Queen Camilla is making changes at Sandringham & staffers hate it

For the past five months, it’s actually been pretty quiet for Windsor-staff gossip. There was a changing of the guard at the very top with QEII’s death, but I expected more stories about “unsettled office staff” and warring factions within King Charles’s court. Now, I believe there are warring factions and we get glimpses of that war, but overall, the behind-the-scenes drama hasn’t spilled out to the public sphere. Yet. I was pleasantly surprised as I read this Mail story about how Sarah Ferguson is “back in the royal fold” thanks to Queen Camilla – buried at the end of the story, there are “below stairs” sources complaining about what it’s like under King Charles. Things have changed and it’s the most low-stakes gossip ever, but I loved it. Some highlights:

Fergie is back in, thanks to Camilla: A source said: ‘Camilla likes Sarah. They’re both gentry. They share a love of horses and Fergie will be smart enough to play the game with Camilla and realise she is the power behind the King. That she must be nice to them and support them.’

Fergie was welcomed at Sandringham this year: For years, her ex-husband Prince Andrew would take their daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, to the celebrations, leaving Sarah out in the cold. This year, however, the Duchess was a guest not only for Christmas lunch, but also the following day’s shoot. It’s notable that the Boxing Day event was traditionally organised by Prince Philip, who would have blanched at the idea of inviting the Duchess.

The Yorks actually stayed at Wood Farm: The Mail on Sunday understands that both the Duke and Duchess of York – divorced but still living together – were not only invited to all the Christmas celebrations, they were even given the use of Philip’s former home, Wood Farm, during their stay. The cottage on the Sandringham Estate was where Philip spent his retirement, pottering about after fitting it out with a new kitchen and updating the heating.

Marmite Fergie: ‘There was Fergie, in the thick of it, chatting away to the King and Queen Consort on the Boxing Day shoot,’ the source said. ‘Philip would never have allowed that. There’s a feeling that, no matter what Sarah’s personal faults – and she can be like Marmite in that respect – she has been a good mother to the girls and loyal to Andrew.’

Camilla’s takeover at Sandringham: The thawing of relations with the 63-year-old Duchess, aides say, is indicative of a seismic shift in the family, led by the new Queen Consort. Camilla has taken over the Queen’s old rooms at Sandringham and both she and the King would prefer it to be run as a relaxed family home. A Royal insider said: ‘They want guests to have a homely experience, similar to Dumfries House [the Ayrshire mansion Charles saved].’

Camilla wants Sandringham to feel less like a hotel: ‘Camilla respects Sir Tony [Johnstone-Burt, head of the Royal Household] but perhaps sees things differently from him. The Queen Consort doesn’t want the homes and palaces run like the sort of corporate hotel you might find at a motorway service station. Camilla doesn’t want the towels put on the bed, but laid out on the rails in the bathrooms. She wants nice soap, not the same little individually wrapped soaps you get in a hotel.’

Discontented staff: Not all of the changes have been welcomed by Sandringham staff, many of whom served for decades under the previous regime. In the ‘Big House’, a housekeeper is leaving their post, the Mail on Sunday understands. And some say that the annual shoot was far better when Philip ran it. One source grumbled: ‘Today, the bird numbers are much lower because they’ve been overshot.’

Charles chats with staff: Previously staff had a habit of using the back stairs and made themselves scarce if they saw an approaching ‘MRF’ – Member of the Royal Family. ‘But Charles walks the corridors and wants to know where people are dashing off to,’ a source said. ‘He wants to stop and talk to them. They don’t understand it.’

LOL, staffers are mad at the heavier workload: If some are grumbling it was perhaps because the previous workload – with a retired Prince Philip and a nonagenarian Queen – was much lighter. Of the changing demands, one insider added diplomatically: ‘Old habits are hard to break. Let’s just say the teams at Buckingham Palace and Sandringham are quite busy these days.’

[From The Mail on Sunday]

These people, all of them, are so hysterically terrible. Camilla: what if we put the clean towels in the bathroom? Sandrinham Staff: HOW DARE YOU! And yes, the staffers are very mad that they have more work to do now, although Charles and Camilla did leave Sandringham for Scotland right after Christmas, whereas QEII would always stay at Sandringham through mid-February. And not to defend Camilla, but of course she wants things to run differently, that’s literally her prerogative.

