Butler who served royalty shares his etiquette tips

When he was a boy growing up in Suffolk, Julius Smith's grandmother would recall her time working as a cook in grand houses where butlers would ensure life ran smoothly for their wealthy employers.

Inspired by her stories, Smith enrolled in butler school aged 21 and over the past 30 years has worked for royal families, including Queen Elizabeth II, who he first served at Helmingham Hall near Stowmarket, Suffolk.

The 59-year-old has also worked at political summits, including one attended by US President Donald Trump in Saudi Arabia.

When asked for his top tip when meeting new people, he said: "Never assume or presume, and also you never get a second chance to make a first impression.

"If you want to be in this world, working for these people, you need to be ready for it because they will not wait for you. You've always got to be one step ahead."

Smith grew up in Woolpit and Great Finborough and said his grandmother had been his "great inspiration".

When training to be a butler he learned etiquette, household management and hospitality skills and now shares his experience and knowledge with more than 33,000 followers on Instagram.

Smith's career has taken him all over the world and included working for Saudi Arabian royalty and other royal families.

"I really got to see the world in the high life as it were and for a young man from Suffolk, it was quite an eye-opener," he said.

When asked what it took to work in the industry, Smith said it came down to common sense.

"But also this comes with experience and I call it reading the room," he explained.

"You've got to be able to look at your principal and when you get to know them well, you can almost anticipate what it is they need before they even ask."

Smith said he felt fortunate to have served the late queen on 14 separate occasions during his career, as well as 25 other heads of states.

He fondly recalled his first meeting with her as a young man at the top of a staircase in Helmingham Hall, which is owned by the Tollemache family.

"When she got to the top of the stairs, she turned around to me and said, 'Goodness me, these stairs are awfully steep aren't they?' and I said, 'Yes, Your Majesty'," he explained.

"In February this year, I met Lady Tollemache again for the first time since that visit and I asked her about it.

"She said that was the first time [the late queen] ever came to visit, and then she came for the next 27 years and she hated those stairs."

Lady Tollemache told Smith she had even told the late queen she would place carpet on the stairs, to which the queen replied: "You must."

Smith shares videos on his social media that teach people how to serve afternoon tea, table etiquette and how to make a good first impression.

He said he was enjoying teaching etiquette to the younger generations who he believed sometimes got a "bad rap".

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