King Charles' former butler reveals one ingredient the Queen 'never indulged' in
A cup of tea is a staple in most family homes - and it's no different for the royal family. Now a former royal butler has shared just how the monarchy enjoy a warm cup just like the rest of us and spilled some of the secrets behind their drinking habits.
Grant Harrold served as King Charles ' personal butler at Highgrove from 2004 to 2011, and said tea and coffee is typically served six times a day in a royal household, and the King is known for enjoying multiple cups to keep him fueled while working at his desk.
The former butler revealed the late Queen never opted for anything sweet in her tea or coffee, and Charles also stays clear of sweet additions, and the staff have to stick to the royal drinking schedule - as he breaks down the specific times everyone indulges in a hot drink.
Grant revealed to Coffee Friend that while older members of the family prefer a more civilised affair with a cup and saucer, Prince William and Kate Middleton are happy to enjoy a brew in a mug.
"The amount of time a tea or coffee is brewed is a personal choice. Everyone likes their coffee at different strengths, but the royals want to be able to taste their cup of tea or coffee, without it being stewed," Grant revealed. "It will take a couple of minutes for a cup of tea, but if they're making coffee in a cafetière, it will probably be four or five minutes for the best flavour."
When it comes to sweetness, Grant said the King stays away from sugar or sweeteners when he's having a coffee as he opts for a spoon of honey and detailed: "It's a great alternative and he's had it for years.
"We used to offer all members of the Royal family the choice to have sugar or sweeteners - but I must say, I have never seen the Queen or anyone indulge in sugar when having their coffee or tea."
The insider also shared Charles' love for both tea and coffee, and revealed he will have around "three to four cups a day, but it's offered regularly in case he "wants more" but there are specific types of tea that are drank.
"If you're at the Royal home, there will also be a Chinese or Indian tea on offer. Normally an Earl Grey or Assam will be within the selection. Tea bags are used from time to time, but Royals will definitely prefer tea leaves to a bag. It's more traditional," he further detailed.
As the tea types differ, so does the cup they will drink it from as well Grant shared, "If you're being entertained in the presence of the Royal family or at one of their homes, it's most likely you will drink out of a teacup and saucer.
"But it depends on which Royals are present. If you're in the kitchen with Princess Anne or Kate and William during a less formal visit, you can be sure you'll be given a mug. But if you're with the King and Queen, and it's more of an occasion, you'll probably be served tea or coffee in a cup and saucer or a demi cup."
He also revealed you won't be given a new cup if you are having more than one cup of tea or coffee. It's likely your cup will be taken away for a quick wash and then returned. Or if you are having it from a teapot, it won't be washed. "It isn't bad etiquette to use the same cup unless you change the type of drink."
According to Grant, this is what a royal's daily drinking schedule looks like:
Morning drink: 7:30am
Coffee and tea
Breakfast: 8am-10:30am
Tea and coffee served
Elevenses: 11am-12pm
Tea will be served with biscuits
Prelunch drink: 12:30pm-1pm
Alcoholic drink served
Lunchtime: 1:30pm-2:30pm
Coffee and herbal tea served
Afternoon tea: 4pm-6pm
Traditional breakfast tea
Pre dinner drinks: 7:30pm-8pm
Alcoholic choice
After dinner: 8:30pm-10:30pm
Coffee and herbal teas served
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Memorials held across the West to mark 80th anniversary of VJ Day
Memorials have been held across the West to mark the 80th anniversary of VJ Day (Victory over Japan Day) – signifying the end of World War Two. Crowds took part in a national two-minute silence at 12:00 BST led by the King, Queen and Prime Minister Keir Starmer from the National Memorial Arboretum in VE Day (Victory in Europe Day) was celebrated on 8 May 1945, thousands of military personnel continued to fight Japanese forces for three more surrender was ultimately sparked by the United States' nuclear strikes on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset, the day was marked by veterans bearing military banners in the town's Italian Gardens. In the Gloucestershire towns of Quedgeley and Cheltenham, crowds gathered at war memorials. In Marlborough, Wiltshire, council dignitaries invited the public to join them in the silence from the steps of the town was preceded by a bugler playing the Last Post and the Kohima Epitaph was spoken from the steps. Ted Allen, Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Somerset, said: "The war in Asia was almost the forgotten war. So while we celebrated the incredible relief in Europe in May this year it is absolutely right that we celebrate victory in Japan. We should never forget." Jane Norris, of the Royal British Legion, was among those who took part in the silence at Victoria Park, in Frome, Somerset. She said wreaths were laid and Rudyard Kipling's poem Recessional was read. "This was a sober, sombre reflection of the atrocities that went on and the endurance of people in the jungle and in the prisoner of war camps, not forgetting those who suffered when two atomic bombs fell," she said. Also at Victoria Park was Gina, who said her father served in Burma, now Myanmar. While most of the nation was celebrating the end of the war in Europe, her family knew the fighting was ongoing."It has to be remembered," she Painter, from Marlborough, said his father volunteered in the Navy's Fleet Air Arm. "I thought it would be nice to remember him for the service he did during the war and remembering how it affected him very deeply, especially collecting the prisoners of war from Japan," Mr Painter said. He said his father watched an atomic bomb go off. "He was in a ship in Japanese waters, so all these things really deeply affected him," Mr Painter said.
