Inside Palace staff’s wild parties – from ‘orgy’ on Yacht Britannia to 2 servants in HOSPITAL after rowdy booze-up
SERVANTS being hospitalised after an all-night Christmas party, bathroom sex orgies and the Queen asking staff to pull off her pants – this is the sordid secret life of the royals and their staff.
Members of the Firm play it straight-laced in public, but behind closed doors they’ve happily got down and dirty with footmen and housemaids over the years.
Festive bashes at Buckingham Palace are a particular calendar favourite, as are The Gillies’ Balls at Balmoral in the summer – and plenty of stories emerge from each.
It comes after The Sun revealed yesterday a Palace staff Christmas do spiralled “out of control” with cops called to a nearby bar after glasses were hurled and punches thrown.
Royal biographer Phil Dampier told The Sun: “I think there’s always been a hard drinking culture at Buckingham Palace.
“It’s died down a lot in recent years, as it has done in many offices for a variety of reasons.
“We’re more politically correct these days.”
However, he said our Christmas party scoop “did bring back some memories”.
He added: “I have to say that it’s sort of a small beer if you want to use that phrase compared to some of the stories in the past.”
Years ago, the late Queen and Prince Philip, as well as their children – the now-King Charles, Prince Andrew, Princess Anne and Prince Edward – would “mingle with the servants” during many festive bashes at the palace.
“They would get out on the dance floor, and you’d see the Queen dancing with some of her favourite servants.
“It was really an amazing scene to see and people loved doing it.”
During the infamous 2004 palace Christmas party things got “slightly out of hand”, he explained.
“It ended up with two people being taken by ambulance.
“One guy fell down some stairs and broke his ankle, another one had alcoholic poisoning.
“They were both taken to hospital, and a third servant, a Scotsman, ended up sleeping in the grounds of Buckingham Palace, with his kilt up around his ears, and the Crown jewels on full display,” Mr Dampier said laughing.
“Quite a few maids apparently were extremely tipsy, struggling to stay in their high heels, and ended up throwing up in the bushes in the Buckingham Palace gardens.
“It really was an old fashioned booze up, and that was 2004.”
He continued: “I’m not going to say I’m glad to see that some people are carrying on the traditions, but it doesn’t surprise me.
“It’s like any other office party, really. And other people will know about this.
“There’s always one or two people who perhaps they’re not used to drinking, and it gets a bit out of hand, and they let their hair down once a year.
“And the Christmas party is the opportunity to do it, and sometimes they can’t cope with it.
“But of course, unfortunately for for royal servants, many of whom are extremely hardworking, and not particularly well paid – it can end up in the papers.”
Mr Dampier explained that years ago, royal servants had it written into their contracts that if there was a state banquet with more than 50 guests, they were “entitled to a free drink supply”.
They could also finish off any opened bottles once the formalities were finished, so would take them up to their rooms and “had some great parties late into the night”.
Another calendar favourite for the Firm is the The Ghillies Ball held annually in Balmoral, where the royals would once again mingle with staff.
Under the rule of the late Queen, no one was allowed to leave until she had – which would often be midnight at least.
While the younger royals would stay up partying into the early hours and have an early dawn breakfast before heading to bed.
DO THE ROYALS GET DRUNK?
However, Mr Dampier said, despite their love of parties, the senior royals would always have to watch what they drank at such dos.
“I don’t think you would ever see the Queen or Prince Philip getting drunk at one of these parties,” he said.
But he said something of a Christmas tradition from the old days saw many of the royals in their youth getting up to Sandringham early on Christmas Eve to get on the cider.
“I’m told that, certainly in the old days before they fell out, when William and Harry used to get up there with Mike Tyndall, and others, they would get stuck into the Sandringham cider, the homemade Sandringham cider,” he explained.
However, he said Christmas Day lunch for the royals is “not a boozy affair”, rather they are busy “scoffing down” the food and then getting ready for the Queen’s – and now King’s – Speech.
In his 2007 book What’s in the Queen’s Handbag and other Royal Secrets, Mr Dampier goes on to describe some other eyebrow-raising anecdotes.
