Prince Charles was described as a demanding employer by one member of his household, Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Walter Hugh Malcolm Ross – as well as the Queen. Sir Malcolm Ross, who died on October 27 aged 76, played key roles as a member of the staff at Buckingham Palace, organising, among other things, the funerals of Princess Diana, Princess Margaret and the Queen Mother. 

Sir Malcolm Ross once recalled one major difference between working for Queen Elizabeth II and her heir apparent, Prince Charles, according to the Telegraph.

When asked about his job as Master of the Household to the Prince of Wales at Clarence House, he said: “I had three calls from the Queen outside working hours in 18 years.

“I had six to eight of them from the Prince of Wales on my first weekend.

“I was called names I hadn’t heard since my early days in the Army.” 

The Master of the Household is the operation head of the domestic staff – from the kitchen staff to pages and housekeepers.

Sir Malcolm Ross joined the team at Clarence House in 2006, after serving the monarch for decades.

He started working for the Royal Family in 1987, when he joined the Queen’s household as Assistant Comptroller of the Lord Chamberlain’s Office and Management Auditor.

In 1991 he became the Comptroller of the Lord Chamberlain’s Office, a role he retained until 2005.

When he informed the Queen of his decision to quit to join Prince Charles’s team, the monarch gave him a shocking response, according to author Tom Bower.

The Queen said: “You must be quite mad. Work for Charles? Well…”

Sir Malcolm Ross remained at Clarence House only for two years, as he was dismissed by Michael Peat, Prince Charles’s private secretary, in 2008.

Sir Malcolm Ross “broke with convention” when he organised the unexpected funeral of Princess Diana.

Thousands of mourners and royal fans gathered in the streets of London to pay their respect to the late Princess of Wales after she died in a car crash in Paris, blocking roads and main streets. 

Their presence could have made it difficult for the funeral procession to pass through London, but Sir Malcolm Ross, rather than preventing royal fans from paying their respects extended the length of the procession to give mourners more space.

He told the press the day before: “In putting together this funeral plan we have not followed precedent.

“We have broken with convention for this unique day for a unique person.”

The Lieutenant-Colonel was also known for his discretion and ability to maintain secrets locked up. 

The former aide to the Queen is said to have kept the plans for the funeral of the Queen Mother in his briefcase for 17 years.

Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother died in 2002, aged 102.

Sir Malcolm Ross also led a committee of officials from Buckingham Palace, the Metropolitan Police and Parliament on the arrangements for former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s funeral in 2013.    

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