William gets his very own Jeeves... let's just hope he's less controversial than Charles's valet and Diana's butler!

The Prince of Wales has taken on a full-time senior valet for the first time.

Aides have spent years encouraging William to ease the burdens of royal life by taking on a dresser/assistant but he has always been reluctant to let a member of staff get too close.

His reticence originates from seeing his mother's ex-butler Paul Burrell become a TV commentator, trading off his former royal connections.

And King Charles's senior valet Michael Fawcett was twice forced to resign, most recently in 2021 after a cash for honours probe.

William has instead taken styling advice from his wife Kate.

He sometimes allows a personal police officer to help him prepare for an event and has occasionally used a valet from another household.

The Prince of Wales has taken on a full-time senior valet for the first time

Now, with the Princess of Wales out of action as she recovers from abdominal surgery, William has reluctantly agreed to take on his own Jeeves, or 'gentleman's gentleman', to help him dress.

The valet – who is in his mid-20s – has worked for the Royal Family before, cutting his teeth in 'HMS Bubble' – the close circle of staff used by the late Queen during the Covid pandemic.

After that, he took on a lucrative role working as a butler for a sheik in the Gulf. Now he is back in the UK and is at William's side.

Last night, a source told The Mail on Sunday: 'After years of resisting, William has taken on his very own Jeeves.

'William used to dress himself and do everything else himself too.

'He got forced into hiring a valet to help dress him and lay out his clothes, which he's never had.

'Occasionally, if he went to an official event, he'd probably borrow a valet, but on the whole he's always thought it is pretentious and a bit much.'

Another source said that William had accepted his workload will increase rapidly due to the King's illness, and has installed the valet in a royal apartment.

The source added: 'While they're in Adelaide Cottage, William and Kate just don't like lots of staff – and there's no room to stay anyway. But William has realised there are a lot of uniforms, a lot of other things to do, so life is more complicated than before.

Prince Charles with his Butler Michael Fawcett on the Christmas Shoot at Sandringham 

The late Diana, Princess of Wales (1961-1997) with her butler Paul Burrell

'He was resisting having a valet to protect his privacy and he always said he is a man of his generation and can put on his own pants.

'Then he realised, particularly with becoming Prince of Wales, that it's a lot more work.'

The butler, whose job title is yeoman, is a member of William's domestic household and is tasked with maintaining uniforms and preparing for ceremonial events.

The source added: 'The valet is such a sweetheart. He's straight down the line, definitely not a hipster, and an absolute poppet.

'He's very keen to remain anonymous because he is fiercely discreet. He used to work for the Queen so it's rather sweet that he is now with her grandson.'