For example, one day in the 1980s, a staff member came across a woman bending under the bonnet of a broken-down car in Windsor Great Park.
“Nice arse!” they cheekily observed before Princess Anne emerged to greet him. She saw the funny side, responding: “Thank you very much.”
Buckingham Palace maid ARRESTED for assault after staff Xmas party descends into boozy brawl in All Bar One
EXCLUSIVE BY MATT WILKINSON & MIKE SULLIVAN
A CHRISTMAS party for Buckingham Palace staff spiralled “out of control” with cops called to a nearby bar after glasses were hurled and punches thrown.
Trouble flared when up to 50 servants arrived for a pre-arranged All Bar One bash after Palace drinks. A woman believed to be a housemaid aimed a punch at the manager, smashed glasses and was arrested.
Security tried to calm her down but she continued to throw glasses, it is claimed.
A witness to the chaotic scenes said: “I’ve never seen one person get that crazy during a night out. She was on another level.”
Police raced to the bar after 9pm on Tuesday and the woman, 24, was arrested for common assault, criminal damage and being drunk and disorderly.
She was thrown in a cell for the night and was released almost 24 hours later with a fine.
A source admitted to The Sun it had been a “tough night” for everyone involved.
Another said: “Someone kicked off outside, was smashing glasses, and then got arrested.”
Details of the drama emerged as offices across the country hold Christmas parties with warnings they can spiral out of control ahead of Black Eye Friday, or Mad Friday, next week.
Royal staff had enjoyed drinks at the Palace at 4pm, with the event passing without incident.
A group of around 50 including the woman later arrived for a pre-arranged party at the All Bar One — a nine-minute walk away in Victoria Street.
One insider told The Sun: “The group walked in and this one girl just got hysterical.
“She started smashing glasses and abusing our staff members, so we had to call the police.
“I’ve never seen one person get that crazy during a night out. She was on another level.”
Another added: “It had been a crazy night, we were incredibly busy and we had to deal with so many bookings.
“We were fully booked and then we had to deal with a party of 50 people on top of that.”
The pub has security and is a popular destination for Christmas parties.
It is understood Met Police officers also seized its CCTV.
A force spokesperson said: “At 21.21hrs on Tuesday, December 10 officers were called to a bar in Victoria Street, SW1, following reports that a customer had smashed glasses and attempted to assault a member of staff.
“Officers attended and arrested a 24-year-old woman on suspicion of common assault, criminal damage and being drunk and disorderly.
“She was taken into custody and released the following evening having been given a penalty notice for disorder.”
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “We are aware of an incident outside the workplace involving a number of Household staff who had previously attended an early evening reception at the Palace.
“While this was an informal social gathering, not an official Palace Christmas party, the facts will be fully investigated, with a robust disciplinary process followed in relation to individual staff and appropriate action taken.”
The late Queen herself was said to be very tolerant of certain misbehaviour, abiding by the old cliché “you can’t get the staff”.
In the early 80s, were suspended from duty after an walked in on a group of male servants amid “orgy” aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia. Photos made it into the tabloids.
After an internal investigation, the then-monarch forgave them and they kept their jobs.
In 1992, another such orgy made it into the press – this time at Buckingham Palace, involving three footmen.
Yeoman of the Silver Pantry Kevin Lomas walked into an unlocked room on the top floor of the staff quarters to discover the trio in a large Victorian enamel bath.
The incident was reported, but no disciplinary action was taken, writes Mr Dampier.
THE QUEEN’S PANTS
His book also details another incident in the 1980s at Wood Farm, a five-bedroom farmhouse on the Sandringham Estate during a “horrible rainy and cold” pheasant shoot.
The Queen, and princes Philip, Charles, Andrew and Edward all attended, and the Queen Mum greeted them with drinks.
The monarch herself was wearing green Hunter Wellington boots and Barbour waterproof leggings.
Everyone was keen to get out of their wet clothes once they got back to the farmhouse.
“All of a sudden she got down on the hard stone floor, lay on her back and said to me ‘Would you please help me, would you pull my pants off?’” one servant recalled.
Mr Dampier clarified, the Queen referred to her leggings as pants.