Starten Sie den Audio-Text
Mit dem Audio-Player können Sie sich den Text anhören. Darunter finden Sie das Transkript.
Click here to open the transcript
Talitha Linehan I would love to hear your story, so how did you get into this industry?
Gary Williams I saw a film in 1994 called Remains of the Day. Anthony Hopkins is the butler; Emma Thompson's a housekeeper. I had no idea what the butlers existed still. And I looked into it. I was living in South Africa at the time. I was born in England, I emigrated. And then I thought, let's see if this world still exists. It did, of course. I then registered with the Ivers Spencer School for butlers, traditional butler skills. Learned that and my first job directly off that course was head butler of the Ritz London. I was headhunted at the woods. I worked for Studley Royal house. So, I was a head butler. Then I went on and worked for IT billionaire and then I worked for a Chinese billionaire. I reached for a restaurateur.
Talitha Linehan What was it about being a butler that piqued your interest?
Gary Williams I never found a career that I was really happy. I had a forestry degree, I'd done stationary business, I had done many things and I always felt, I wanted to be like Jacques Cousteau or David Attenborough. I wanted it to find something that I loved and I didn't know what that was. So, when I saw this, I thought it ticks all the boxes because you're gonna extraordinary places, you're going to get highly paid and you're gonna meet fascinating people and see fascinating things. I thought, well, let's try that. And after many prayers, I found my calling, which is what I do today.
Talitha Linehan We all have an idea in our heads of what a butler is, so I want to hear the reality.
Gary Williams Oh more or less the same if you're looking at residents, palaces. So, your day starts off with either a meeting with the team or with the principal. You're waking up early morning; you're managing the housekeepers. Well, you might be doing light cooking yourself. You might be do light chauffeuring duties. You've got security. You've the underbutlers, you've got the major domo, the head butler. So, you're managed in the household. You've got deliveries, contractors. You might be laying out the clothes in the morning, you might be packing suitcases, getting ready for travel, interacting with the PA with their travel plans. You might be flying with the principals, training staff within the households, making sure that you're geared up for the next party, dinner party, event. And we've got cash flow, we're booking restaurants. We've got a huge concierge responsibility. And on top of that, it could be setting up for teatime. Afternoon tea, English afternoon tea coffees, maybe there's cigar service, mixing cocktails, going out into the gardens perhaps, picking flowers, doing flower design, working with the housekeeper. It is busy!
Talitha Linehan How do you think the reality compares to people's idea of a butler?
Gary Williams Look at Downton Abbey, elements in that are totally true. So certain countries will have a lot of staff. But if you look at like Europe and England, Downton and England doesn't exist anymore because of staff costs. If we've got a formal dinner in a stately home here in England and elsewhere in America as well, we would dress formally for that. So quite similar to Downton Abbey.
Talitha Linehan People respond when you tell them that you're a butler.
Gary Williams People don't know we still exist. And then of course, there's many butlers that aren't called butlers. So, they're called house managers on board, say the four seasons yachts, they'll be called concierge or they might be called a Liberty retreat hosts, or they may be called something else, America's house manager, normally, but they always fascinated to hear what we do. And of course... Discretion is huge. So, you know, we don't share stories of what the principles are up to.
Talitha Linehan Was there a particular challenge you had to overcome or is there an anecdote you'd like to share
Gary Williams There was an occasion where I'm going to call Mrs Lee. She arrived at the house two days late. She had a little dog called Pugsy. It was a pug. Pugsey was in a Louis Vuitton handbag and she stepped out of the car. I said, Hi, Mrs Lee, how is Pugsy? And she said, Gary, get the helicopter. Pugsy needs to go home. But you've got to be very careful when Pugsy flies because Pugsy doesn't eat on the helicopter and Pugsy only has Evian on water.
Talitha Linehan What kind of person do you have to be?
Gary Williams Very disciplined, flexible, fit and healthy, you're good with people, and it's that discretion, energy. You need a lot of energy. And you've got to be highly organized and on time. For anyone in service, they must do exercise. So, what do I do in my spare time is I do a lot of sports. I do high rocks, and I've qualified to go to the World Champs in Sweden.
