Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge strict rule for all staff is revealed

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge has a strict rule for all staff - and it's a must for would-be job applicants too.

• Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge has a strict rule that all staff must obey, according to a recent job advert.
• Kate Middleton is a hands-on mum so when it comes to protecting her family she must ensure staff obey her orders.
• This royal news (opens in new tab) comes as Sophie Wessex shuts down suggestion she will fill Meghan Markle’s shoes in the royal family (opens in new tab)

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge has a strict rule that all staff must obey when it comes to working for them.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are working royals so it's no surprise that in order to carry out their official engagements while also parenting sons Prince George (opens in new tab), eight, Louis, two, and daughter Princess Charlotte, five, they need a team of helpers.

The future king of England and his wife have a small and loyal team around them, but even though their team is smaller in comparison to those who aide Her Majesty the Queen and Prince Charles, they still rely on them for everything to run smoothly.

Most recently staff at Kensington Palace responded to claims Kate Middleton and Prince William ignored covid warnings before their Royal Train tour (opens in new tab)

But when it comes to working for the Cambridges, either at their London home of Kensington Palace or their lockdown residence Anmer Hall on the Sandringham Estate, Norfolk, there is some important rules staff must follow.

And according to a recent job ad, for the role of housekeeper, the couple specified that applicants had to be good at "maintaining confidentiality and exercising discretion".

In return, the role was described as an "exciting opportunity" and said it was a "supportive and positive team".

The ad read, 'You will be a self-starter who also enjoys working collaboratively. You will be keen to take on new challenges as these arise and develop your own knowledge and skills.'

But they're not the only members of the royal family to need a housekeeper - applicants to work as a housekeeper for the Queen must pass a screentest first, so could her majesty have similarly strict rules?

According to Tracey Waterman, the head of recruitment, the royal family team put the secret challenge to all interviewees to see how they react.

Speaking during Channel 5's documentary Sandringham: The Royals at Christmas, she said, "The difference between housekeeper in a five-star hotel and in a royal Palace would be attention to detail.

"One of the tests I like to do, to see if a candidate has a potential eye for detail, is to place a dead fly, either in the fireplace or on the carpet.

"Once the dead fly is placed, I then bring the candidate into the room."

She continued, "I lead them into the room quite slowly, just giving them a chance to glance at the room, have a little look at what we’ve got inside the room. Bringing them to the fireplace, maybe highlighting that we’ve got a beautiful fireplace."

But the difference between being hired or fired is what they decide to do with the dead fly.

Tracey added, "It’s a great test, maybe out of 10 people half the candidates will notice the fly. One out of ten will actually bend down and pick it up, that’s the special housekeeper."