As for the Fergie stuff… I’m not surprised that Fergie is back in the fold, but I am surprised that Camilla is making it into a class thing? I’m shocked that the Yorks were given Wood Farm to use over the holidays too. That was Philip and Elizabeth’s favorite place.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images.

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120 Responses to “Queen Camilla is making changes at Sandringham & staffers hate it”

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  1. Tessa says:

    Sarah was playing up to Charles and Camilla for years. I remember she was on the Larry king show and praised them to the skies

    • Jennifer says:

      Seems reasonable to know who to kiss butt to, especially since she was on the outs with Phillip. He must have rolled over in his grave re: her getting to stay in Wood Farm!

      That said, I can’t say I remember any reports of Fergie being a jerk to anyone other than the cheating-on-Andrew days. And singing Andrew’s praises.

    • PrincessK says:

      Fergie is very clever, sometimes too clever. But she wields a lot of power, she knows all the secrets. She tries to keep on good terms with everyone but l would take her with a pinch of salt. She is friendly with egoist Piers Morgan who as a result never writes bad stuff about her.
      Fergie is on record as saying that she doesn’t want to say anything about Meghan because it would get twisted.
      Charles was supposed not to be keen on Fergie but Philip seemed to hate her, why? Rumour has it he was at one point ‘close’ to Fergie’s mother. She might have been a reminder……
      But l think Fergie has no time at all for W&K.

  2. SquiddusMaximus says:

    This is all so profoundly pathetic. “Big news” for these useless turds is repositioning towels, guffawing at children, and avoiding angry outbursts in public. I struggled to understand why Britain goes to such lengths to protect them when they continue to prove their uselessness.

    • PrincessK says:

      The Palace has thrown this ‘story’ to the Fail in exchange for something. The Palace wants the BM to lay off the Sussexes because they want them to attend the coronation.

  3. dlc says:

    It will keep Eugenie and Beatrice in line. They can’t side too much with Harry if Camilla is playing nice with their mum.

    • Snuffles says:

      It seems like Beatrice is the one who wants to be a part of the system (probably because her husband does). Although I find it fascinating how Eugenie is straddling the line. She maintains a close relationship with the Sussex’s and keeps her mouth shut (about the Sussex’s and the Windsors) but also attends family functions. Plus, she and Jack make their own money. I guess living in Portugal helps.

      How DOES she do it!?

      • Chloe says:

        Do they actually live in portugal? I know that that is what’s been reported but it seems to me like they are very much in England most of the time. Maybe Jack simply flies back and forth.

      • Blithe says:

        Doesn’t Fergie have a massive book contract? And Andrew definitely knows where the bodies are buried — so any book that Andrew “wrote” would put a serious dent in the future of the monarchy. Perhaps the personal balances of alliances and power struggles in this family are protecting Eugenie. It also is to Charles’s benefit that Eugenie maintains a positive relationship with the Sussexes, AND, as you’ve said Snuffles, keeps her mouth shut — and maybe Charles is smart enough to realize that.

      • SourcesclosetoKate says:

        I’m worried about her relationship with harry. The royal family press is ruthless about picking sides. Remember what happened to Jeremy Clarkson’s daughter. I know love is the most powerful thing in the universe but in the world it seems love is the weakest link. Really scary times we live in. But I will say, Eugenie making her own money makes her in a good position to do what she wants.

      • Jennifer says:

        I have no idea how you live “part time” in another country. Isn’t that a pain in the ass to move households (with a baby/babies) every few months?!

      • liz says:

        @jennifer – money and staff. Full sets of everything in each house, travel with one carry-on holding the stuff that can’t be duplicated, like the kid’s favorite stuffed animal. There are housekeepers in every home, making sure the kitchens are fully stocked and clean sheets are on the beds before the family arrives. The nanny (and there is always a nanny) travels with them.

        Kiddo had a few international kids among their friends in elementary school. It’s a whole different way of life.