Gary Williams I saw a film in 1994 called Remains of the Day. Anthony Hopkins is the butler; Emma Thompson's a housekeeper. I had no idea what the butlers existed still. And I looked into it. I was living in South Africa at the time. I was born in England, I emigrated. And then I thought, let's see if this world still exists. It did, of course. I then registered with the Ivers Spencer School for butlers, traditional butler skills. Learned that and my first job directly off that course was head butler of the Ritz London. I was headhunted at the woods. I worked for Studley Royal house. So, I was a head butler. Then I went on and worked for IT billionaire and then I worked for a Chinese billionaire. I reached for a restaurateur.
Talitha Linehan What was it about being a butler that piqued your interest?
Gary Williams I never found a career that I was really happy. I had a forestry degree, I'd done stationary business, I had done many things and I always felt, I wanted to be like Jacques Cousteau or David Attenborough. I wanted it to find something that I loved and I didn't know what that was. So, when I saw this, I thought it ticks all the boxes because you're gonna extraordinary places, you're going to get highly paid and you're gonna meet fascinating people and see fascinating things. I thought, well, let's try that. And after many prayers, I found my calling, which is what I do today.
Talitha Linehan We all have an idea in our heads of what a butler is, so I want to hear the reality.
Gary Williams Oh more or less the same if you're looking at residents, palaces. So, your day starts off with either a meeting with the team or with the principal. You're waking up early morning; you're managing the housekeepers. Well, you might be doing light cooking yourself. You might be do light chauffeuring duties. You've got security. You've the underbutlers, you've got the major domo, the head butler. So, you're managed in the household. You've got deliveries, contractors. You might be laying out the clothes in the morning, you might be packing suitcases, getting ready for travel, interacting with the PA with their travel plans. You might be flying with the principals, training staff within the households, making sure that you're geared up for the next party, dinner party, event. And we've got cash flow, we're booking restaurants. We've got a huge concierge responsibility. And on top of that, it could be setting up for teatime. Afternoon tea, English afternoon tea coffees, maybe there's cigar service, mixing cocktails, going out into the gardens perhaps, picking flowers, doing flower design, working with the housekeeper. It is busy!
Talitha Linehan How do you think the reality compares to people's idea of a butler?
Gary Williams Look at Downton Abbey, elements in that are totally true. So certain countries will have a lot of staff. But if you look at like Europe and England, Downton and England doesn't exist anymore because of staff costs. If we've got a formal dinner in a stately home here in England and elsewhere in America as well, we would dress formally for that. So quite similar to Downton Abbey.
Talitha Linehan People respond when you tell them that you're a butler.
Gary Williams People don't know we still exist. And then of course, there's many butlers that aren't called butlers. So, they're called house managers on board, say the four seasons yachts, they'll be called concierge or they might be called a Liberty retreat hosts, or they may be called something else, America's house manager, normally, but they always fascinated to hear what we do. And of course... Discretion is huge. So, you know, we don't share stories of what the principles are up to.
Talitha Linehan Was there a particular challenge you had to overcome or is there an anecdote you'd like to share
Gary Williams There was an occasion where I'm going to call Mrs Lee. She arrived at the house two days late. She had a little dog called Pugsy. It was a pug. Pugsey was in a Louis Vuitton handbag and she stepped out of the car. I said, Hi, Mrs Lee, how is Pugsy? And she said, Gary, get the helicopter. Pugsy needs to go home. But you've got to be very careful when Pugsy flies because Pugsy doesn't eat on the helicopter and Pugsy only has Evian on water.
Talitha Linehan What kind of person do you have to be?
Gary Williams Very disciplined, flexible, fit and healthy, you're good with people, and it's that discretion, energy. You need a lot of energy. And you've got to be highly organized and on time. For anyone in service, they must do exercise. So, what do I do in my spare time is I do a lot of sports. I do high rocks, and I've qualified to go to the World Champs in Sweden.
