One-Minute Facts: Groom of the Stool
The royal job that wasn’t as poo as it sounds
There’s speculation that King Charles has never squeezed out his own toothpaste. He has someone to do that job.
Even if this odd decadence is true, the King’s lackey habits are eclipsed by his predecessors. In the longtimeagos, monarchs employed grooms of the stool.
This was a weird job. These grooms helped monarchs dress, wash and use the toilet (or stool as it was known then). They monitored their diets and bowel movements with royal doctors to check their health.
There is no evidence that grooms had to get down and dirty and wipe bottoms. But, if you had an off-with-his-head monarch, you’d wipe their bum in a heartbeat.
This was actually a coveted job given to nobles. They got personal access to monarchs and became their confidantes. This gave them significant power and money. So, not such a poo job after all.
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