The newlyweds were presented as the progressive face of the monarchy, but now they want a housekeeper and dresser

In the runup to the royal wedding we were repeatedly presented with an image of William Wales and Kate Middleton as the “modern royals”. The media and “royal sources” alike presented them as just a normal young couple and, as such, part of a new generation of royals who would usher in an age of renewal for the monarchy. A sign of their new approach to royalty was that they had no domestic staff at their cottage in Anglesey, and it was officially announced that they would not be employing any after their marriage either. But this carefully constructed image of William and Kate as the progressive face of the monarchy has been compromised by the news that they are advertising for a housekeeper and dresser to serve them in their new home of Kensington Palace. The mask of normality has slipped…

The Guardian, 9 June 2011, p. 31.

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