The Queen Mother did not quietly go following the death of King George VI. She was ruthless in getting her own way. Definitely the iron fist in a velvet glove
She referred to Clarence House as "a horrid little house". As Prince Philip had been largely responsible for the re-furbishment and redecoration during his and Princess Elizabeths tenancy, this can hardly have improved the strained relation between he and his mother-in-law.
@@talmadge1926 yes I remember that Philip and Elizabeth were sad to leave Clarence House and they’d spent a lot of money refurbishing it. The Queen Mother probably disliked it less than she made out.
It sounds to me like he had a remarkable life, doing exactly what brought him joy. I’m sure he knew what benefits he would have (or not have) when time came for him to be retired. He didn’t die on the street - he died in his apartment. I’m sure he also knew that he was alcohol dependent and could do something about that, but chose not to. I don’t know why people seem to think he was mistreated - on the contrary, he was treated very well by the royal family for over a half century.
@kellydiver He had a civil list pension from the late Queen and the then Prince of Wales paid him £60,000 in 2003, to write a private memoir of his time with Queen Elizabeth. Of course he also had his state pension. He wasn't exactly starving under a hedge.
Everyone saying she should have made provisions for him. He was paid very well and even given free housing for nearly 30 years. You tell me what job would give you that? He was very well capable of making provisions for himself. More so than the most of us that’s for sure.
Dawn French said in an interview once that she met the queen mother as a child, she scared her to death because of her black teeth which she was well known for.
He seemed to jog along quite nicely with parties, restaurants, dinner invites, very nice suits, shopping done for him and he had a nice roof over his head by the look of it, all us OAPs should be so lucky
I used to know someone who's mother once worked in one of the offices at BP. (I don't remember which one. I think she was a secretary.) She said that while the Royal Family were nice to staff, the senior palace officials were all insufferable snobs, and treated the rest of the staff with contempt. I'm not at all surprised they had it out for Billy - a poor boy made good.
The officials were snobbish but neither the Royal Family nor the Royal Household are snobbish because they don't need to be. By the way, secretaries at Buckingham Palace are called Lady Clerks.
@@Barbara.Lerner.Spectre Andrew and Margaret were certainly demanding, and Princess Anne doesn't suffer fools, either gladly or at all, like her father. But in the Royal Family, they consider being rude to or bullying staff as beyond the pale.
@@michaelmontagu3979 From things I've read in the past, Prince Andrew in particular has been very rude and foul mouthed towards servants. I don't know why you would say it's beyond the pale. Do you know them personally?
Had it out for Billy? He had it out for anyone who 'crossed' him. Very typical of his ilk when they start feeling like they can do whatever they want without consequences. He by no means 'made good.' He was a SERVANT who behaved as though he was royalty - to anyone who was 'beneath' him in the hierarchy at his job. I'd never - EVER - hire someone like him. I suppose the royals like obsequious brown-nosers who are ready to lick their sh-t and like it, but that type just behaves as badly to others below them. As the narrator said, Billy and the Queen Mother had a lot in common - and it was NOT their better qualities. The guy was a waste of human skin who was ruined by getting above himself because it allowed him to abuse his power. Thinking he was 'untouchable' and had total power all those years just proves what a deluded fool he was. He was being used precisely the way he used the others on the staff.
What a sad ending to a fascinating life for someone who started at the bottom and worked his way to the top. Even as a non-royal the press still haunted him all those years ago. Things haven't changed in some respects.
It's not hard to imagine. A lot of people who never did a day's work or cared for anyone outside themselves getting drunk all day. Sickening people; waste of human skin. Problem is, William was exactly like them, passing the arrogance and entitlement of the royals down to the people who were under his power in the house. Small, petty, worthless wastes of human skin - upstairs and downstairs.
@@sophiegeorge2816 Agreed, but he does seem to have fallen apart somewhat after leaving. It's sad, because all he had to do is get himself to an AA meeting and sober up. Then, based on the principle that a man can't help himself unless he's helping other people, he could have got involved as a volunteer in charitable projects. They'd have loved him.
@loreensmith4864 Ah yes, of course. Plus the civil list pension and £60000 from the then Prince of Wales, for writing his memories of Queen Elizabeth. I don't think he did too badly.
