‘Hot Taj bench cooled for royals” ran a Times of India headline on the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s visit to Agra at the weekend. But before the couple posed on the marble bench in front of the Taj Mahal, a team of officials spent two hours splashing said seat with iced water. (Before, rather than while they were on it.) So – just as the Queen thinks the world smells of fresh paint – William and Kate’s backsides now believe metamorphic rock remains cool in 42-degree heat. Still, it’s not like it’s the first time someone has gone to extraordinary lengths to please the royals …
Queen Victoria at Scone Palace: an archway, apartment and golden shortbread
In 1840, the Earl of Mansfield was given notice that Queen Victoria would be paying a visit on a tour of Scotland. In two years’ time. Most of which the Earl spent carrying out extensive renovations to his gothic castle, Scone Palace. A new archway was built to accommodate the royal carriage and an entire ground-floor apartment built because Victoria didn’t want to sleep upstairs. A local craftsman was paid the equivalent of £75,000 to make furniture from cedars growing on the grounds and a master Italian confectioner was brought from London to make Victoria’s favourite shortbread, painted with gold leaf. The royal visit was for a single night.
Handcut grass and a new road in Delhi
A British Pathé archive reel titled Preparing for Queen’s Visit reveals the work carried out ahead of the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh’s visit to Delhi in 1960. A new road laid in front of the presidential palace, where the royals would be staying, gates and kerbstones painted, grass cut by hand, and a statue of King George V restored. “Fresh paint and a general smarten-up will make the city as bright as a new pin,” notes the plummy-toned voiceover 13 years on from independence. “And it’s all being done in the calm, unhurried manner of the east.”
An (unused) muted toilet flush
Ladies-in-waiting are tasked with warning hosts never to serve shellfish (in case of upset stomachs) and to set aside a “retiring room” for the sole use of the Queen in case she needs to use the toilet. On a proposed visit to a rugby match at Twickenham, a lady-in-waiting was shown the chosen retiring room but, as the noise of the flush could be heard from the nearest seats, engineers were called in to drain the water and replace it with “silent” straw. Apparently the Queen never used the facilities.
A rewired bedroom for Margaret’s rollers
Ladies-in-waiting often perform a recce months before an official visit. When one rang ahead of time to let a host know Princess Margaret would be coming for a weekend visit, an entire bedroom was rewired so she could use her rollers.
No bumpy train tracks at 7.30am
The mobile home used by the Queen, Prince Philip, the Prince of Wales and Princess Anne is the only private, non-commercial train service used by one family in the UK. The Queen’s personal carriage includes a bathroom with a full-size tub and the train operators are allegedly told to ensure the carriages don’t cross any bumpy tracks just after 7.30am when she is having her morning soak.
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