When Queen Camilla smoked, she had silver cigarette boxes in every room - and you won't believe how pampered King Charles' shoe laces are: Royal expert BRIAN HOEY reveals the extent of the royals' life of luxury By Brian Hoey Published: 08:34 BST, 28 September 2024 | Updated: 08:41 BST, 28 September 2024 e-mail 33 View comments Nobody outside the Royal Household really knows the luxurious extent of the lifestyle of the family at its heart. Outwardly, they give the impression of being frugal and parsimonious – which they often are, even though Princess Anne prefers to call it, 'good old-fashioned Hanoverian Housekeeping'. But this frugality does not apply to what they eat, drink, wear, drive and ride.
They enjoy only the best that money can buy, even if they instruct their staff to negotiate the best deals when ordering on their behalf. As a family they take luxury for granted and hold loyalty above all other virtues. When Queen Camilla still smoked, footmen were instructed to place silver cigarette boxes containing her favourite brand in every room.
Above: Camilla smoking while riding with the Beaufort Hunt, 1996 Princess Anne hates being driven, even by her husband who has never even been allowed to sit behind the wheel And as a former senior staff member once remarked: 'The Royal Family may not always be right, but they are never wrong.' The idea of having to accept second best in anything simply does not occur to any of the family. The attention to detail the royals insi.
