Prince William and Kate Middleton refused to continue this old-fashioned Royal Family tradition to protect home life with their kids

Prince William and Kate Middleton are known for their (slightly) more modern approach to royal duties and traditions, and there are a particular few they simply can’t stand.

From ditching “weird” Christmas rituals to hosting parties with a middle-class flavor, the couple have now set their eyes on the staff. The Prince and Princess of Wales refuse to have a butler at their Adelaide Cottage home, according to royal biographer Robert Hardman.

He wrote in his book New King, New Court (via Hello), “The couple did not seek to boost the staff numbers at Adelaide Cottage, not least because there would be little room to do so. Reports that the Prince was hiring a valet were knocked back.

“The Kensington Palace team does include a yeoman, a multi-tasking attendant who looks after everything from luggage to uniforms, but there is no gentleman’s gentleman on the staff. ‘And certainly no butler,’ adds one source. ‘It’s very much them at home with the kids.’”

This breaks a centuries-old family tradition of a butler positioned at the homes of the most prominent family members. The position has been officially titled “the royal butler,” with holders expected to be etiquette experts.

Grant Harrold is one such expert, having been King Charles III and Queen Camilla’s butler at their country home in The Cotswolds. However, his website also says duties involved “butlering” — now there’s a verb — for the Prince and Princess of Wales.

“On occasions, he also had the honor to Butler for the Late Queen Elizabeth II and her Husband The Late Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh,” reads his biography. Now a sort of influencer, he promises to teach you “how to peel a banana” and “the correct way to eat a Pot Noodle.” Yes, there’s a right way to do that.

Butlers become quasi-members of the family, he explained to the Great British Food Awards. “Prince Charles is very traditional, but that won’t come as a surprise to many. He’s a real gentleman. He wouldn’t ask anything of you that he wouldn’t do himself.” They grew so close that Charles even defended him from rude guests, he said. “I noticed that every little thing I did at the table, he kept saying please or thank you, just to get her to say it.”

One memory he holds fondly is being invited to Charles and Camilla’s wedding. “Everyone who’d been working at the household for a year was automatically invited. But I hadn’t been there long enough. When Charles found out he invited me as his personal guest. It was amazing to be there,” he said.

While Kate and William are hardly opposed to help, their whole life is catered, there does seem to be a fresh-faced focus on doing things smaller scale. They reportedly value cozier vibes, intimacy at home, and a normal environment for their children wherever possible.

This is antithetical to the typical royal way of life and aesthetic, of course, but they’re still very much buying into the institution and are fully committed to their roles in a way certain “spares” are not. The modern approach can only stretch so far when you’re in line to sit on the throne.