Patricia Earl, 56, has worked for the Queen for 32 years, including 14 years as head housekeeper. But despite many years of loyal service, the trusted employee has decided to quit the coveted role.
Ms Earl, who lives close to Sandringham in the Norfolk village of Dersingham, is officially leaving later this month, reported.
She was given the Royal Victorian Order for her service to the Queen in 2018.
The order of chivalry is given as thanks for services to the monarchy, with the Queen giving Prince Philip the award in 2017.
The trusted housekeeper’s decision to leave comes just days after a staff revolt over the Queen’s Christmas plans.
The monarch has spent the festive holiday at her Sandringham estate for the past 33 years, and a number of plans were lined up to allow the Queen to celebrate as normal this year, despite coronavirus restrictions.
But a staff revolt ensued, as dozens of key Sandringham staff, including cleaners, laundry and maintenance workers, were reluctant to isolate from their families for four weeks in order to work around the 94-year-old monarch.
Ms Earl was said to be embarrassed by the staff’s reluctance to take the necessary safety precautions, according to .
The Queen was also said to be “furious” staff at the Norfolk estate protested about the quarantine directive.
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But earlier this week it was announced the Queen and Prince Philip would remain at their Berkshire residence for the festive break.
The Palace said the couple would spend the period alone, and not form a Christmas bubble as permitted by the Prime Minister.
A Palace spokesman said: “Having considered all the appropriate advice, The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh have decided that this year they will spend Christmas quietly in Windsor.”
The Royal Family hope their decision to spend the day apart will inspire others to celebrate the festive period carefully, even though the rules have been relaxed so households can mix.
Last week Boris Johnson said a maximum of three households can create a Christmas bubble from December 23-27.
It has not yet been announced how the rest of the Royal Family will spend Christmas this year.
