Chris Ely is a professional English butler and estate manager and the former Dean of the Bespoke Institute at The French Culinary Institute in New York City. He began his career as a footman at Buckingham Palace, where he was a member of Queen Elizabeth II's household staff. After leaving in 1984, he worked as a butler and an estate manager for employers including Joel Schumacher and Brooke Astor.
Chris Ely was born February 10, 1963, at the Royal Air Force (R.A.F.) Hospital Wegberg in West Germany. His father was based at Rheindahlen Military Complex during the 'Cold War', and the family led the typical military life, moving to a new base every two and a half years. The family returned to England in 1969.
Ely attended Kent College, Canterbury, England from 1976-1979 studying Arts and Humanities, and from 1979-1981 attended Thanet Technical College, Broadstairs, Kent, U.K., completing the General Catering Course, where he studied food service, French cuisine, and housekeeping.
Recognized for his work at Thanet Technical college, Ely was invited to interview for a vacant footman position at Buckingham Palace. He became a member of Queen Elizabeth II's household in 1981, starting as an apprentice, moving up into the role of Senior Footman, performing his duties at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and Sandringham House in England, and Balmoral Castle and The Palace of Holyroodhouse in Scotland.
Leaving royal service in 1984, Ely later held positions as a houseman, valet, butler, personal assistant, and estate manager for employers in the diplomatic, business, and entertainment field, including director/producer/screenwriter Joel Schumacher, and philanthropist Brooke Astor. In 2010, he joined The French Culinary Institute as Dean of the Estate Management Studies Program, where he designed and introduced the Bespoke Institute.
As of 2011 Ely was an in-home consultant and domestic staff trainer for private clients, also publishing on social media. [1]
Buckingham Palace is a royal residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It has been a focal point for the British people at times of national rejoicing and mourning.
Osborne House is a former royal residence in East Cowes, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom. The house was built between 1845 and 1851 for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as a summer home and rural retreat. Albert designed the house in the style of an Italian Renaissance palazzo. The builder was Thomas Cubitt, the London architect and builder whose company built the main facade of Buckingham Palace for the royal couple in 1847. An earlier smaller house on the Osborne site was demolished to make way for the new and far larger house, though the original entrance portico survives as the main gateway to the walled garden.
The Palace of Beaulieu or Newhall is a former royal palace in Boreham, Essex, England, north-east of Chelmsford. The surviving part is a Grade I listed building. The property is currently occupied by New Hall School.
Prince Edward, Duke of Kent is a member of the British royal family. The elder son of Prince George, Duke of Kent, and Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, he is a grandson of George V, nephew of Edward VIII and George VI, and first cousin of Elizabeth II. Edward's mother was also a first cousin of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, consort of Elizabeth II, making him both a second cousin and first cousin once removed to Charles III. He is 41st in the line of succession to the British throne.
The Phantom of the Opera is a 2004 musical romantic drama film based on Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical of the same name, which in turn is based on the 1910 French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux. Produced and co-written by Lloyd Webber and directed by Joel Schumacher, it stars Gerard Butler in the title role, with Emmy Rossum, Patrick Wilson, Miranda Richardson, Minnie Driver, Simon Callow, Ciarán Hinds, Victor McGuire, and Jennifer Ellison in supporting roles.
Roberta Brooke Astor was an American philanthropist, socialite, and writer. She served as the chairwoman of the Vincent Astor Foundation, established by her third husband, Vincent Astor, who was a member of the Astor family. Brooke Astor was the author of two novels and two volumes of personal memoirs.
Clarence House is a royal residence on The Mall in the City of Westminster, London. It was built in 1825–1827, adjacent to St James's Palace, for the royal Duke of Clarence, the future King William IV.
Sir Aston Webb, was a British architect who designed the principal facade of Buckingham Palace and the main building of the Victoria and Albert Museum, among other major works around England, many of them in partnership with Ingress Bell. He was president of the Royal Academy from 1919 to 1924. He was also the founding chairman of the London Society.
Margate is a seaside town in the Thanet District of Kent, England. It is located on the north coast of Kent and covers an area of 2 miles long, 16 miles north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay and Westbrook. In 2011 it had a population of 61,223.
A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some also have charge of the entire parlour floor and housekeepers caring for the entire house and its appearance. A butler is usually male and in charge of male servants while a housekeeper is usually a woman and in charge of female servants. Traditionally, male servants were better paid and of higher status than female servants. The butler, as the senior male servant, has the highest servant status. He can also sometimes function as a chauffeur.
Westgate-on-Sea is a seaside town and civil parish on the north-east coast of Kent, England. It is within the Thanet local government district and borders the larger seaside resort of Margate. Its two sandy beaches have remained a popular tourist attraction since the town's development in the 1860s from a small farming community. The town had a population of 7,517 at the 2021 Census.
A footman is a male domestic worker employed mainly to wait at table or attend a coach or carriage.
Carlton House Terrace is a street in the St James's district of the City of Westminster in London. Its principal architectural feature is a pair of terraces, the Western and Eastern terraces, of white stucco-faced houses on the south side of the street, which overlook The Mall and St. James's Park. These terraces were built on Crown land between 1827 and 1832 to overall designs by John Nash, but with detailed input by other architects including Decimus Burton. Construction was overseen by James Pennethorne. Both terrace blocks are Grade I listed buildings. A separate but linked cul de sac at the terrace's western end is named Carlton Gardens.
This is a list of people who have served as Lord-Lieutenant of Kent. Since 1746, all Lords Lieutenant have also been Custos Rotulorum of Kent.
Michael Fagan is a British citizen who intruded into Queen Elizabeth II's bedroom in Buckingham Palace in 1982.
The Sleeping Prince: An Occasional Fairy Tale is a 1953 play by Terence Rattigan, conceived to coincide with the coronation of Elizabeth II in the same year. Set in London in 1911, it tells the story of Mary Morgan, a young actress, who meets and ultimately captivates Prince Charles of Carpathia, considered to be inspired by Carol II of Romania.
William John Stephenson Tallon RVM, also known as Billy Tallon or Backstairs Billy, was a steward who worked for the British royal family, and was a member of the Queen Mother's staff at Clarence House.
Beechwood is a Gilded Age mansion and estate located at 580 Bellevue Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island best known for having been owned by the Astor family. Part of the Bellevue Avenue Historic District, the first version of the residence was built between 1852 and 1853 and designed in the Italianate style by Andrew Jackson Downing and Calvert Vaux. Following a fire in 1855, Vaux rebuilt the house with modified plans. Richard Morris Hunt renovated the estate in 1881 after it was bought the year before by William Backhouse Astor, Jr.
Paul Burrell is a former servant of the British Royal Household and latterly butler to Diana, Princess of Wales.
Domne Eafe, also Domneva, Domne Éue, Æbbe, Ebba, was, according to the Kentish royal legend, a granddaughter of King Eadbald of Kent and the foundress of the double monastery of Minster in Thanet Priory at Minster-in-Thanet during the reign of her cousin King Ecgberht of Kent. A 1000-year-old confusion with her sister Eormenburg means she is often now known by that name. Married to Merewalh of Mercia, she had at least four children. When her two brothers, Æthelred and Æthelberht, were murdered she obtained the land in Thanet to build an abbey, from a repentant King Ecgberht. Her three daughters all went on to become abbesses and saints, the most famous of which, Mildrith, ended up with a shrine in St Augustine's Abbey, Canterbury.