Best advice don't expect anything from anybody except what you have achieved yourself through hard work you'll be much more proud of the rest of your life when you become retired you look back and think at least I worked hard hope this helps you young people out there
Remember many of the 1920-1940 servants did not now their own homes and were 100% dependant on heir employers. Billy started at age 15 years so he was completely dependant on the royal family for his housing, heating, food, clothes & everything. The world has changed a lot between 1920-2000. The Windsors are not know for their ability to read emotions and are quite reserved people.
Also dependent on them for providing him with endless booze, total power to sexually abuse and torment his co-workers and 'underlings,' a house for lavish parties, access to all kinds of powerful people who pumped up his ego and made him feel like the screaming queen he served. He got quite a high life for fifty years and was too stupid to set something aside for his old age. People like Billy are like cancer: they feed off the host body and seem to think it will go on forever, not realizing that when the host body dies, the cancer dies, too. He got what he set himself up for by being evil to his own class. Never betray your class. That's ONE way he did NOT imitate the Queen Mother and the one way he should have imitated her. All the high living and praise from people who enjoyed his parties is nothing. He will be remembered as an abuser and a piece of sh-t by the people who worked with and under him. You can judge a person's character and worth not by their sycophants, but by the way they exercise their authority over others. Funny how they couldn't find even ONE person who worked with him or under his authority who said that he was a good, fair, helpful or encouraging 'boss' to them. Only that if you were one of the Back-door Billy's 'favorites' (another gay who was willing to have sex with him or one of the insecure women who feel safer among gay men than straight men), you were safe, and if you were not to his taste sexually, you were 'out.'
The late Queen Elizabeth II made the decision to allow her mother to live as she wanted as her husband died so young. Payback was that Queen Elizabeth left almost her entire estate to her daughter.
@@samanthab1923 No. She left money to his sons, in a trust set up some years before her death. She left them £19 million, which was 2/3 of her personal estate.
Yeah, and he thought so hard about other people, like the other servants (apart from the ones he wanted to rape and the 'high society' he wanted to hobnob with, buying their company with the free liquor and hospitality provided by the Queen Mother, ultimately)? He thought only of his power, his connections, his privileged position, and nothing of the people he worked with - apart from his gay clique - and nothing about providing for his own future. He ended quite as he could have been expected to end: like a cancer dying when the host body dies.
Really? Because he would have been fired by anyone else. She promoted him to the highest position. Gave him free housing for nearly 30 years. He was paid very well.
@@lisaquigley-moon9583 Because he was arrogant and thought he should be provided for. But he was, rather well. A Duchy of Cornwall flat, pension from both the late Queen and the then Prince of Wales, who also gave him £60000 for writing his memories of Queen Elizabeth. He can't have done too badly to have left an estate worth more than £300000.
He reached his career goal, and more, by having a relationship with the Queen Mother or at least as much as she was capable of giving her employee. He was not ever told he was part of the family. He could not expect to live on royal grounds once his position was no longer required. He did have a pension and some other money opportunities. He too was cruel to those under him. His expectations disappointed him. After that lifestyle and exposure for over 50 years it would be a challenge to adapt to a new life no longer a royal connection. He turned to the bottle instead of realistically giving himself a chance at a new life.
Queen Mother spent every penny she had and plenty of handouts from her daughter. She certainly would not have plans for her people, she was all about herself.
@@catherinegriessel56 Why is it so hard for staff to understand this? They insert themselves into the inner circles of the family and then have these delusions that they are owed something. It defies belief.
all people go through this at retirement and no doubt wake up in the early hours thinking thats it then were do i go from here same happened to me 22 years 6 o'clock starts giving 100%+++++ i don't believe he didn't know how to survive out in the real world he just got it done by others great docu ;)
He was a paid servant and didnt have to be a breadearner of the family. What had happened to all his monthly payments from work? It was his fault for not saving his payments of 50 yrs of work.
The queen had probably heard the dreadful stories about his treatment of underlings, and she was probably very relieved to get him the hell out of there.