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
King and Queen lead two-minute silence to mark 80 years since VJ Day
Update: Date: 14:15 BST Title: Eighty years on, VJ day reminds us of 'price of freedom' Content: Adam GoldsmithLive reporter Eighty years ago today, World War Two was officially brought to an end with Japan's surrender. Today, the King, Queen and Prime Minister Keir Starmer gathered alongside crowds and veterans at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire to pay their respects to those who fought the Japanese military in Asia. We've got a recap of everything that unfolded, as an emotional ceremony saw veterans take the stage to offer tributes to fallen friends, before the event was capped off by an flypast by historic RAF aircraft. Over in Tokyo, commemorations were also taking place - our correspondent there has more on Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's mention of the word "remorse" in his speech, the first time it has been used by a Japanese leader in more than 10 years. The surrender was ultimately sparked by the US's devastating nuclear strikes on Hiroshima and Nagasaki - and one veteran who witnessed the aftermath of Hiroshima has shared the fright of what he saw on a BBC podcast. And, while the 33 veterans present at the ceremony were celebrated for their sacrifice, the cost of war was laid bare in moving testimony. After one veteran paid tribute to a fallen friend, 101 year-old George Durrant reminded the crowds that he was present "not as a hero but as someone who witnessed the price of freedom". That brings our live page to a close, but we've got further coverage of Victory in Japan day across the BBC: Update: Date: 13:56 BST Title: The little-known history of comfort women in Indonesia Content: Ayomi AmindoniBBC Indonesia Warning: this post contains distressing details Under Japanese occupation, hundreds of thousands in Asia - from South Korea to China to the Philippines - were taken as 'comfort women', forced into sexual slavery for Japanese soldiers during World War Two. In Indonesia, the stories of these women - also known as 'ianfu' - were largely buried until the 1990s, when Tuminah, from the city of Solo, became the first survivor to speak out about the sexual violence she had endured. She had been working as a sex worker in 1944 when she was rounded up by Japanese military police and held in a brothel along with other women. "In that hotel, I was there for days, I was very tired, both mentally and physically,' Tuminah's niece, Hening Saptaningsih, recalled her saying. 'If I could choose, I wouldn't want to live like that, because it's painful for me.' Tuminah's testimony has encouraged other Indonesian survivors to come forward. Some of girls had been taken to similar premises, under false promises of becoming actors in a travelling troupe. Another survivor previously told BBC Indonesian that she was only nine years old when a Japanese officer raped her for four days straight. Japan has issued formal apologies for the comfort women issue, but these efforts have been deemed insincere by some survivors and advocates. Meanwhile, some Indonesians say their own government has failed comfort women seeking reparations and closure. "How can I put it? Indonesia seems to have forgotten about the ianfu issue,' Hening told BBC Indonesia. It's 'futile' to ask for measures to 'improve their status', she said. 'The Indonesian government won't listen.' Update: Date: 13:49 BST Title: Sons paid respect for their fathers' service in Cardiff on Thursday Content: David GrundyBBC Wales The Wales National War Memorial in Cardiff was the focus of VJ Day events in Wales yesterday. Deputy First Minister, Huw Irranca-Davies MS, was joined by Masaki Ikegami, Deputy Ambassador for the Japanese Embassy in the UK, and laid wreaths at the memorial. Irranca-Davies said the event was 'very important' to 'focus on peace and seek peace and reconciliation'. Representatives from all faith communities were present for the service led by Canon Aled Edwards, who said: 'We need to make a powerful statement in the modern world that we do still have to strive for peace." Colin Rogers travelled from Welshpool in Powys with a photo of his father Jack, who fought in Burma (now Myanmar). 'They were called the forgotten army,' he said, pointing out that the focus had been on the end of the war in Europe while the fighting went on in Asia for another three months. Terrence Herron, from Britannia near Aberbargoed in Caerphilly County, wore his father's medals to the service. "My father was in Burma, luckily enough he came back, and he went to North Africa as well, so he did his bit. "When he was dying you know, was the only time he told me where he went. They didn't back then, and I don't know what they went through." Update: Date: 13:36 BST Title: VJ Day recap: Veterans moved to tears as King, Queen and PM watch moving ceremony Content: Let's recap what we've just seen as the UK commemorated 80 years since the end of World War Two. Update: Date: 13:24 BST Title: 'You'd never heard such a cheer in your life' Content: Ashitha NageshReporting from the National Memorial Arboretum Edward Hadfield, 100, served in the 8th