In 2005 the heir to the British throne, who was 23 at the time, spent 2 weeks making sausage rolls and mince pies, and dressed in overalls doing manual labour with workers at Chatsworth House, Derbyshire.
In her book Chatsworth: The Housekeeper’s Tale, Christine Robinson revealed stories from her 40 years working at the country estate which has been home to the Cavendish family since 1549 including details about the Princes brief stay.
Chatsworth House featured in Keira Knightley’s 2005 film, Pride and Prejudice.
In one of her anecdotes Robinson, 59, said that when people noticed Prince William around the grounds their surprised reactions were hilarious.
“The look on visitors’ faces was priceless, most obviously thought to themselves, ‘that joiner is the double of Prince William,” wrote Robinson.
“When two old ladies came straight out and asked him, he admitted he really was the heir to the throne. He was, of course, charming.”
In her book Christine, whose grandmother and great-grandmother both worked in the estate kitchens, describes meetings with everyone from the Queen and top politicians to Sir Anthony Hopkins and says it was her interactions that inspired to write her memoir.
“I give many talks to outside groups about the House and how we care for it, and one question always asked at the end of the talk is, ‘Why don’t you write all this down?'” Robinson told Mail Online.
“With that in mind, I began to gather my thoughts together about ten years ago, and the idea has finally come to fruition.
“I have met and worked with many Chatsworth characters over the years, and they too are brought to life, I hope, through the anecdotes I relate along the way.”
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The fortnight spent at the sprawling 35,000-acre estate was not the only work experience mission William entered into.
Prince William was labelled a “fast learner” by his HSBC mentors.
Late in 2005 the Prince spent three weeks in London interning at different financial institutions including the Bank of England, the London Stock Exchange and Lloyds of London.
William spent three weeks at various London institutions in late 2005 to get a feel for finance.
At the end of his stretch on the Stock Exchange, William, who was labelled a “fast learner” by a senior director at HSBC, said: “Spending everyday with people who contribute so much to this country’s economy gave me the chance to experience the atmosphere of the City and to see, as best as I could, what it’s really like to work there.
“I now have a much better understanding how all the different financial institutions work and how they fit together.”