According to a documentary I saw involving Billy's co-workers at Clarence House, he was a toady, a sneak and bully, together with his boyfriend. He knew how to flatter the Qieen Mother. I'm a Royalist but can recognise a vain and determined woman. As for leaving provision for Billy, she died, allegedly, leaving several million pounds in debt, dutifully paid off by HRH, the late Queen Elizabeth 11. Let's keep it real. Karma caught up with him. Like all bullies he went to pieces when his props were removed.
Why did billy not make plans for his own house before the Queen mother died then he would have had a place to live and would know how to look after himself
He probably didn’t think that far ahead - he may have imagined they would allow him to stay on in the gate house as a ‘grace and favour’ residence. It must have come as a real blow when he realised that they considered him as just another servant.
They are usually allowed to have a home rent free after their long service they practically give up a life to serve the royal family plus wages are not that good even now they don't pay staff very well the RF are dreadful
It was very sad that there really was no provision made for "Backstairs Billy" when the Queen Mother died in 2002. He had devoted practically his entire life to service in the Royal household. It was also said that his lifetime partner had died. I'm not surprised that he passed away about five years later.😢
@HonestlyYours516 No? She had given him gifts worth tens of thousands and he and his partner Reg were given a Duchy of Cornwall apartment in South London and Tallon received a civil list pension. Rather more than so many people have.
@@HonestlyYours516 In the book, the author states that Tallon wanted some specific provisions made by the Queen Mother for him. As the QM aged and getting frail, the prospects for Billy were getting dimmer. Throughout the years, he had made many enemies by those aware of his predatory ways . Tallon was pretty much evicted from Clarence House in the end. He also became a victim of the great plague of the 80s.
Let’s not get romantic about this, he was just a butler somebody who was there to serve might have been given a privilege position, but the Royal family are friendly, They’re not your friends and he was a commoner there to serve nothing more nothing less and if you’re in any illusion about this just look at how they disregarded him once the Queen Mother had died, I think that says it all really.
I agree. It,s not like he came from the landed gentry or his father was a knight. That might have made some difference .I understand the Queen Mother was something of a snob.So no surprise she didn't leave him anything.
She didn’t have to queue up for rations during the war…or run to an Anderson in a raid…she lived a gilded age life …no wonder she looked good for her age..
@@jacquelinearcher1158the King and Queen were superb during World War 2 we were very lucky to have them Buckingham Palace was bombed seven times don't forget.
@jacquelinearcher1158 the Queen mothers brother died during the war a did one of the Kings just as during the Great War there was little class divide during such times.thats why the King and the Queen were beloved by the ordinary folk they went through it all with them and were not spared sadness or fear.
He was awarded the Royal Victoria Medal in silver, and later (as very rarely happens) in gold. He would have known the ropes - that was high praise indeed, and the way the bosses he worked for expressed themselves. I doubt if he would have felt badly treated or sorry for himself if it wasn't for the alcohol dependency.
@deev3282 Very true. He was an arrogant bully who used to make drunken passes at attractive young men who joined the household. If they refused they found that they just didn't fit in at Clarence House. He used to pick men up, including escorts, and take them back to Clarence House, usually giving them a tour, to show how important he was. He helped himself to what he wanted in the way of drink and food, and only got away with it because he made himself indispensable to the Queen Mother when she was a grieving widow. An obnoxious man.
The Queen spent 2 hours visiting Billy after here mother died and he's bitching about it? What a narcissist. Given how busy the Queen would have been, he's lucky he got a 2 minute visit!
He was in his 70ies when the Queen Mother died: way older than the average pensionier. So it was natural for him to leave service. I mean .. no employer lets you stay in your old office ha?
Three years before QM died , my friends father ( admirer) Sent her a CD with Christmass songs he recorded himself . Shortly after , he recieved hand written Thank You letter . She certainly had a style !! Now sits framed in his living room.
Pull-eeze! William alienated everyone and burned many bridges, confident he would forever be the spoiled old Queen's pet poodle. Imagine the grievances that came to Elizabeth ll's ears! But she could do nothing while her mother was alive. Good for Her Majesty! What goes around comes around, old Billy! Or should I say, Bully?
Making drama out of very little drama. He had a honourable life, no scandals no blunders, and after the queen mothers death, the consequences were quite natural, without human sacrifices.
