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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Jennifer Newton

Royals' most wacky requests - elaborate bath routine, specific sandwiches and name plea

Being a royal often means that the people around you and those you meet are eager to please.

So chances are if you're a royal and you ask for something - no matter how wacky - it's likely you will get it.

And although members of the Firm are mainly very polite when it comes to dealing with their staff, there are quirky and sometimes bizarre requests that they make.

From elaborate bath routines to very specific sandwiches - here we take a look at some of them...

Prince Charles' bath demands

Prince Charles has a team of staff, who also help out with his very strict and somewhat unusual morning routine - that sets him up for the day ahead.

An insight into his routine was once revealed by Princess Diana's friend and former butler Paul Burrell, who worked closely with the family in the 1990s.

Speaking during Amazon Prime's documentary Serving the Royals: Inside the Firm, Mr Burrell revealed: "His pyjamas are pressed every morning and his shoe laces are pressed flat with an iron."

And when it comes to his morning bath, Mr Burrell added that the prince also has some very specific requests.

He also told the documentary: "The water temperature has to be just tepid, and only half full.”

The ex-butler also added that the bath plug must face specific direction, his bath towel must be arranged to his taste and his underwear can’t be a crease out of place.

Queen's round sandwiches

The Queen has her afternoon tea sandwiches served in a particular way (Press Association)

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Afternoon tea is a luxury that the royals, including the Queen, often like to indulge in.

But according to one former royal chef, the Queen only ate her sandwiches if they were cut in a particular way - with no points.

According to Hello!, instead she is served small jam penny sandwiches with afternoon tea.

Speaking on the documentary Secrets of the Royal Kitchen, chef Graham Newbould said: "The royals never have square sandwiches because tradition has it that anyone presenting them with pointed-edged food is trying to overthrow the throne of England."

Prince Andrew's teddy bears

Prince Andrew is said to like his teddy bears arranged to his exacting standards (PA)

A former royal protection officer claimed that Prince Andrew has a very specific set up of his cuddly toys.

It is said that the Duke of York sketched out a plan for how his five teddies and cuddly toys should be positioned on his bed every night.

The toys are said to include two hippos, a black panther and bears, as well as three cushions called 'Daddy', 'Ducks' and 'Prince'.

The sketch allegedly shows exactly where to place blankets, as well as five toys and a fur, which had ribbons that had to hang off the side of the bed.

The instructions were laminated and titled “DOY bed: Points for turn down & making the bed”, with Andrew said to keep the accompanying sketch close to his bed while staying at Buckingham Palace.

Charles' breakfast request

Charles has an unusual breakfast request (WireImage)

Another unusual request when it comes to eating breakfast is by Prince Charles.

According to former royal chef Darren McGrady, the heir to the throne would always ask for two plums with breakfast - but only eat one, reports MyLondon.

McGrady said: "The instruction was to put two plums and a little juice into the bowl and send it into him for breakfast.

"I'd send in two plums and he would take one so it would come back out after breakfast and I'd put the other plum back into the jar and save it."

The former chef continued: "One morning I thought, 'ok, he only eats one for breakfast,' so I only put one plum into the bowl and sent it out into the dining room.

"The attending [waiter] came through and said, 'can His Royal Highness have two please?' So I had to keep sending two in every morning."

Kate's name plea

Kate Middleton 's real first name is Catherine (Getty Images)

Although not strictly a royal at the time as she was not yet married to Prince William, the Duchess of Cambridge once issued a bizarre request.

Kate's proper first name is Catherine, but became known as Kate while at St Andrews University.

Even though her full name is Catherine, his university girlfriend became known as Kate as the world pondered if she would be our future Queen.

However, it was been reported she wasn't actually a fan of the name 'Kate' and even emailed her friends in 2008, two years before her engagement, asking them to call her Catherine instead.

Writing for the Sunday Express at the time, columnist Adam Helliker said: "With Prince William’s engagement now a surefire certainty (even Ladbrokes has stopped taking bets on whether it will happen after a flurry of well-placed wagers) there are intriguing signs that Kate Middleton is preparing for her future role.

"It looks like she’s taking it very seriously indeed too.

"I hear that in the past few weeks the former accessories buyer has quietly informed friends that she would like to drop the informal ‘Kate’ and in future wishes to be known by her full name: 'Catherine'."

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