Despite their privileged lifestyles, even members of the Royal Family are not afraid to muck in and get their hands dirty performing domestic duties.
Although the royals have an army of staff at their disposal 鈥 including chefs, housekeepers and dressers in the palaces 鈥 when they are 鈥榦ff-duty鈥 and away at their private residences the family look after themselves.
For example, King Charles III is known to enjoy a spot of gardening.
Now, a royal insider has revealed the mundane household chore that the late Queen reportedly loved to perform.
According to writer and broadcaster Gyles Brandreth, Queen Elizabeth II loved nothing more than donning a pair of yellow marigolds and washing the dirty dishes.
In his biography 鈥楨lizabeth: An Intimate Portrait鈥, Gyles revealed the humorous story of the time David Cameron tried to help the Queen with her favourite task during a stay at Balmoral.
The former Prime Minister told Gyles: 鈥業鈥檓 not making this up, you sat down and Prince Philip and Her Majesty The Queen served your dinner and cleared it away and washed it up while you sat talking with the other guests.
鈥業 remember thinking it was sort of year five, I thought: 鈥淲ell, I now surely can help鈥 and got up and got on the Marigolds and started doing the washing-up.
鈥楢nd I remember Her Majesty saying: 鈥淲hat on earth is the Prime Minister doing?鈥 I鈥檇 broken with the protocol and rapidly sat back down and did what I was told.鈥
In another instance, a former royal courtier told author Harry Mount about the time Elizabeth helped tidy up after a shooting lunch.
The source said: 鈥業 was once at a shooting lunch. At the end of lunch, I heard someone say, 鈥淚鈥檒l do the washing-up鈥.
鈥業 turned around and there was the Queen in her yellow washing-up gloves.鈥
According to former royal butler Paul Burrell, Elizabeth II started washing up once in front of then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher after a picnic.
As a staunch monarchist, Thatcher was adamant that the monarch should not be cleaning kitchenware. But Paul claims a compromise was found when Elizabeth told Thatcher: 鈥淲ell I鈥檒l wash, will you dry?鈥濃
Gyles claims that Elizabeth鈥檚 love of washing up started at a young age.
鈥極f course those of you who have read the wartime diaries of the Queen鈥檚 childhood friend, Alathea Fitzalan-Howard, will know that Lilibet was always good at domestic chores.
鈥業n March 1941, when they were having cookery lessons at Windsor, Alathea noted: 鈥淟illibet actually likes washing up and does more of it than the rest of us put together鈥.鈥
For the younger members of the family, giving their children a more ordinary upbringing has been seen as a priority.
For the Prince and Princess of Wales this means getting George, Charlotte and Louis to muck in with the chores.
In August 2024, a source told the Mail: 鈥業 think it would surprise people to see how ordinary things are at home.
鈥楾he children help with laying the table, clearing their plates when they鈥檝e finished eating and helping with tidying up. There鈥檚 no preferential treatment.鈥
The royal couple decided three years ago that Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo, the family鈥檚 former live-in nanny, would not relocate with them when they moved to Windsor from Kensington Palace.
Evenings in their four-bedroom country bolthole Adelaide Cottage involve just themselves, taking turns to do the cooking.
The source said: 鈥楥atherine is very, very natural. She keeps the family down to earth.
鈥楬ome is a safe haven. In a bid to keep things functioning as smoothly as possible she has been keen for everything to carry on as normal for the children.鈥 The source added: 鈥楾he children are still expected do their chores and to muck in at home.鈥
The princess鈥檚 own upbringing is reflected in how she raises her brood 鈥 and is a far cry from husband William, whose mealtimes as a child were often spent with nannies.
Kate and Wills have a repertoire of dishes they enjoy cooking 鈥 from curries to teriyaki salmon 鈥 and when some help is required Kate can turn to her mother Carole for assistance.
The source added: 鈥楽he has a lovely supportive family to turn to, which helps. But she wants to show her children the importance of being grounded and in touch with people.鈥
Other members of the family who married into royalty are also more accustom to tedious household chores.
For example, Sarah Ferguson before her marriage to Prince Andrew in 1986 worked as a chalet girl at a Swiss ski resort.
According to Hello!, the Duchess of York was responsible for 鈥榞eneral housekeeping, tidying and cleaning the chalet, and the role set in motion a lifelong love of the location鈥.
Similarly, the Duchess of Edinburgh also worked as a representative at a Swiss ski resort before she married Prince Edward.