    • May Bench says:

      Camilla sure looks like an old hag. Her years of boozing and smoking show up in her face. Can’t stand her or Charles or Baldy or starving Kate.

      • SourcesclosetoKate says:

        Camilla and Kate are thanking their lucky stars a true beauty like Diana isn’t around she would have put them in their place when it came to looks.

      • Jais says:

        Well, there was a true beauty named Meghan who was around for about 18 months and those witches could not handle it. Honestly, seeing Meghan’s grace and beauty next to their mean faces is kind of hilarious. Historical evidence that will be looked back upon when someone writes a book titled The Witches of Windsor.

      • Sam says:

        @jais
        Love it! 😂👏

      • Lisabits says:

        The beauties were Meghan and Harry. One reason they tormented them out.

  4. Eating Popcorn says:

    Of course they were allowed to stay at Wood Farm, who would have them under their roof?

    • SomeChick says:

      exactly. Philip was at wood farm because he loved it. they put Fergie there because it was convenient. I also wonder how much it was fitted out with medical accomodations. it might not have quite the aesthetic of their fancy palaces, but it’s probably great to have a bolthole away from everyone else during the festivities. I know I’d appreciate that!

      • Lady D says:

        I wonder if Fergie staying there was Charles being petty about his parents neglect of him again? He knows daddy would be pissed about her in his place.

    • Isabella says:

      Phillip lived at Wood Farm with Penny, his mistress. Don’t see how it can be described as Queen E and Phillip’s favorite house.

      I can’t keep up with all Charles owns. Dumfries House?

      • Jaded says:

        IKR? I was under the impression Balmoral was TQ’s favourite home. Charles has apparently taken loads of “charitable donations” (read bags of cash from Saudi princes) for its upkeep. He tried turning it into some kind of self-sustained tourism spot for weddings, private parties etc., with a new village and farmland. but it’s been a bit of a flop.

      • Jennifer says:

        LOL at “Queen E’s” favorite under the circumstances.

      • blue says:

        Liz didn’t stay at @ Wood Farm, at least for the last 20 years or so. Epstein & Ghislane stayed there though before Phil & Penny took it over.
        I’ll bet they’ve moved the giant scale to storage somewhere & skip the Christmas weigh ins & weigh outs? Fergie’s undoubtedly relieved to avoid that “friendly” tradition.

      • Lorelei says:

        @Blue: excuse me? What’s this about being weighed on Christmas?! (Actually, I probably don’t want to know.)

      • Feeshalori says:

        Lorelei, the purpose of that lovely practice is to ascertain that guests ate well over the Christmas festivities, the goal is that they gained weight. They have that scene in the movie Spencer when Diana arrives and sits on a scale to be weighed by the butler which is duly noted in a book. Upon departure there’s another weigh in and the weight is compared. One of the more unsavory customs this family practices at Christmas. I wonder what happens if the person doesn’t gain weight, do they get one of their medals stripped away?

      • PrincessK says:

        The tabloids keep wanting us to believe that the Queen and Philip had a close relationship…..they grew apart and led separate lives even when under the same roof.

    • DouchesOfCambridge says:

      Im finding it bizarre that they are bringing in wood farm on the Yorks and saying stuff like they were having a conversation about a new kitchen and new heating in there. It looks like the hint is that the Yorks are going to be moving from royal lodge to Wood Farm or that the Queen left Andrew that part, it wouldn’t surprise me.

      • Becks1 says:

        ohhhh hmmmm interesting idea that the Queen left Andrew Wood Farm. I guess she could parcel out the Sandringham estate like that. I don’t think he would want to live there full time bc its farther from London but I can see the Queen making sure he always had a house in Norfolk.

  5. equality says:

    Fergie and Andrew definitely know all the dirt on KC. I would hope that a supposed environmentalist would NOT use individually (plastic-wrapped) soaps. KC is going to live just as large as QE. He’s not slimming down any spending. He may eventually have fewer “working” royals so more money for him.

  6. WiththeAmericann says:

    Camilla really does have friends in the press everywhere because all of these changes are presented as better. She wants “nice” soap or whatever, not like the small individual hotel soaps etc. eye roll. She wants it to feel homely, not like a service station hotel. Lol.

