Gourmet petfood, ironed money for Windsors

Press, 7 January 1987, Page 19

Gourmet petfood, ironed money for Windsors

NZPA-Reuter New York The Duke and Duchess of Windsor fed their pugs capon from silver bowls, had their money ironed to make it crisp and didn’t care what anything cost, according to a report in "People” magazine. At dinner parties, when no other entertainment was provided, the Royal couple would roll out their then-stylish hula hoops and gyrate for their guests, the magazine said. Reporting on a forthcoming book, “The Truth About the Duchess: As Told by Her Staff,” the magazine says that when the duchess died in April “an era of entertaining that allowed for fastidious

elegance and glorious, if often childish excess, probably died with her”. Among other excerpts from the book, the magazine reports: • The duchess’s money had to be crisp — either new bills from the bank or ironed by her staff. It quotes Jean Pierre Auge, a one-time chef to the couple, as saying: “The duke and duchess never asked how .much anything cost We just spent it.” • Dinner guests were expected promptly at 8.30 p.m. and even the high and mighty would linger outside the door beforehand rather than risk being late. Guests got 2.25 kg of caviar with their

cocktails, and no-one who wanted to be invited back risked getting drunk. • On days when the duke and duchess were entertaining, their pugs would be groomed, sprayed with Christian Dior perfume and adorned with diamondtrimmed mink collars. The dogs were led about on gold leashes from Cartier and ate from silver bowls engraved with their names.

• The duchess’s idea of dog food was breast of capon, ■ ground steak or calves’ liver bought fresh daily. She also had the chef bake fresh dog biscuits every day.