The nights are closing in, the temperatures are dropping and the cost of living is skyrocketing… So why not follow the ROYALS with these simple money-saving hacks?
Wealth does not have to mean extravagance – a point emphasized by the British royal family who, despite all their many palaces and bulging bank accounts, are surprisingly careful with cash.
Stories abound of the late Queen Elizabeth’s frugality, from turning off the lights in empty rooms to sending half a lemon (squeezed only once over her salmon!) to the kitchen for reuse.
She was certainly not alone – even if few have gone as far as Queen Mary, the King’s great-grandmother, presenting ‘used’ flowers taken from her own vases at home.
Frugal habits appear to have been passed down from generation to generation, with William and Kate even spotted on budget flights.
So when the evenings draw in, why not save a few bucks with these handy royal hacks?
As one of the richest women in the world, the late Queen could probably have afforded all 775 rooms in Buckingham Palace to be warmly heated. But sticking to sound financial sense, she opted to warm individual rooms with twin-rod electric fireplaces or convection heaters. Here she is shown greeting former Australian High Commissioner Mike Rann and his wife in 2013
Turn off that light!
Queen Elizabeth was so committed to saving electricity that she was known to walk the halls of Buckingham Palace at night and turn off the lights.
Considering there are about 40,000 in Buckingham Palace, this was probably sensible.
The Queen ordered signs to be placed throughout the palace reading: ‘The attention of all staff is drawn to the need to switch off unwanted lights. By order of the Master of the Household.’
Prince Harry revealed in the BBC One documentary ‘Prince, Son and Heir: Charles at 70’ that his father, King Charles III, is also in favor of switching off lights.
Prince William will fly to Glasgow from Ryanair London Stansted in June 2015
Don’t waste don’t want don’t…
Carolyn Robb, the palace’s chef from 1989 to 2000, revealed that the royal family insists on saving leftovers and that Charles would make a point of requesting that he only be given as much food as he wants to eat.
‘[Charles] was very frugal and believed that nothing should go to waste,” she said. “If we were making roast lamb and there were leftovers, we’d probably make Shepherd’s pie the next night.”
The King is so committed to the fight against excess that he has announced that he will mark this 75th anniversary on November 14 by launching an anti-food waste initiative, which he hopes will provide an additional 2,500,000 meals a year to those in need .
His late mother seems to have taken the same view and was known to have left half a lemon in the kitchen to avoid waste. Served with smoked salmon. Her Majesty had only squeezed it once and felt more could be done with it!
King Charles asks to be given only as much as he can eat. Pictured: Charles and Queen Camilla at Cwm Berem Farm, Pontyberem in 2005
The Queen’s breakfast consisted of cereal that she served herself from a plastic container (stock image)
Despite being entitled to virtually anything she wanted, served on a silver platter, the queen often opted for simple morning meals.
It is known that her breakfast cereal was kept in a Tupperware container, a fact revealed by an undercover journalist who had secured a post as a royal footman.
Charles also eats when he can and, as we know, eats seeds and nuts.
A double standard solution
Instead of heating an empty building, the late Queen heated individual rooms with inexpensive double-rod electric fireplaces or convection heaters – electric radiators.
These have been spotted in the grand fireplaces of Buckingham Palace and Balmoral Castle, even during visits by foreign dignitaries.
For example, in February 2013, Queen Elizabeth welcomed Mike Rann, the Australian High Commissioner, and his wife Sasha Rann to Buckingham Palace, with an electric fire glowing in the fireplace.
It is said that her father, King George VI, hardly bothered to heat Buckingham Palace.
Eleanor Roosevelt, the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, complained of crying icy drafts during her stay.
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, at home in Buckingham Palace with a roaring fire. Like their daughter, they preferred to heat rooms one by one…
Save the wrapping paper – and the pennies
The savings campaign even extends to the holidays, when, as is known, the royal family exchanges cheap, humorous Christmas gifts.
Historian Kate Williams reveals in her book Young Elizabeth: The Making Of Our Queen that the late queen saved wrapping paper and ribbons so they could be reused.
Do it and recover, recover, recover
Charles lives by the maxim ‘buy once, buy well’. Of course he can afford that.
But the result is that his clothes can be patched and repatched while still looking good.
From waxed coats to coats, suits and shoes, King Charles’ wardrobe is full of items that have been revived.
As he told Vogue magazine, “I’m one of those people who hates throwing anything away. That’s why I prefer them to be maintained, and even patched if necessary.’
He explained that he had a team to help with repairs.
‘I’m lucky because there are nice people who help me with these things. But hey, I happen to be one of those people who gets shoes or any item of clothing repaired when I can, instead of throwing it away.”
Charles’ favorite shoes both have two leather patches on the side of the right foot and one on the top.
King Charles pictured with a repaired patch on his suit jacket as he arrives for a visit to Roath Lock Studio in 2013
Prince Philip, late Duke of Edinburgh, is pictured wearing fitted trousers while attending church service at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in December 2017
In 2008, Prince Philip asked his Savile Row tailor to change an older but favorite pair of trousers from the baggy style popular in the 1950s to something more modern.
Her Majesty The Queen was known to have her gloves washed and repaired rather than ordering new ones.
Never too much of a good thing
If some in the public eye insist on a new look with each new appearance, the royals have a very different opinion, repeating items and even entire outfits for various royal engagements.
Princess Anne is one of the best known for this and regularly recycles handbags, dresses and hats from half a century ago.
But Kate also makes it a point to get maximum wear, even on the red carpet.
There’s nothing wrong with the high street…
For an outing in September this year, Kate chose a smart Zara blazer that she previously wore while cheering on the England men’s football team for the Euro 2020 final
When the Princess of Wales chooses custom-made gowns on the red carpet, the fashion world usually goes about her business while she performs royal duties.
Kate goes to great lengths to be seen as recognizable in her wardrobe and often wears high street. Zara’s blazers are a particular favourite. And she happily wears them again.
A room without a view
Princess Anne’s frugal side came to the fore in 2014 when she was offered a sea-view room at a picturesque harborside hotel in Oban.
Rebecca English, the Royal Editor of the Daily Mail, reported that when Anne discovered that the suite at the four-star Manor House Hotel in Oban cost £225 for dinner, bed and breakfast, she immediately asked the staff to swap it for a cheaper one . By switching to the new room she saved £40.
During a 2022 tour to Australia and Papua New Guinea, the Princess Royal stayed in a budget hotel, packed her own bags and did her own makeup and hair.
Princess Anne wears one of her favorite recycled coats during a state visit to London in November 1982
Don’t turn your nose up at IKEA
During a 2018 visit to the National Museum of Architecture and Design in Stockholm, the royal couple revealed to IKEA design chief Marcus Engman that Prince George and Princess Charlotte had furniture from the store in their bedrooms.