A thirsty builder once unknowingly asked the Queen for “a proper cup of tea” and “none of that nonsense I had last time”, according to a former member of the Palace staff

Working for the King and the Royal Family certainly has its perks. You can marvel at the likes of Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle or any other of the royal residences around the country. However, there is one person who was clearly not so impressed by the surroundings he found himself in while working there.

The brilliant story was revealed during the Channel 5 documentary, Secrets of the Royal Palaces, in which Queen Elizabeth II went entirely unnoticed by a builder as he made an unusual request. Royal upholsterer Kevin Andrews, recalled the story in the documentary, explaining: “[A] builder was dismantling a desk so he could not see who was making the offer when the lady’s voice asked him if he would like a cup of tea.”

A builder was on a job in Buckingham Palace when the tea incident occurred ( 
Image:
LightRocket via Getty Images)

The builder was completely unaware it was the Queen asking the question, and replied very casually. He reportedly answered back: “Yeah. In a mug. Two sugars. Builders’ tea. I don’t want any of that nonsense I had the last time I was here, all that fine china and all that saucer stuff.”

Andrews then remembered that the Queen came back with the tea and told the builder that it was on the table before saying he “looked up [he] saw the Queen leaving the room”.

The late monarch’s former butler Grant Harrold has given many insights into his time working for the Royal Family. He often addresses British etiquette and shares an insight into the late Queen’s personal habits – including exactly how she would take her tea.

Speaking about the late monarch’s preferred brands, Grant revealed: “I am sure the Queen enjoys her Assam or her Earl Grey the traditional way, made with tea leaves in a teapot and poured into a fine bone china teacup. She will also use a strainer. It is also a myth that members of royalty use their pinky when drinking, I have never seen that happen once.”

The late Queen undoubtedly found the incident amusing
Throughout the 70 years Queen Elizabeth II spent on the throne, she gained a reputation not only for her dedication to duty, but for her wicked sense of humour. Whether it was how she chose to cut a cake with a sword instead of a knife or her witty remark to a couple of American tourists who did not recognise her, the late Queen was renowned for her love of a joke.

And while the monarch was well-known for pulling her own fair share of pranks, she thoroughly enjoyed being told a good joke – especially when they had a naughty punchline. One such occasion saw her laughing away at an especially cheeky and rude joke so her aides stepped in and tried to stop her from listening to it!

An excellent story from a royal insider surfaced about the time Sir Donald Gosling told an incredibly crude joke about horses and how she reacted when an aide tried to stop her from hearing it.

A courtier recalled: “HM would relish seeing Don because she would know he always had a fresh supply of jokes, but his sense of humour was pretty salty.”

The insider recalled the funny moment during a naval ceremony when Mr Gosling was seated one place away from The Queen, with Labour Defence Secretary Fred Mulley in between them.

He said: “Don was in full flow telling her his latest joke – involving a horse trainer giving Viagra to a runner in the 2.30 at Newton Abbott. The Minister put up his hand and stopped Don, obviously thinking the Queen shouldn’t be exposed to such ribaldry.

“HM was furious – and berated poor Mulley for ruining the joke. She made Don tell the whole joke all over again, and shrieked with laughter at the punchline, which was about the horse winning against stiff competition, or something like that.”