Queen's Household Linen.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 16 October 1914, Page 8

Queen's Household Linen.

Two of the servants at Buckingham Palace are known as "linenmaids," and they have nothing to do but look after the linen-room where all the Royal household linen is kept, The Kneii-room at the Palace is a big apartment. Round its walls are linen cupboards or presses which contain hundrt.'ds of tablecloths, teacloths, serviettes, .sheets, and all the other usual linen of a wellstocked household. The two linenmaids see that a clean tablecloth and clean serviettes \ are served out for every meal at I the Royal table. Vnd for every article of clean linen they give out they must make an entry, in a speI cial book kept for the purpose, as well as entering 'up everything they receive back dirty. I The used linen is put in a small I room, next the clean linen-room.. | and stored in long, deep baskets. This linen is sent to the laundry | every morning. The laundry bill '■. for the Royal household • comes to i the huge total of £6,000 a year, i nearly £120 a week ! ! This linen has to be very carefully washed, for sonic of it is extremely i valuable. Many of the tablecloths, I for instance, have been in use for over a hundred' years, and are made from linen which it is impossible to obtain nowadays. Each tablecloth has the Royal arms woven in its centre and at each corner.