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Whenever there's a heatwave a lot of people's main complaint is finding it difficult to sleep and the late Queen Elizabeth had a strict rule that helped keep her royal bedroom cool. She used to enjoy an annual summer break at Balmoral Castle and according to former royal butler Paul Burrell, she "never" closed her bedroom windows when she was there.
Paul previously claimed that the Queen "loved the fact that her bedroom windows were open every night and she would get the fresh air from the highlands". He added that "From August until early October, she never closed" them and when the autumn got "very, very cold" she used a lot of "sheets and blankets and covers and eiderdowns".
Although most people wouldn't want to keep the windows open on a freezing October day, right now Queen Elizabeth's approach sounds perfect.
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She also managed to avoid a common cooling mistake, as opening your windows during the day can actually make your home warmer.
Letting in some air sounds like a great idea but Angus Struthers, Managing Director at heating & cooling specialists BOXT, has explained to woman&home that "If the air outside is warmer than the air inside, you're just letting more heat into the house."
It's better to throw them open in the evening when the outside air is cool and Angus advises keeping windows shut "throughout the hottest part of the day". While it's been so hot in the UK I've been following this recommendation and can confirm it's definitely worked for me.
The Queen's love of "fresh air from the highlands" probably meant her Balmoral bedroom was a comfortable temperature at night, even when Scotland's weather was warm. Keeping the windows open was just one part of her evening routine.
She apparently used to aim to go to bed around 11pm and woke up at 7:30am, giving her a solid eight and a half hours of restful slumber. In 2017 an ex-guardsman alleged to The Times that when Queen Elizabeth found it a struggle to get to sleep, she would sometimes walk around the palace grounds late at night.
The guardsman recalled one incident when he spotted a figure in the dark at 3am and called out, "Who's that?" When he realised it was her, he said, "B***** hell, Your Majesty, I nearly shot you."
The Queen gave a typically witty response, saying, "That's quite all right. Next time I'll ring through beforehand so you don't have to shoot me."
In the morning she also had a routine and it began, not with an alarm clock, but with a performance by the Piper to the Sovereign. A bagpipe performance is a pretty unique wake-up call and the piper plays outside the monarch's window every morning for 15 minutes, split into two sessions.
The position is currently held by Pipe Major Paul Burns who was appointed by Queen Elizabeth and kept on by King Charles. His role is prestigious and the Piper is the only person outside the Royal Family who's permitted to wear Balmoral tartan.
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