Honorable? Sexually abusing and terrorizing his 'underlings'? If he had been the head of a corporation or film studio instead of a royal household, there'd be a place for him in the #metoo movement. He was arrogant, vain, and self-indulgent, a parasite who lived a high life by his association with royalty. He was loyal like a tick or leech is loyal: he knew where his liquor, his lifestyle, and his free pass to sexually abusing other employees came from. If he had had any humility or real kindness or heart for people, he would have looked after and been helpful and kind to the people who worked under him instead of exploiting and tormenting them. He would also have been prudent enough to look ahead to his own retirement, like any sensible person. But parasites always think they can go on sucking blood forever.
That's why she lived so long in my eyes .Of strong Scottish heritage.❤🎉A very Good Queen and wife to King George the Vi. A very good KING👑husband,and Father to his family...I wish they were still here with us.❤❤❤❤all 4 of them.
I highly recommend the book "Backstairs Billy: The Life of William Tallon--The Queen Mother's Most Devoted Servant" by Tom Quinn. Tallon was ruthless in pursuit of young male pages and such who piqued his fancy, whether they were of his inclinations or not.
A very sad story.... but when you work in a place like that you always have to remember that you are just a worker he crossed the line and paid the price!
As a Canadian I cannot understand this fascination and loyalty to royalty. Such an out dated institution. After WW1 all the major dynasties fell but the British Royalty continued to thrive🤔
They are an important part of the government, and in fact have the ability to remove your government. They are an important check and balance to government. They aren’t just a tourist attraction.
If you’re Canadian, you’d know that we have a Constitutional Monarchy with King Charles as our Head of State, and we have a Parliamentary Democracy. Nobody worships the monarch, but he plays an important role in keeping absolute power out of the hands of the Prime Minister, thereby preventing a corrupt President Trudeau. All our Bills go to the King for Royal Assent before they become law. That’s after perusal by the Upper House, or the Senate. Keeps things moving slowly and carefully.
@58christiansful He was. He thought he could do whatever he wanted. He would even pick up boys for sex and give them tours of Clarence House, to show off how important he was and how lucky they were. Actually an odious drunk.
30:19 speaking as a gay man myself, this just shows that bullying, prejudice and discrimination from (within) the gay community has remained an unresolved issue to this day as in the song “love to hate you”
❤ We love you! ❤ The only kindness I received in my adopted family in the 1950s was from my mother's Uncle and her first cousin ❤ Both gay men. It imbibed in me a life long trust of these dear souls. To this day...kindred spirits.
So handsome 😍. I wonder how many ladies tried and failed 😂. Love learning about the staff life. I wasn't there so i don't know but the Queen mother and Margaret appeared to be a tad difficult to be around too long😂. I imagine that when you work in a house with a family for so long you would forget that you are actually staff...not family...😮
Really enjoyed this film , fascinating character was Billy and the perfect butler for a charismatic Queen Mother , who , in spite of her little foibles was the nation's darling .
What a sad story. I don't think HM The Queen knew what thank you meant to William. I have no doubt that William's spirit is indeed somewhere in the corridors and rooms of Clarence House..R.I.P William and Thank you. 🙏 💐
WHAT did he expect... he was hired personally without ever going through the wringer of a process. His stay then was totally dependent on the late Queen Mother ...
The Queen Mum missed her husband. She became a heavy drinker. No one interveened. She & PP did not get along. Hard on QE 2. Did Princess Margaret inherit her mother's love of the drink and men? The King was a lot like QE2 steady and a hard worker. Too bad he died so young. She was a widow for many long, lonely years.
He was loyal all right bec he was about to cling to that lifestyle as long as theQueen Mother was alive. HE DESERVED what he got... his loyalty had a price.. his lifestyle within the royal enclaves...
@@simongarthwaite7695 Yeah, because she was so wise and wonderful. Apart from some favorable photo-ops during the second world war, what did she contribute to the world? How is the world - or any single person, for that matter - better because she lived? She was a self-indulgent old drunk.
As a matter of fact the Rf are well known for how well they treat staff in General always have been even in the days when servant were treated like crap.