Punjab regiment in Burma. He was sailing from Chennai, then known as Madras, in south India when they heard the war was over. "You've never heard such a cheer in your life," he tells the BBC. "The war was over, and you were alive, and I was alive." However, he says that today he's remembering his many good friends who didn't survive the war. "They gave our today so we can have our tomorrow." Update: Date: 13:18 BST Title: Glasgow veterans remember all those who served Content: Gillian SharpeBBC Scotland Earlier this morning, veterans from The Erskine Home in Bishopton, near Glasgow were joined by family and supporters to mark the 80th anniversary of VJ day. The group crossed the Erskine Bridge in tribute to those who served at the end of the World War Two. Ninety-year-old veteran, Norman Seymour, who served alongside the Gurkas in Malaya (now Malaysia), laid a wreath at the VJ Memorial Stone at the home. Originally from Sunderland but now living in Scotland, he was just ten years old when the war ended but remembers street parties. Of today's walk he says it "was my way of honouring those who didn't come home". "It was an emotional day but also uplifting to see so many people coming together." Update: Date: 13:13 BST Title: Fly-past marks end of VJ Day anniversary ceremony Content: As the commemorations come to a close, the crowds at the National Memorial Arboretum look to the skies, where a Battle of Britain memorial fly past takes place. Above is a Lancaster bomber, flanked on either side by a Hurricane and Spitfire. Update: Date: 13:11 BST Title: 'I speak to you as someone who witnessed the price of freedom' Content: The ceremony has also heard from war veteran George Durrant, who was joined on stage by his great-granddaughter Elsbeth. He served in Burma (now Myanmar) from April 1944 until the end of the war. "People always talk about how brave we were," he says. "But few of us thought that way." "At the time, we just thought that we were there to do our duty," he continues. "I speak to you now not as a hero but as someone who witnessed the price of freedom." He adds that the next generation must remember the veterans' sacrifices "so that they can strive for a more peaceful tomorrow". Update: Date: 13:08 BST Title: British Indian Army veteran salutes King and reads from war diary Content: Captain Yavar Abbas, who served in the 11th Sikh regiment of the British Indian Army, has just read an excerpt from his war diary, preserved "lovingly" by his late wife "perhaps for just such an occasion". But before his reading, he apologises for going "briefly off-script" to salute "my brave King" who is there in spite of his ongoing cancer treatment. The King and Queen both look moved by his words, as Abbas says cancer is an illness that he and the monarch share - and that if it provides any comfort, he has been "rid of it for 25 years and counting", which is met by applause. "Tomorrow, I hope I will live to do better things," the 104-year-old reads from an entry dated 8 February 1945. "I could have been dead twice before, but I'm still living. I would be surprised if I get a life for a third time. May god spare me." This video can not be played Cancer survivor goes off script and pays tribute to King Update: Date: 12:55 BST Title: Tribute paid to contribution from British Commonwealth soldiers Content: A tribute has just been read by poet Sir Ben Okri. Called 'Burma, 1945: Sacrifice', the reading focuses on the contributions of soldiers who had enlisted from countries in the British Commonwealth to fight in Burma (now Myanmar). Okri then reads out the names of some, who he says were "among millions from Britain, Africa and old India, from farms and villages in ancient kingdoms" who fought. "It is in a stellar light that we remember their underrated sacrifice," he reads. Update: Date: 12:47 BST Title: 'We all prayed for freedom': Indian Army POW account read out Content: We've just heard from retired Col Mohammad Ghani Rashdi, an officer in the Indian Army who was captured when Singapore fell to the Japanese. The 104-year-old was unable to be present today, so actor Nitin Ganatra is read his account on his behalf. "I try not to think to often of my time at the camp," he says. He explains that when his grandchildren would ask him, he would tell of the "cruel Japanese guards", the beatings and treatment "like donkeys" working all day with little food. "Despite this, the Japanese would taunt us by putting pork in front of Muslims and beef in front of Hindus, What food there was, was often contaminated with insects," he says. "My prayers were the only thing that kept me going. I used to pray everyday to leave - everyone did. We all prayed to a different god but we all prayed for the same thing - freedom." After spending more than three years in the camp, he says he began to believe he would never leave, but then "one day, it happened". "It was like being a bird that's been caged for many years and fluttering its wings and flying." He ends his account with a final message: "Never walk with anger, let calmness lead the way." Actor Nitin Ganatra read Mohammad Ghani Rashdi's account on his behalf Update: Date: 12:42 BST Title: Submarine veteran moved to tears