Former royal butler Paul Burrell has pulled back the curtain on one of the most unshakable rules staff followed while serving Queen Elizabeth II—and how it differed greatly from the habits of her son, now King Charles.
Paul Burrell Reveals Queen Elizabeth’s Strict No-Eye-Contact Rule
Burrell, 67, started at Buckingham Palace at 18 years old before quickly rising to serve as one of the late Queen’s personal footmen. His duties included everything from table service to assisting with royal coaches.
Later, he transferred to Highgrove House to work with then-Prince Charles and Princess Diana, remaining loyal to the Princess until her death in 1997. Diana even once described him as the “only man she ever trusted.”
In his new memoir, “The Royal Insider: My Life with the Queen, the King and Princess Diana,” Burrell shared the one rule no staff member dared to break around Queen Elizabeth: eye contact.
“We were always told never to look at the Queen or to stare at her: never look her in the eye, always look down,” Burrell wrote.
He recalled his nerves when he first encountered her at a royal family gathering, carrying a tray with 20 Royal Worcester coffee cups. “Then my nerves got the better of me and the cups and saucers all started to rattle,” he admitted.
King Charles’s Quirks and Daily Routine Revealed
While Queen Elizabeth demanded quiet composure, Burrell described Charles’s reign as guided by meticulous—sometimes contradictory—routines.
“His routines have never changed,” Burrell wrote. “His toothpaste is squeezed onto his toothbrush every morning and he uses a silver key, which winds down the tube to avoid any waste.”
But while Charles claims to “abhor” waste, Burrell noted the King’s daily standards of luxury. “His pyjamas are laundered or pressed every day, the drawstring tapes pressed flat like his shoelaces. Dress shoes to be ‘spit-and-polished’ to a mirror finish.”
The King’s preferences extend to food as well. Queen Camilla once revealed on “MasterChef Australia” that garlic is “a no-no” for Charles. Since 2008, he has also banned foie gras from royal menus due to concerns over animal cruelty.
Queen Elizabeth also had stringent food rules. She avoided carbohydrates during her evening meals. Former Buckingham Palace chef Darren O’Grady told The Daily Mail, “When she dines on her own, she’s very disciplined: no starch is the rule, and no potatoes, rice, or pasta for dinner—just usually something like grilled sole with vegetables and salad.”
However, the no-pasta rule wouldn’t sit well with the next generation. Prince George, the King’s grandson and future monarch, is said to love spaghetti carbonara, according to chef Aldo Zilli.