    • Chloe says:

      Maybe but the fact that this was leaked tells me that someone has it out for queen camilla.

    • Felicity Fox says:

      Yep, it definitely sounds like Charles and Camilla are definitely bullying staff. Time for an investigation and report.

      • Sugarhere says:

        I don’t dislike the fact that the staff is serving Camilla the Meghan treatment. Those sensitive souls are now traumatized because the dead Queen’s ways are to be altered? OK.

  7. Becks1 says:

    The Queen was pretty welcoming of Fergie too, it was really only Philip who disliked her, right? So I’m not really surprised that she’s back in the fold, maybe she would have been at Christmas last year if there had been a Sandringham christmas in 2021.

    How much more work can Charles and Camilla be than the Queen and Philip, considering Charles and Camilla left for Scotland basically right after Christmas? I guess they are 20 years younger than the Queen so maybe there is more activity, but they still left pretty quickly there. I wonder if there is just general uproar because the “schedule” is maybe more unknown – like the Queen always stayed from Christmas until February; maybe Charles has said “well maybe I’ll be back in January or maybe I’ll stop in for a weekend in February, maybe a week in March but I just don’t know yet” so the staff is a little on edge? IDK.

    Also why is Charles so confused by the staff scurrying away to hide when they see a “MRF” approaching? I mean I think that’s weird but for these people it seems what they expect; its not like Charles has never been to Sandringham before so why is he so caught off guard by the staff using different stairwells or whatever?

    • DK says:

      LOL @Becks1, that whole “wherever are you going?” to the staff thing rang so false for me too. He’s obviously well used to it; I call BS.

      The whole piece sounds like they are trying to not just puff up C&C, but as though the subtext is: “See? C&C are even better/more modern than QEII!”

      Like, better hotel towel experience, more modern approach to soap; better relations with staff; and we work harder than the Queen did!

      1) As if any of their many subjects suffering from cold and hunger right now care about the soap/towel situation?

      2) As if anyone believes C&C are more devoted to working hard than the Queen – along with the Waleses, these people are all about telling us how hard they work, or how hard they are going to work, or how seriously they will start taking their work…and very little about actually showing up and doing the work.

      But golly, I’m shocked the Mail would publish such (an attempted) slap in the face to the Queen! LOL

    • Lurker25 says:

      Re staff workload… I don’t remember the documentary name but it was about Charles. Sort of a secrets of the staff thing. One thing mentioned was that he liked to have a brandy and warm soft boiled eggs waiting for him when he got back from a hunt/shooting.

      So kitchen staff would get a heads up from the hunt staff that they’re heading back. But kitchen had no way to know exactly to the minute when Charles would appear for his eggs and soft-boiled eggs cook in precise minutes and cool quickly. So they’d just cook these batches then toss out, another batch then toss out, then another/toss out… Until he appeared and the latest would be waiting for him still warm.
      They showed the eggs being tossed.
      The waste was unbelievable.
      And the staff’s stress was palpable through the screen.

      I remember watching this while the Meghan is a demanding bully story raged on… These people are such garbage.

      • Cairidh says:

        It can’t have been real footage of Charles kitchen and Charles actual stressed staff it must have been a reenactment. The boiled eggs story was first revealed in the book his ex housekeeper wrote about him. He was widely criticised for it at the time, there have been denials from courtiers that it is true (though I believe the housekeeper) and he would never have allowed a film crew in after that to film evidence of it.

      • Becks1 says:

        @Lurker25 oh so I can completely believe that story, but I also feel like the Queen and Philip would have had very specific requests like that as well, you know? I can’t imagine any of the older royals were very easy to work for.

      • BeanieBean says:

        That’s just such a dumb wasteful process. Nobody could figure out something less wasteful, really? He gets back & immediately sits down expecting freshly boiled eggs? Nobody knows how to plan for when he returns–maybe takes off his boots, washes his hands, gets poured a cup of coffee/glass of brandy? They can’t figure out how to cook the eggs during that time? They are in serious need of some efficiency experts or time management training. Geez Louise.

