The royal family's bizarre trait you probably never noticed until the pandemic

The royal family have a slightly bizarre trait that has been noted since the pandemic struck last year, when The Firm had to resort to using technology to conduct their vital engagements. 

• Royal fans may have noticed a bizarre royal family trait since the start of the pandemic.
• Her Majesty the Queen and her close team of working royals joined the world in working remotely when the health crisis struck—but there's something pretty outdated about their work-from-home gear.
• In other royal news, the heartbreaking reason Princess Diana never remarried has been revealed. 

While conducting royal engagements remotely left the Queen, and the likes of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Charles, relying on video calls and wifi to continue with their official duties, it’s been noted that the royal family’s home telephones are a little more old-school than you might expect. 

Members of the royal family have been documented talking on plenty of important phone calls over the past year, using corded landline handsets that wouldn’t have looked out of place over two decades ago. 

Earlier this year, Kate Middleton was seen speaking to the subjects of her Hold Still photography project, using a black landline phone with a coiled cord at Kensington Palace. 

Meanwhile, Her Majesty the Queen has been taking her weekly meetings with Prime Minister Boris Johnson on an old, cream-coloured rotary dial telephone, since leaving Buckingham Palace for Windsor Castle. 

The Duchess of Cornwall was also photographed using a black, corded home phone to thank NHS Volunteer Responders for their hard work last year.

It turns out that the royal family’s choice to use old-fashioned phones, instead of opting for more convenient hands-free options, stems from the Queen’s frugal and thrifty attitude.

Royal expert Phil Dampier has claimed that the monarch has kept her old phone on the go for years, embracing an attitude of "if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it".

Dickie Arbiter, the Queen’s former press spokesman, also revealed that it’s simply style choice, ensuring the technology ties in with the classic decor of royal residences. 

"It fits the ambiance if you’re living in a medieval castle; why put something modern in? The white phone fits," he told FEMAIL.

"It’s a rather old fashioned Bakelite telephone, and as far as she’s concerned, it works, why change it?

"You’d be very surprised at how many people actually have corded telephones—how many people have old fashioned homes—because they want old fashioned phones, because it looks good, it looks better than anything modern. I think at the end of the day it’s about choice."

It has also been suggested that Kate and William opt for older phones as a way to appear relatable to their royal fans, as well as to keep their private conversations within palace walls.

The royal pair have both been seen using their modern smart phones in the past, so it's likely an intentional choice to use an older phone for parts of their work.

"Prince William and Kate might use corded phones in photos to appear more in tune with the general public, particularly older people who still use them," Phil said.  

"And there might also be a security element if landlines are considered safer and not web enabled."