Within the walls of Windsor Castle, even the most dedicated royal staff occasionally face nerve-testing moments. Steven Kaye, who served as Queen Elizabeth II’s valet for more than three years, has shared a messy incident that shows how gracefully Her Majesty handles the (very occasional) hiccups of palace life of.
Like most of us who have hosted dinner parties, the late Queen sometimes faced unexpected challenges (although mine may not have been as grand as Windsor’s). One unforgettable evening, a typical formal dinner turns into chaos when the lights in the castle’s dining room begin to mysteriously flicker.
Queen Elizabeth very pragmatically suggested that dinner be served by candlelight instead. There’s just one little problem: no one remembered to light the candles.
As Kay told Slingo, “One time the under-butler forgot to put out the candles on the table…The Queen ordered the lights turned out, and we had only candlelight—well, no candles.”
Usually the royal table is filled with candles.
(Image source: Getty Images)
“Then we ran to a pantry and found some candles and brought them up, and the Queen was sitting almost in the dark,” Kay recalled.
What makes this story particularly sweet is the Queen’s understanding of the situation. As Kay explains, “This sort of thing does happen all the time, and with any job that has to be perfect, there’s always going to be a lot of mistakes. But as long as you correct those mistakes quickly, I wouldn’t do it.” I think the Queen Really mind.
The former royal valet, who made the comments shortly before the Queen’s death, added, “She didn’t like to be sloppy, so considering it was an accident and not intentional, she was usually fine.”
In fact, Queen Elizabeth has been known to actually enjoy it when something goes wrong. Samantha Cohen, who has worked for the Queen for nearly 20 years, told Australian media herald sun (via vanity fair), “She was very comfortable with herself, but she loved when things went wrong – if the cake wasn’t cut or the plaque wasn’t unveiled – because everything was so perfectly organized, and when something went wrong, it added to her life pleasure.
Somehow I have a feeling the Queen was probably happy to be left in the dark (or at least a little amused).