      • Lady D says:

        Takes about 4-6 minutes to soft boil an egg. I find it hard to believe they didn’t have time to cook it between his arrival home from the hunt, and sitting down to eat. From getting off the horse to being seated at the table you have time and more time for a soft boiled egg, served with warm brandy. (gross combo or just me?)

  8. Amy Bee says:

    The Camilla Fergie thing is weird because it has been reported that Camilla didn’t like the Yorks. She didn’t go to Eugenie’s wedding. But I guess she has realised that it’s better to have the Yorks on her side than against her.

    • Flower says:

      I’ve said it many time before and I continue to hold the belief that Andrew has kompromat on chuckles, which was kept secret whilst Liz and Filip were alive.

      Now Andrew is using the bargaining chip to attempt to go after Virginia and relaunch his career and the house of York,

      • diANNa says:

        Flower, I agree with you! I think there is concern that if Andrew is ostracized then either he, or Fergie, could write their own memoir but be FAR LESS discreet than Harry. After the success of SPARE, it’s likely all of them see that as an option for financial independence.

    • Elizabeth says:

      I understood that Camilla didn’t attend Eugenie’s wedding because of two engagements, one in Scotland.

      • DK says:

        But weddings are generally planned far enough in advance as to avoid a double-booking. And if not, one would think one could re-arrange some other engagements (as long as they weren’t also weddings, funerals, or similar have-to-be-on-that-date engagements) for a royal wedding…

    • Sportie says:

      My take is that Camilla continues to play the long game, she intends on being the last one standing. Andrew & Fergie may know where the bodies are buried but Camilla will make sure what she has trumps anything A&F may have on C&C. Camilla is playing Fergie, knowing Fergie will spill what she knows about Andrew and anything that Eugenie may have told her mom about Harry & Meghan. Camilla operates (charming, gossipy, praise etc) like Trump, Epstein & the National Enquirer guy, constantly collecting info that can be weaponized when needed. Fergie is just desperate enough to be brought back up to the big leagues to fall into the trap.

  9. Flower says:

    “For years, her ex-husband Prince Andrew would take their daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, to the celebrations, leaving Sarah out in the cold. ”

    ^^ imagine your in-laws treating you like this for 20+ years and then just accepting to ‘play the game’ so they can throw you a threw scraps from the masters table every now and then.

    Self respect is truly dead.

    • Chloe says:

      I struggle to understand why she’s so desperate to be back in the royal fold anyway.

    • Tacky says:

      She certainly is persistent. I’ll give her that.

      • molly says:

        That woman has played the Long Game and them some.

        I’ll give her credit too: For someone who got caught trying to extort the monarch’s son (and a million other untoward things), she’s still kicking it in the royal fold. Good for her.

    • TheVolvesSeidr says:

      Poor Fergie though. She needs to read Spare and take to heart that she needs to heal her emotional trauma too. Yeah, she’s graspy money-wise, but I think she’s wounded. I loved her at the very beginning when she and Diana had so much fun together (god forfu@kingbid).

    • blue says:

      Philip hated her & wouldn’t allow her anywhere near him. Liz let her have brief visits when Phil was elsewhere.

  10. Concern Fae says:

    I’m betting it’s also a sop to Andrew. He’s cut out of public events, but Fergie will be included in the private ones.

    Makes sense Fergie and Camilla are pals. Awful people.

    • Rae S-L says:

      I remember reading an article about why Camilla couldn’t attend the wedding, in which Fergie went on to say that the former was friends with her late mother! Also Fergie has never really had an axe to grind with the BRF, not like Diana who had a valid one. Interestingly Diana’s brother-in-law (Fellows, who worked for the queen) is also a maternal cousin of her late father.

      • Tessa says:

        Fergie was caught out cheating on Andrew. Arguably, she may have salvaged the marriage had those paparazzi photos never been published.

      • equality says:

        I don’t think there was strife in the marriage. They most likely had an open marriage agreement. They only divorced because of the photos coming out and embarrassing the all-important RF. Phil didn’t despise her for cheating, his ire was that she got caught.