There's no doubt that Billy would have done an excellent job, but after many years in the job, surely he should have foreseen a time when the Queen Mother would eventually die and he should make provisions for himself afterwards. The job was for the duration of her life and he would have been better prepared for life afterwards had he done that. As far as I know, not many employers provide for ex employees when they finish so why would Billy be an exception. My dad worked down the pit for 40 years and British Coal didn't provide our house or my dad's pension. Billy was very well looked after for 40 or so years. He wasn't perfect nor was he hard done by.
Speaks so so HORRIBLY for the Queen to toss him out after 50 Years of service. She acted so dishonorably. As Michael Jackson sang "they don't care about us".
HE WAS A PAID SERVANT AND HIS JOB WAS OVER IT IS THAT SIMPLE WHAT ELSE COULD HE EXPECT HIS OWN LIFE WAS his RESPONSIBILITY LIFE IS TOUGH FOR everyone GET ON WITH IT🎉
Cecil Beaton said that in the weeks following the death of the Queen Mother's husband the king and before she moved to Clarence House, because she was no longer a reigning queen alot of the courtiers at Buckingham Palace were suddenly quite casual and off-hand with her, the deference gone. So life can be cruel even to a Queen Empress
He was a flawed character in some ways, but in truth, how many of us aren't? One thing that stands out from this story, is that he remained extremely loyal to the Royal Family, and did not, as he could have, accept huge amounts of money in expose stories for the tabloids. He had a certain integrity, and the Royal family, instead of remaining loyal to him, treated him in the most shabby and uncaring manner! It is an object lesson in the real attitude of the Royals to those who serve them! The disgusting Papparazzi Press hunted and stalked this vulnerable man to his death, as they did with Princess Diana!
Just proves how long you can go on being a complete waste of human skin if you take the precaution of making ONE good impression at JUST the right moment. What ELSE did she do besides 'behaving well during the war' that made her life worth anything? Seriously? An old lush who spent money like there was no tomorrow and allowed the abuse of her staff under her very nose. No concern for anyone, obviously, apart from her own pleasures and comfort.
I think he had a fabulous life. Like everyone. You end up alone. He was privileged. Pretty sure his pension wasn’t meagre either. Maybe to what he had become accustomed to. I’m sure he never truly begrudged leaving..
The Queen Mother did not quietly go following the death of King George VI. She was ruthless in getting her own way. Definitely the iron fist in a velvet glove
Good for her
She referred to Clarence House as "a horrid little house". As Prince Philip had been largely responsible for the re-furbishment and redecoration during his and Princess Elizabeths tenancy, this can hardly have improved the strained relation between he and his mother-in-law.
She was supposed to move out when Elizabeth became Queen. Phillip made her leave. She still thought she was THE queen.
You're so.right !!! She was a lion, not just a horoscope sign, but also as a person
@@talmadge1926 yes I remember that Philip and Elizabeth were sad to leave Clarence House and they’d spent a lot of money refurbishing it. The Queen Mother probably disliked it less than she made out.
It sounds to me like he had a remarkable life, doing exactly what brought him joy. I’m sure he knew what benefits he would have (or not have) when time came for him to be retired. He didn’t die on the street - he died in his apartment. I’m sure he also knew that he was alcohol dependent and could do something about that, but chose not to. I don’t know why people seem to think he was mistreated - on the contrary, he was treated very well by the royal family for over a half century.
@kellydiver He had a civil list pension from the late Queen and the then Prince of Wales paid him £60,000 in 2003, to write a private memoir of his time with Queen Elizabeth. Of course he also had his state pension. He wasn't exactly starving under a hedge.
Correct
Correct
Hear hear correct
Everyone saying she should have made provisions for him. He was paid very well and even given free housing for nearly 30 years. You tell me what job would give you that? He was very well capable of making provisions for himself. More so than the most of us that’s for sure.
I always think the NOEL COWARD quote is the best. “ Elizabeth Bowles Lyon- was an incredible snob , intellectually slow but had a nice smile “.
with crooked teeth.hehe
She was known too be a bully
Dawn French said in an interview once that she met the queen mother as a child, she scared her to death because of her black teeth which she was well known for.
lol! Thanks for that. People always think these people must be intelligent simply because of their station in life.
She was high born
Rita comes across as a lovely person and a great and loyal friend, to Billy!
Rita looks so young to be a friend , like a different generation. What’s her secret!
@@Hava744 Being a kind and decent Human Being.