by tribute read in his name Content: Veteran John Harlow is visibly moved to tears when a tribute is read out on his behalf by actor Anton Lesser. It describes how Harlow served as a submariner in east Asia for two years, after volunteering for the Navy aged 16. His job, Lesser reads, was to lay explosive mines when a sister ship went down in 1945. The ship, called HMS Porpoise, had been attacked by a Japanese bomber and was never heard from again. "War doesn't grant you the luxury of goodbyes," the actor reads, as Harlow describes how each VJ Day he thinks of a friend who was killed on HMS Porpoise. "I wish today for us to remember all the crew of HMS Porpoise, Mark, and all lost at sea," Harlow's speech says. "For in remembering, they live on." Update: Date: 12:41 BST Title: In pictures: King, Queen and PM watch moving VJ Day memorial Content: Update: Date: 12:34 BST Title: 'I always think of what was done to them, but especially today' Content: Sara GirvinIreland Correspondent, in Lagan Valley Island The sun is shining on Lagan Valley Island in Lisburn, County Antrim. It's hosting today's VJ Day 80 commemoration event where a two minute silence followed a wreath laying ceremony. Bagpipes are being tuned ahead of a public parade by the National Malaya and Borneo Veterans Association (NMBVA). Later, an outdoor service honouring those who served in Asia, including local war hero and medical pioneer - Professor Frank Pantridge, will also take place. He was a former prisoner and military doctor who survived captivity and was later credited with transforming emergency medicine by inventing the portable defibrillator. Scores of armed forces representatives are here but also attending today's commemoration is veteran Tommy Doherty. Tommy Doherty Even at 98, he still vividly remembers serving in the RAF in Singapore during the thoughts today are with prisoners of war. He recalls talking to former prisoners who felt forgotten about, after the end of the conflict in Europe. "The Germans are beat and the war is over there and the people are all dancing about and having beers and this, that and the other thing and they've just left us just prisoners," he remembers one telling him. "I always think of what was done to them, but especially today". Update: Date: 12:23 BST Title: 'I was a prisoner of war as a baby' Content: Ashitha NageshReporting from the National Memorial Arboretum Katharine Canning, 83, tells BBC News she was just 11 months old when she and her family were declared 'enemy aliens' by Japan. She, her parents and her brother were taken to what would become known as Weihsien Internment Camp in Japanese-occupied China. Her parents had a third baby while imprisoned there. Her memories, she tells us, are patchy - but vivid. 'I remember digging around for rusty nails in the rubble, because everything was precious,' she says. 'I remember throwing water on my father and thinking it was funny, and laughing — but he was very angry, because that was our entire day's water supply.' Katharine also recalls being rescued by paratroopers on VJ Day, when she was three years old. She lost one of her dug-out treasures, a piece of broken china, in the paratrooper's parachute bag. Update: Date: 12:19 BST Title: Celia Imrie says 'spirit and determination' of those who fought will not be forgotten Content: Actress Celia Imrie has just paid tribute to all who fought and gave their lives during World War Two. "Your spirit and determination in the face of unspeakable horrors will not be forgotten", she says. Update: Date: 12:17 BST Title: Battle of Kohima memorial read by British Army veteran Content: British Army veteran Owen Filer has just read the dedication written on the Kohima Epitaph, laid in memory of the Battle of Kohima, which took place in 1944 in northeast India near Burma (now Myanmar). "When you go home, tell them of us and say, for your tomorrow, we gave our today," the 103-year-old says. Update: Date: 12:14 BST Title: Last Post and tribute to veterans heard before silence Content: Just before the two minutes' silence, we heard from 101-year-old former RAF pilot Ron Gumbley, who read an excerpt of Laurence Binyon's poem For The Fallen. That was followed by a rendition of The Last Post - a sound that has become synonymous with war time commemorations. Update: Date: 12:11 BST Title: A moving ceremony in blazing sunshine Content: Ashitha NageshReporting from the National Memorial Arboretum The service at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire is already extremely moving. But the temperature has crept up to about 25C, and guests are sitting in direct sunlight. Some people have come prepared with white parasols. Others are having to make do with fanning themselves with their programmes. Update: Date: 12:09 BST Title: Watch: Red Arrows perform flypast as veterans and royals mark 80 years since VJ Day Content: This video can not be played Royal Air Force Red Arrows fly past ceremony to mark VJ Day The Royal Air Force Red Arrows have just flown past the ceremony, as the attendees watched on in contemplative silence. The ceremony has resumed, with readings from veterans and military bands playing, while members of the armed forces march.
