The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-10-30
ROYALTY UPSET BY
 SERVANT PROBLEM King George Is Cutting Down
 the Number SOME OF THEIR DUTIES Queen Alexandra Seems Determined to
SOME OF THEIR DUTIES
Maintain a Separate Court and Remain Conspicuous Figure
 at Court Ceremonies
By LADY MARY MANwARING

London, October 2e.-(Special.) .)-Even royalty Is not exempt from the eternal servant question. King George and who look out for such things for their majesties are still hard at work straight ening out the servant troubles caused by the death of King Edward and by reason of the great army of those who minister in an humble capacity to the needs of the royal family 1t may be said that the problems presented are complex and most difficult of solution.
 When King Edward came to the throne he made practically clean sweep of all who had been in the royal service In his mothers reign, bestowed on each sub stantial pension, and brought the staff of servants en bloc from Marlborough house, who of course, were thoroughly versed in the manner In which his late majesty wished them to perform their duties, and fell readily Into the routine at Buckingham palace.
 But King George, even If he had wished to do so, could not have followed his fa- ther's example in this respect, for the simple reason that his majesty kept a much smaller stan of servants at Marl- borough house than did King Edward.
 Numerically, 1t would not have been sufficient to efficiently staff Buckingham palace His majesty. therefore, decided to retain a number of the servants in the present royal household.
 Some of the chief servants in King Ed wards household have, of course, been pensioned and placed on the retired service do not altogether approve Of the regulations recently introduced, which do not exactly harmonize with their pre- conceived notions concerning the extent and character of their duties.
 The fact is, King George always thought Buckingham palace was over staffed with servants, and has been of opinion that the dignity Of sovereignty could be efficiently maintained without keeping two men to perform one mans work. The servants chiefly affected so far by the new regulations are those rather grand officials known as the grooms of the chamber and the pages of the back stairs.
 From these 1t has always been the cus- tom to select certain number for what is termed "close wait" attendance on the sovereign. The servators on close wait, however. have always had an extremely easy time of 1t. They are only on duty in the corridor into which the personal apartments of the king open, and their work consists merely in ushe;ing visitors into the royal presence or summoning any member of the household to the personal apartments whom his majesty may desire to see.
 comfortable sitting room is provided for the attendants on close wait, where hitherto they have had their meals, in cluding an excellent late dinner, at 7:30 D. m.
 Under the new regime the number of servants to be put on close wait will be reduced by half, and they will have their meals in the breakfast room attached to the menservants' quarters, and when not on close wait they will be put on ordinary duty in different parts of the palace
 But apart from these regulations, the prospect of the court being more fre- quently at Windsor castle than was hitherto the case, is rather disturbing to those somewhat luxuriously- minded grooms and pages who have always re- garded Windsor as an excessively dull place.
 In the late reign the staff of servants kept permanently at Windsor was com paratively small; but in the future it will be very much larger. and number of the palace servants, whose services there can be dispensed with, will be dispatched very shortly to Windsor.
 To fully understand how this arrange ment will affect some of the royal ser wants it must be explained that in the late reign a number of the servants, when not required at Buckingham palace, were allowed to go to their own homes, and there were certainly some who were not on duty for more than six months in the year. But in future most of the grooms and pages not required for duty at Buckingham palace will be sent to Windsor castle, and several will, as has already been stated be kept there per- manently
 What the full extent of the changes in the conditions of the royal service will be is not, of course yet known, but it Is surmised that they will be extensive, and that several comfortable sinecures will be abolished.
 No very great changes beyond those in- dicated will be carried out just now, for King George desires to become we'll &C., quainted with the working of the large household now under his control before carrying out any extensive alterations in It's management but the general dis cpline will be stricter. and the servants will find themselves buster than they hitherto have been, though their work will certainly not be excessive. As regards the women servants, a very large number of those who were In service at Buckingham palace in the late reign have been re-engaged in Queen Alexandra's household, and win go to Marlborough house when it is ready for her majesty and, of course, all the servants at Sandringham remain in her majestys employ.
 | The female staff who were at Marl- borough house in the late reign will all go to Buckingham palace, but a number | of new maids have been engaged who, between this and the spring, will be trained In their duties at Windsor castle. | A special set of apartments has been set aside at Buckingham palace and Windsor castle for the use of the Prince | of Wales, but these will be attended by the ordinary servants, as yet no arrange ments have been made to provide his royal highness with servants of his own
 beyond the services of a valet, who has been the servant mainly in attendance on the young prince for some years. but
 who will in future devote himself ex- clusively to the service of the heir to the
 throne when his royal highness is at any
 of the royal residences
 Alexandra to Have Separate Court
 Queen Alexandra intends to maintain