Very interesting video. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Thank you.
He seemed to jog along quite nicely with parties, restaurants, dinner invites, very nice suits, shopping done for him and he had a nice roof over his head by the look of it, all us OAPs should be so lucky
Good point, he lived the life he always dreamed of as a child.
Obviously, the queen had lots of girlfriends!
I used to know someone who's mother once worked in one of the offices at BP. (I don't remember which one. I think she was a secretary.) She said that while the Royal Family were nice to staff, the senior palace officials were all insufferable snobs, and treated the rest of the staff with contempt. I'm not at all surprised they had it out for Billy - a poor boy made good.
The officials were snobbish but neither the Royal Family nor the Royal Household are snobbish because they don't need to be.
By the way, secretaries at Buckingham Palace are called Lady Clerks.
I've heard different stories about the way the Royals treated the staff, notably Prince Andrew Princess Anne and Princess Margaret.
@@Barbara.Lerner.Spectre Andrew and Margaret were certainly demanding, and Princess Anne doesn't suffer fools, either gladly or at all, like her father. But in the Royal Family, they consider being rude to or bullying staff as beyond the pale.
@@michaelmontagu3979 From things I've read in the past, Prince Andrew in particular has been very rude and foul mouthed towards servants. I don't know why you would say it's beyond the pale. Do you know them personally?
Had it out for Billy? He had it out for anyone who 'crossed' him. Very typical of his ilk when they start feeling like they can do whatever they want without consequences. He by no means 'made good.' He was a SERVANT who behaved as though he was royalty - to anyone who was 'beneath' him in the hierarchy at his job. I'd never - EVER - hire someone like him. I suppose the royals like obsequious brown-nosers who are ready to lick their sh-t and like it, but that type just behaves as badly to others below them. As the narrator said, Billy and the Queen Mother had a lot in common - and it was NOT their better qualities. The guy was a waste of human skin who was ruined by getting above himself because it allowed him to abuse his power. Thinking he was 'untouchable' and had total power all those years just proves what a deluded fool he was. He was being used precisely the way he used the others on the staff.
Lady Colin Campbell said that she never saw the Queen Mother to be drunk but that she was never entirely sober either!
2 old queens with a real old queen LMFAO
Like all jobs nobody is indispensable, once youve served your purpose your gone and forgotten
catherine: *, you're gone and forgotten.
What a sad ending to a fascinating life for someone who started at the bottom and worked his way to the top. Even as a non-royal the press still haunted him all those years ago. Things haven't changed in some respects.
imagine the secrets he knew......
It's not hard to imagine. A lot of people who never did a day's work or cared for anyone outside themselves getting drunk all day. Sickening people; waste of human skin. Problem is, William was exactly like them, passing the arrogance and entitlement of the royals down to the people who were under his power in the house. Small, petty, worthless wastes of human skin - upstairs and downstairs.
He didn’t die in a gutter he died in his ground floor flat in south London
Good old Billy did quite well for himself - making £500,000 from the royal memorabilia left to him.
@@sophiegeorge2816 A flat provided by the Duchy of Cornwall.
@@sophiegeorge2816 Agreed, but he does seem to have fallen apart somewhat after leaving.
It's sad, because all he had to do is get himself to an AA meeting and sober up.
Then, based on the principle that a man can't help himself unless he's helping other people, he could have got involved as a volunteer in charitable projects. They'd have loved him.
@@michaelmontagu3979 a flat and pension provided by Prince Charles from his duchy of Cornwall allowance.
@loreensmith4864 Ah yes, of course. Plus the civil list pension and £60000 from the then Prince of Wales, for writing his memories of Queen Elizabeth. I don't think he did too badly.
He was very handsome when he was young.
This should be a Netflix show or movie.
No more woke Netflix shows.
He should have been portrayed in The Crown series.
Too controversial a figure, he could have played it safer than Billy did.
The Queen Mother was glossed over in the Crown far too much I thought she was a huge part of the Queens life.
It sounds like back stairs Billy was a lush like hes boss.
Best advice don't expect anything from anybody except what you have achieved yourself through hard work you'll be much more proud of the rest of your life when you become retired you look back and think at least I worked hard hope this helps you young people out there
Never expect anything from anyone and you'll never be disappointed.