      • BayTampaBay says:

        @equqlity – Agree with you 100%. The Yorks had/have an open marriage.

      • Jaded says:

        I remember Fergie blaming the breakdown of their marriage on his being away on military duty for months at a stretch and she was “so lonely”. I call BS. They both had itches that needed to be scratched.

  11. Jais says:

    Imagine the staff is struggling with the change. That seems normal. And normal that they’d want to change things. I’m laughing though over the bewilderment of Charles wanting to stop and talk. Hopefully, he’s just chatting and not growling like he did with the pen. There’s prob a reason they don’t want to stop and “chat” with Charles if he’s rude as hell about a pen in front of the cameras. Imagine behind the scenes. I’d be jumping into closets and back stairs too.

    • C-Shell says:

      I’m vastly amused about how hide-bound these people are, whether staff or royal. Making an issue of towel placement and soap? 😆😂🤣

      • Doppelgangers R'Us says:

        But what about the teddy bears! Think about the teddy bears! Lol
        On another note, I remember some of the posted figures for staff pay for the BFR are quite low. That could also have a lot to do with it.

      • BeanieBean says:

        It’s kind of weird, though. I would never expect towels on the bed at Sandringham, nor little hotel soaps in the bathroom. In fact, I’ve never stayed in a hotel where they place the towels on the bed, & I’ve traveled throughout the UK several times. Maybe, possibly, in B&Bs where you have shared bathrooms? That’s stretching my memory, though. And if they want to be modern with the soap, it’s going to be those all-in-one shampoo/body wash dispensers in the shower.

    • dee(2) says:

      A lot of this does sound like normal staff issues when new management comes in regardless of the job. Your description cracked me up, but it’s kind of odd that he is surprised people are making themselves scarce around him. Like Kaiser said it’s not the first time they have interacted with them, and this is a family that writes letters to each other, and sets appointments to meet, and curtseys in private. They are all about these archaic rules, why would he be shocked they aren’t trying to shoot the breeze with the literal king in the hallway while they are doing laundry?

      • Tigerlily says:

        @Dee it’s also ironic that staff are saying Phil did the shoot better, things better under EII & Phil because Philip was given such a hard time initially. He had ideas to modernize Buckingham Palace etc and the courtiers didn’t like it one bit.

    • Saba says:

      Um. Camilla has ‘earned’ a specific role in the royal family and is making changes to her household and offices, as per her preferences, which she has a right to do.

      So where are the front page accusations of Camilla bullying staff? Where is the very public internal investigations? Where are the smear campaigns? Will the public demand she leave Chuck, get a divorce and pay back any money ever spent on her?

      No. Obviously, that was just reserved for Meghan.

  12. Tessa says:

    Sarah would speak kindly about Diana. Now that she is pals with Camilla she may not mention Diana anymore. I hope Eugenie continues so be pals with harry and Meghan despite her mother’s friendship with c and c.

    • Flower says:

      Eugenie did an interview recently where she pronounced that she was an activist and her son would be an activist – interesting choice of words given the rumblings in the Familia Real….

  13. Harper says:

    Better soap and hanging bath towels. Reminds me of “the cakes had little taste” comment at Lambrook.

    • Tessa says:

      Camilla is queen consort wouldn’t she have a senior staff member to see to placing of towels and soap in the room.

    • Lady Esther says:

      I was thinking the same @Harper, it also reminded me the infamous Tatler article that took Kate and the Middletons to task for making Anmer more like a fancy hotel than an aristo country house, with big bouquets of flowers IIRC? What is this obsession with class signifiers such as soap, towels, flowers, cakes…and apparently hotels are bad? It’s hilarious.

      Miss me with the making “Sandringham like a cosy family house” crap too, I’m quite sure it’s never been that and never will be….

      I also remember the story that Camilla, when she finally married Charles made sure to get rid of all of his crap wine that he and the Queen had drunk for decades (I think her taste ran to sweet German whites no matter what they were eating, not that Alsatian wines are terrible but they don’t go with everything) and to replace it with good wine in all of their palaces. Here I side with Camilla, life is too short to drink bad wine LOL

  14. Frippery says:

    Maybe the staff wouldn’t mind an increased workload if they were paid decently for it.

