Silence in the courtyard(yard)! The noisy sentries at Clarence House are told to turn down the volume after King Charles complains about loud shouting at him during morning patrols.
- Charles’ morning phone calls have been interrupted by marching troops.
- He has asked the sentinels to announce their arrivals and departures more calmly
The King has long been admired for his thorough work ethic and relentless commitment to his duties.
So much so, that despite his progress in years, he’s at his desk before many people get out of bed.
But Charles’s morning phone calls have been interrupted by troops marching noisily back and forth and barking orders outside his office window.
Now the 74-year-old monarch has asked sentries to announce their arrivals and departures more quietly, so he doesn’t have to compete with their raised voices and steel-toed boots.
Last night, royal sources insisted that the King’s suggestion had been conveyed “with kindness and courtesy”, not in a fit of pique.
Charles’ morning phone calls have been interrupted by troops marching noisily back and forth and barking orders outside his office window.
As an email sent within the Army Home Division confirmed: ‘Dear All, HM (Her Majesty) commented on how noisy the outgoing sentries were at St James Palace in the morning.
‘Full marks for force and volume, but please could you convey to those on duty that Clarence House is a residence and therefore those inside would greatly appreciate a bit of volume control!
Please could you convey to your troops that when they post sentinels at St James’s Palace first thing in the morning, they should do so in slightly less volume?
The changes took place around 8 a.m., the time when the King has often started back-to-back phone and video calls.
A piper plays below his window at 9am every day, a wake-up call tradition that dates back to Queen Victoria.
Last night, Army sources refused to name the regiment of foot guards that offended His Majesty’s ears.
A recent book on King Charles quoted former employees as saying he was a demanding boss with a “fierce temper, enormous stamina and a ferocious work ethic.”
Members of the Household Cavalry pictured walking past newly blooming daffodils in London in February
A former member of the Royal Household said His Majesty was “very demanding of himself” and expected the same standards from those around him, with phone calls “at any time”.
Courtiers added that he could go “from zero to 60 in an instant and then back down again.”
The Ministry of Defense and Buckingham Palace declined to comment.