Always save in order to have a secure roof over your head.
I think Queen Elizabeth spending 2 hours visiting with him after her mother’s death, was her way of saying thank you.
she could have said it, too
She figured he was To say thank you.. she may have known what had been going on..
@lynnhubbard844 We don't know what was said.
Remember many of the 1920-1940 servants did not now their own homes and were 100% dependant on heir employers. Billy started at age 15 years so he was completely dependant on the royal family for his housing, heating, food, clothes & everything. The world has changed a lot between 1920-2000. The Windsors are not know for their ability to read emotions and are quite reserved people.
Also dependent on them for providing him with endless booze, total power to sexually abuse and torment his co-workers and 'underlings,' a house for lavish parties, access to all kinds of powerful people who pumped up his ego and made him feel like the screaming queen he served. He got quite a high life for fifty years and was too stupid to set something aside for his old age. People like Billy are like cancer: they feed off the host body and seem to think it will go on forever, not realizing that when the host body dies, the cancer dies, too. He got what he set himself up for by being evil to his own class. Never betray your class. That's ONE way he did NOT imitate the Queen Mother and the one way he should have imitated her. All the high living and praise from people who enjoyed his parties is nothing. He will be remembered as an abuser and a piece of sh-t by the people who worked with and under him. You can judge a person's character and worth not by their sycophants, but by the way they exercise their authority over others. Funny how they couldn't find even ONE person who worked with him or under his authority who said that he was a good, fair, helpful or encouraging 'boss' to them. Only that if you were one of the Back-door Billy's 'favorites' (another gay who was willing to have sex with him or one of the insecure women who feel safer among gay men than straight men), you were safe, and if you were not to his taste sexually, you were 'out.'
The queen mother also left behind huge debts, running into the millions. The liquor bill was also huge LOL.
She loved her champagne.
The late Queen Elizabeth II made the decision to allow her mother to live as she wanted as her husband died so young. Payback was that Queen Elizabeth left almost her entire estate to her daughter.
@@michaelmontagu3979Didn’t the Queen Mum leave a lot to Charles?
Queen Mother left 9 million in dept which Queen Elizabeth paid off. The Queen Mother had an annual allowance of £1 million per year.
@@samanthab1923 No. She left money to his sons, in a trust set up some years before her death. She left them £19 million, which was 2/3 of her personal estate.
The Queen Mother should have made provisions for his future, but she was notorious for thinking primarily of only herself.
Yeah, and he thought so hard about other people, like the other servants (apart from the ones he wanted to rape and the 'high society' he wanted to hobnob with, buying their company with the free liquor and hospitality provided by the Queen Mother, ultimately)? He thought only of his power, his connections, his privileged position, and nothing of the people he worked with - apart from his gay clique - and nothing about providing for his own future. He ended quite as he could have been expected to end: like a cancer dying when the host body dies.
Really? Because he would have been fired by anyone else. She promoted him to the highest position. Gave him free housing for nearly 30 years. He was paid very well.
Why didn’t he make provisions for himself to save money for himself?
Prince Charles provided accommodation and a pension for life.
@@lisaquigley-moon9583 Because he was arrogant and thought he should be provided for. But he was, rather well. A Duchy of Cornwall flat, pension from both the late Queen and the then Prince of Wales, who also gave him £60000 for writing his memories of Queen Elizabeth. He can't have done too badly to have left an estate worth more than £300000.
If only he’d left a memoir.
@@Lila-BeamMeUpAlready He did. He compiled one privately for the then Prince of Wales, who paid him £60000 in 2003
@@michaelmontagu3979like most memoirs it will be made public when all current people involved are dead. That's how history is made.
A charmed life indeed but being called back door Willie must have been difficult
Gréât documentaire 👌
He reached his career goal, and more, by having a relationship with the Queen Mother or at least as much as she was capable of giving her employee. He was not ever told he was part of the family. He could not expect to live on royal grounds once his position was no longer required. He did have a pension and some other money opportunities. He too was cruel to those under him. His expectations disappointed him. After that lifestyle and exposure for over 50 years it would be a challenge to adapt to a new life no longer a royal connection. He turned to the bottle instead of realistically giving himself a chance at a new life.
