A long-standing rumor about King Charles‘ unusual vacation packing has finally been addressed by his former butler. For years, the story has fueled public curiosity and made news headlines, with Buckingham Palace rarely commenting on the monarch’s personal habits, allowing the speculation to persist.
Former butler reveals if King Charles packs this unusual item for vacation
With August well underway, the Royal Family heads to Balmoral for its yearly summer retreat. For King Charles, that also means plenty to organize, mainly for the team handling his luggage.
As reported by Marie Claire, the reigning monarch kicked off his Scottish holiday at the Castle of Mey, once the Queen Mother’s residence. From there, he traveled on to Balmoral for a stay lasting through August and September.
A stay of that length requires extensive preparation, according to Grant Harrold, His Majesty’s former butler at Highgrove House. However, he noted that one item often mentioned in rumors does not actually make it onto the list.
Speaking for Betway, Harrold shared that the royals “tend to pack for every eventuality.” However, bathroom fittings aren’t part of it. Despite years of reports claiming King Charles travels with his own personal toilet seat, the former palace employee denied the story.
“The idea that King Charles travels with his own toilet seat is completely untrue,” said the 48-year-old. “He packs like anyone else would, taking the essentials he needs for the destination and making sure he is prepared for different situations.”
In his book The Windsor Legacy, royal author Robert Jobson also tackled the toilet seat story. He wrote that “when challenged about this, during a 2018 walkabout in Brisbane, Australia, the Prince [Charles] himself dismissed the claim, saying: ‘Oh, don’t believe all that crap.’”
Still, Jobson suggested that there was a grain of truth to it. According to him, when the then-Prince of Wales stayed at Craigowan Lodge near Balmoral, staff swapped the plastic toilet seat for a wooden one. They made the change at his request because he found the original uncomfortable.
Originally reported by Sibanee Gogoi on Mandatory.
