Royal family gossip, dirt, etc.

Maybe it’s because I’m Canadian, or maybe it’s because I love history and gossip—I’m not sure of the exact reason why stories like the life of Billy Tallon fascinate me.  Billy Tallon was the personal assistant of the Queen Mother until she died in 2002.  The newspaper article I linked to is classic trashy London tabloid (complete with some broken paragraphs to add to the mystery), and it makes me wish I could be a fly on the wall to view the bizarre inner world of the British Royal Family.

Billy Tallon died on November 23rd at age 72, and according to the article, he directly served the Queen Mother for 51 years.  When she died, he was immediately fired, told to move out of the apartment provided to him during his employment, and left to live on a teeny little pension.  I don’t know exactly the size of the pension, but it wasn’t even enough for Tallon to afford to rent an apartment.  The newspaper article says Prince Charles gave Tallon a “whopping” 100 pound per week pension bonus to help him rent an apartment and to buy his silence, and 100 pounds per week only amounts to about $10000 per year.  Even after 51 years of employment, Tallon’s salary was only about $20000 per year!  Can you imagine working night and day for a billionaire family who pay you dirt and then kick you out on your butt when you become “redundant”?  The tradition of firing all the staff as soon as a member of the Royal Family dies is commonplace (so says this article, written just after the Queen Mother died, but before Tallon was fired).  I don’t know how they get away with being such poor employers, considering that their practices are public knowledge.

I’ve always wished I could see all the secret passages and archives inside the Vatican, and the same goes for Buckingham Palace.  The newspaper article about Tallon says that there was a “secret passage” leading from Tallon’s room to the Queen Mother’s room, so he could “sneak in” guests for her.  He was the only man allowed into her bedroom, and he could enter without knocking.  For Christmas each year, she’d give him a signed photograph of herself.  It’s all so creepy and addicting!  I was always very fond of the Queen Mother, and was saddened when she died, but that was because I thought she was sort of “normal”.  I guess she wasn’t.  It’s just plain strange to need your monogrammed linens carried around with you whenever you travel. 

Lots of people want to see the Royal Family taken off the public payroll, and left to their own devices.  If nothing else, they need to adapt to the times, because the tales that leak out of that family every time someone dies or is fired or gets divorced are always scandalous (and usually true).  I can see Harry and William changing things for the better, once their stuffy father is out of the way.  And, I’d sure would love to know about all the hidden tunnels and mysterious vaults and passageways.  And hidden, inbred relatives in nursing homes.  And who is the real father of Prince Edward (and for that matter, Prince Andrew)?  The drama never ends!

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 11/29 at 11:41 AM

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  1. These same burning questions fascinate me to no end as well. Sure beats Britney Spears or Paris Hilton if you ask me. Nice to know I’m not alone. grin
    The Queen Mother was sweet, but clueless. And doesn’t Charles know a pound doesn’t go as far as it used to?! Sounds like Buck Palace needs to hire a good HR coordinator to compare salaries to the marketplace like other big corporations.

    Posted by Ryssee  on  11/29  at  06:35 PM
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