    • blue says:

      It’s very easy to put towels in bathrooms instead of on beds. Soaps? Regular sizes don’t need replacement with every new guest, especially if they’ve switched to liquid soaps.

    • Doppelgangers R'Us says:

      Exactly! The listings I have seen for the royal family staff have been very low IIRC I am in the US but even with the exchange rate they seemed poverty wages to me.

  15. Milo's Mom says:

    Andrew and Fergie are well on their way back into the Royal fold and public life. Next thing we know, they’ll be getting hitched. But not before the *Conanation!!!
    * Thanks to whoever posted that yesterday!!!!!

    • BayTampaBay says:

      I see Fergie has Andrew’s 24-hour minder (babysitter???). The last thing KCIII wants is for Andrew to be isolated all alone and speaking to the tabloids, non-palace lawyers and book publishers for attention to justify his existence.

      • TheVolvesSeidr says:

        That is a very good point @Bay

      • blue says:

        But is Fergie capable of discretion?

      • BayTampaBay says:

        @blue – I believe Fergie is capable of discretion with regards to Pedo Andy.

      • Sportie says:

        My theory runs along those lines. Camilla is the ultimate long game player. She’s “befriending” Fergie to play her, get as much info from her about Andrew & any info she may have from Eugenie about H&M. She wants to make sure that she and CIII have more dirt on A&F than A&F have on them. Camilla knows that Fergie’s just desperate enough to rejoin the firm to eventually let things slip. Shame on Fergie, she still profits off of her friendship with DIana and without a second thought cozies up to the person most responsible for Diana’s heartache, death and the terrorism towards H&M.

  16. Jensa says:

    I really doubt that staying at Sandringham is like staying at a motorway service station hotel. These people.

  17. Chloe says:

    “… and Fergie will be smart enough to play the game with Camilla and realise she is the power behind the King. That she must be nice to them and support them.’”

    How old are these women again?

    • molly says:

      If you watch The Windsors on Netflix, you know all about the REAL power player in the Charles/Camilla relationship.

      (But for real, everyone should watch that show. It’s hilarious.)

  18. Roo says:

    Reminds me of a comment about academics, and it truly applies here: something about the fights being so vicious because the stakes are so low. 😂. Soaps. Towels. Balconies. Stolen gems. Breeches.

  19. Emmlo says:

    I find it fascinating that the UK press is not more interested in the status of Fergie and Andrew’s relationship. Their children are grown adults, she doesn’t have to accompany them everywhere. Anne’s ex husband doesn’t/didn’t come to things! (Is Mark Phillips alive? I don’t even know.) Are Andrew and Fergie in a monogamous relationship? Does he continue to pursue teenagers? Is she fine with that?

    They are hunting up every piece of trash they can find to smear the Sussex family but absolute no curiosity about what’s happening with the Yorks.

    • Same says:

      I believe they have been a ‘couple’ for years — I don’t think they ever actually split after the toe sucking but Philip just would not tolerate his son being cuckolded on the world stage and being forgiving and so forced them to divorce.

      • Tessa says:

        Andrew and Fergie were not “true” to each other. She was serious about a wealthy man from Italy and there was talk of a remarriage some time ago. And there was Andrew visiting Epstein’s homes…I think they use each other. I think the “romance” left ages ago. They may or may not marry for expediency’s sake.

      • Julia K says:

        @tessa, yes the romance is over. Doubt there is any sexual attraction left. Fergi e has stated that they have separate rooms at Royal Lodge.

  20. Chaine says:

    My take is that Fergie better watch her back. They are bringing her back in the fold and raising her profile so that she will make a better fall guy when they need one.

    • Tessa says:

      Fergie can’t help herself, she’s been spending money and earning it and in debt and gets herself in bad situations. Like being caught selling access to Andrew.

  21. Lizzie says:

    I hope this staff gives the same welcome to Camilla as Meghan got from her staff. We all know how the staff who work for the royals treat someone who they look down on,

    • Eurydice says:

      The staff take their cues from the RF – you don’t snub the Queen Consort. Much easier to snub the Black-American wife of the sixth-in-line when you see the rest of the family doing it.

