At her former primary residence, Buckingham Palace, and at her current home, Windsor Castle, the Queen has a staff on hand to take care of most of the chores we non-royals dread: The laundry. Vacuuming. Washing the dishes after a meal.
But when Her Majesty and late husband Prince Philip were at Wood Cottage on the Sandringham Estate—the place the Duke of Edinburgh fondly referred to as “home”—the Queen felt so, well, at home that she even put on yellow dishwashing gloves and offered to clean up after lunch, a royal courtier said.
Royal life behind closed doors is actually apparently pretty modest and normal, according to the Mirror. Case in point? Royal expert and author Harry Mount shared that a former royal courtier once told him “they’d seen the Queen sporting her own yellow Marigolds, ready to chip in with the post-meal cleanup,” the outlet reports.
“I was once at a shooting lunch. At the end of lunch, I heard someone say, ‘I’ll do the washing up.’ I turned around and there was the Queen in her yellow washing up gloves,” he told the Telegraph, via the Mirror.
The five-bedroom coastal Norfolk Wood Cottage is, according to the Mirror, “modest by royal standards,” and has been owned by the Queen throughout her 70 years on the throne. Though Wood Cottage mostly served as a holiday home for the family, upon his retirement from royal duties in 2017, Philip made it his permanent home. He lived at Wood Cottage until the beginning of the pandemic, when he moved to Windsor Castle with his wife. It was there that he passed away peacefully on April 9, 2021.
Relatable royals—we love it.
Stay In The Know
Marie Claire email subscribers get intel on fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more. Sign up here.
Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.
-
Lily Allen Resented Elton John for Years, But There Are No Hard Feelings Now
This is too funny.
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
Hilary Duff Welcomes 3rd Child With Husband Matthew Koma
Townes is her fourth child overall.
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
Upgrade Your Vacation Wardrobe With Summer Staples From Shopbop and Nordstrom Rack
Next stop: The airport.
By Julia Marzovilla Published
-
Queen Elizabeth II's Childhood Drawing, Which Her Mom Called "Very Poor," Is Up for Auction
Savage.
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
Prince William and Princess Kate Will Be in Wales Today to Pay Tribute to the Queen on the Anniversary of Her Death
The Queen had a special connection with the cathedral they're visiting.
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
Prince William Is "Built From the Queen's Mold," Says Royal Expert
He's learned a lot from her.
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
King Charles Is Planning to Evict Many More Royals Than Just Harry and Meghan, Sources Claim
It's a royal shake-up.
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
Sarah Ferguson Hints That Her Home is Haunted by the Queen
There’s a big clue at Royal Lodge that the Queen’s ghost is “passing by.”
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
The Future of the Monarchy Could See Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis Working as a “Collective”
Heir and spare dynamic, be gone.
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Snoop Dogg Offers to Perform at King Charles’ Coronation Concert After Multiple Acts Decline
His love for the royal family began in the most unexpected of ways.
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
We Can’t Stop Laughing at Prince George Cringing Over Little Brother Prince Louis’ Antics at the Platinum Jubilee
Will we see more Louis hijinks at the Coronation?
By Rachel Burchfield Published