Book Airs Secrets of Royals

Who is the fussiest member of the British royal family? Where is the secret closet in Buckingham Palace for private drinks? Who can swim in the royal pool? These secrets and more are revealed in the Daily Mail's excerpts of the new book Not in Front of the Corgis (it's been released in Britain, but you'll have to wait for it to hit shelves in the United States). Among the revelations:

• The Prince of Wales gets his shoelaces ironed by his valet every time his shoes come off.

• The servants rate the popularity of the royal family, based on who they most like to work for. On top is Prince Phillip, who is considered loyal and generous. At the bottom—Prince Charles, wife Camilla, and Prince Andrew.
• The highest paid member of the royal household, at $288,000, is the Keeper of the Privy Purse, the only man on the world who knows the true worth of the queen (besides the queen herself, of course).
• When President Obama and his wife visited Buckingham Palace, officials asked about everything—including their preferred toilet paper.

(More Queen Elizabeth II stories.)