  22. Ceej says:

    So KCIII gets the double win of not having Andrew stay with him AND sticking it to his distant father’s ghost by putting the woman he actively disliked in the home he loved.

  23. Dani says:

    Wait, Camilla is only 63?? Wow, she looks at least 10 years older. Yikes!

    • Becks1 says:

      No, the Duchess they’re referring to in that line is Sarah Ferguson, she’s 63. Camilla is a year or two older than Charles.

      • Well Wisher says:

        This is what should not be discussed in polite company.
        Camilla has no self esteem: so she is going to get some via the staff.

        The old monied class in the US value the loyalty of their staff more than some of their irelatives.
        I can see why the staff is bothered. Few individuals like dealing and interacting with snobs and their smugness.

        (Should be stand alone comment.)

      • blue says:

        Cam looks much older than her chronological age. Too much sun, gin, & maybe tobacco. I know women in their 80’s who look much better.

    • robem07 says:

      She’s 75.

    • Anna says:

      Whaaaat??? My god, my MiL is almost her age and she looks soooooooo much younger. But she is also not a vile cow and doesn’t drink and smoke all days…. Cams should be the poster for “you get the face you deserve”.

  24. QuiteContrary says:

    “And some say that the annual shoot was far better when Philip ran it.”

    These people are so far removed from reality …

    Fergie’s power stance in the above photo is … something.

    • Lorelei says:

      @QuiteContrary, I kept waiting for someone to comment on that insane photo. Was that at the Queen’s funeral? Because she has a pretty big smile on her face…

  25. AnneL says:

    It’s been observed that servants in these Posh English families are often more conservative than their employers. I soured on “Downton Abbey” and stopped watching after a while, but I do remember things like the servants getting flustered and bent out of shape when the Lord installed electricity and a telephone. The butler, whatever his name was, was the most tradition-bound snob in the house, lol.

  26. Lee says:

    Lol! The staff sounds rather lazy….if they can’t adapt to their new bosses they should leave

  27. Rebecca says:

    Imagine talking to the staff! I love how that’s presented as an actual issue.

  28. Emily_C says:

    “Fergie will be smart enough to play the game with Camilla and realise she is the power behind the King. That she must be nice to them and support them.” In other words, she sucks up, and they like that because they are terrible people.

    Why are you surprised Camilla is making this a class thing? I know it’s weird to most of us, but class is everything to these dinguses. EVERYTHING.

  29. Lorelei says:

    Articles like this make me wonder why I even pay attention to this godforsaken family. They’re beyond pathetic

  30. BeanieBean says:

    That article makes no sense! Staff are unsettled because Charles wants to walk the halls & speak with them? But it’s the same family!!! He was there before! They know him!!! And the Boxing Day birds have been overshot? that’s on Prince Philip then. That doesn’t happen overnight & if he was in charge all these years, then there you go. What a load of nonsense these tabloids write!

  31. Nivz says:

    You know how you can be sure Camilla’s Mark Bolland-Penny Junor run, decades-long PR worked really well? That, and stupid ‘The Crown’?

    Because we are even the tiny bit surprised when she does something reprehensible.

  32. bisynaptic says:

    These people enjoy killing.

  33. sammi says:

    Camilla is only nice to Fergie to get Eugenie away from Harry and Meghan….especially now she is pregnant!
    Have you seen You Tube channel showing Prince Andrew’s interview with Emily Matlis which has been hidden for ages and now appears with a good commentary from an American. Shocking still and seems to include bits cut out from the TV show when shown in UK?

    • Tessa says:

      Eugenie and Jack should be loyal to harry and Meghan . If f e r g I e wants to play up to Camilla that’s all on her. Camilla should not dictate terms to Eugenie

  34. MJM says:

    Sarah has played an extremely long game to get back in this fold. Nearly 30 years long. She too was scapegoated and not protected by the institution. Endured some pretty big snubs too like no invite to William’s wedding. Hope it’s worth it for her.