give up one of very few pleasures."
According to the report, the Queen enjoys "a tipple of Dubonnet and gin with a slice of lemon and a lot of ice," as well as a dry gin martini or a champagne nightcap before bed. However, she revealed In 2019 that she wasn't a wine drinker. "I don't actually drink wine myself, but I hear it's very good," the Queen told the head of the National Institute of Agricultural Botany during a royal event.
Her Majesty will be celebrating her Platinum Jubilee in 2022, marking 70 years on the throne, and this news about cutting back her alcohol consumption is the latest in a few minor concerns about her advancing age. She was spotted publicly using a cane for the first time since 2003 during her visit to Westminster Abbey in London on Monday. She made the trip to attend the centenary of the Royal British Legion, which is responsible for coordinating the UK poppy appeal, which raises money for veterans. A royal source remained vague as to why the Queen needed the cane, only sharing with Newsweek that the added support was for her "comfort."