North Wales Live
a day ago
- North Wales Live
Full text of King Charles' address to the nation this morning
The King has made an audio broadcast to the nation on the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, promising the service and sacrifice of Second World War heroes who fought and died in the Pacific and Far East will never be forgotten. Here is the monarch's full message, released on Friday to commemorate the end of the Second World War on August 15 1945. The King said: 'For the millions of families gathered around their wireless sets, and for their loved ones still serving far from home, it was the message a battle-weary world had long prayed for. 'The war is over', declared my Grandfather, King George VI, in his address to the nation and Commonwealth on VJ Day 80 years ago today – four short words after six long years of bloodshed, fear and suffering. 'Seldom can a simple message have resonated with such a potent mix of relief, celebration, and sorrow for those who never lived to see the glow of freedom's new dawn. On this day of profound remembrance, I speak to you in that same spirit of commemoration and celebration as we honour anew all those whose service and sacrifice saw the forces of liberty prevail. 'While that final victory in The Pacific was achieved under the strategic command of our steadfast American allies, the war in South East Asia had reached its climax under the leadership of my great uncle, Lord Mountbatten, from whom I learned so much about the particular horrors and heroism witnessed in those furthest fields of combat. 'The forces aligned under him comprised over one million men and women, drawn from many different countries, religions and communities, but united by common purpose and indomitable spirit. Twenty-Nine Victoria Crosses bear eloquent testimony to their valour, but I know full well of the toll it took on so many – measured not only in gravestones, but in the mental and physical scars of those who survived. 'Despite the unyielding support of their devoted battlefield commander, General William Slim, the forces on the ground sometimes considered themselves 'the Forgotten Army'. But, as Patron of the now Burma Star Memorial Fund, and having attended one of the great Burma Star Reunions at the Albert Hall with Lord Mountbatten when the Hall was filled with thousands of bemedalled veterans, it has been my privilege to reassure the remaining veterans that they and their fallen comrades shall never be forgotten. 'Nor are they alone in our thoughts today for, high above those monsoon-lashed jungles Allied pilots displayed their own fearless bravery, flying fighters, bombers and transport aircraft into enemy fire and Nature's fury. We recall, too, the prisoners of war who endured years of brutal captivity: the starvation, disease and cruelty that tested the very limits of human endurance. 'Innocent civilian populations of occupied territories faced grievous hardships, too. Their experience reminds us that war's true cost extends beyond battlefields, touching every aspect of life – a tragedy all-too vividly demonstrated by conflicts around the world today. 'On this landmark anniversary, we should also pause to acknowledge that in the war's final act, an immense price was paid by the citizens of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – a price we pray no nation need ever pay again. But in recalling so much suffering, we must not lose sight of how great was the cause and how sweet the victory. For those heroes of VJ Day gave us more than freedom; they left us the example of how it can and must be protected. 'Countries and communities that had never before fought together learned to co-ordinate their efforts across vast distances, faiths and cultural divides. Together they proved that, in times of war and in times of peace, the greatest weapons of all are not the arms you bear, but the arms you link. 'That remains a vital lesson for our times. So to the families of all those who served, and to that sadly dwindling band of veterans among us still, please know that the courage and camaraderie displayed in humanity's darkest hour is a flame that shall blaze for eternity – a beacon that honours our past and guides our future. 'Let us therefore pledge to be vigilant guardians of the values they bequeathed to us. And let us, above all, remember the epitaph in the Commonwealth War Graves cemetery on the battlefield of Kohima: 'When You Go Home, Tell Them Of Us And Say, For Your Tomorrow, We Gave Our Today'.'