He was an employee. That is all. Its called "professionalism."
The Queen Mother had plenty time to make provisions for him for when she was no longer here but didn’t 😕
He was a servant first and foremost, nothing more or less, once she was gone his services were no longer required, that simple
He was 70 plus and wasn't exactly living on skid row or going to food banks
She didn’t adopt him he was an employee..he was paid and had a pension…it was a job…what did he think he would do in retirement?
Queen Mother spent every penny she had and plenty of handouts from her daughter. She certainly would not have plans for her people, she was all about herself.
@@catherinegriessel56 Why is it so hard for staff to understand this? They insert themselves into the inner circles of the family and then have these delusions that they are owed something. It defies belief.
all people go through this at retirement and no doubt wake up in the early hours thinking thats it then were do i go from here same happened to me 22 years 6 o'clock starts giving 100%+++++ i don't believe he didn't know how to survive out in the real world he just got it done by others great docu ;)
He was a paid servant and didnt have to be a breadearner of the family. What had happened to all his monthly payments from work? It was his fault for not saving his payments of 50 yrs of work.
The queen had probably heard the dreadful stories about his treatment of underlings, and she was probably very relieved to get him the hell out of there.
According to a documentary I saw involving Billy's co-workers at Clarence House, he was a toady, a sneak and bully, together with his boyfriend. He knew how to flatter the Qieen Mother. I'm a Royalist but can recognise a vain and determined woman. As for leaving provision for Billy, she died, allegedly, leaving several million pounds in debt, dutifully paid off by HRH, the late Queen Elizabeth 11. Let's keep it real. Karma caught up with him. Like all bullies he went to pieces when his props were removed.
Backstairs Indeed😂
Typical Kween
Why did billy not make plans for his own house before the Queen mother died then he would have had a place to live and would know how to look after himself
He probably didn’t think that far ahead - he may have imagined they would allow him to stay on in the gate house as a ‘grace and favour’ residence. It must have come as a real blow when he realised that they considered him as just another servant.
He had a Duchy of Cornwall flat with his partner, Reg, who also worked at Clarence House and who died before him..
They are usually allowed to have a home rent free after their long service they practically give up a life to serve the royal family plus wages are not that good even now they don't pay staff very well the RF are dreadful
It was very sad that there really was no provision made for "Backstairs Billy" when the Queen Mother died in 2002. He had devoted practically his entire life to service in the Royal household. It was also said that his lifetime partner had died. I'm not surprised that he passed away about five years later.😢
@HonestlyYours516 No? She had given him gifts worth tens of thousands and he and his partner Reg were given a Duchy of Cornwall apartment in South London and Tallon received a civil list pension. Rather more than so many people have.
@@HonestlyYours516 In the book, the author states that Tallon wanted some specific provisions made by the Queen Mother for him. As the QM aged and getting frail, the prospects for Billy were getting dimmer. Throughout the years, he had made many enemies by those aware of his predatory ways . Tallon was pretty much evicted from Clarence House in the end. He also became a victim of the great plague of the 80s.
Good old Billy did quite well for himself - making £500,000 from the royal memorabilia left to him.
@@Querencia7779 And the then Prince of Wales paid him £60000 in 2003, for writing his memories of Queen Elizabeth.
The royal family do that use n abandon
I would call that relationship codependent, everyone had fun..
Well done! Brilliantly put together
Let’s not get romantic about this, he was just a butler somebody who was there to serve might have been given a privilege position, but the Royal family are friendly, They’re not your friends and he was a commoner there to serve nothing more nothing less and if you’re in any illusion about this just look at how they disregarded him once the Queen Mother had died, I think that says it all really.
Honestly, after fifty years (!) you are not not just a servant.
Like any job once your services not needed your gone
@@catherinegriessel56agreed
@@Celisar1 if you work for the RF you are always beneath them look what they did to crawfie the queen's governess
I agree. It,s not like he came from the landed gentry or his father was a knight. That might have made some difference .I understand the Queen Mother was something of a snob.So no surprise she didn't leave him anything.
I never liked her for various reasons but turning 70 she looked absolutely amazing, some 20 years younger.
She didn’t have to queue up for rations during the war…or run to an Anderson in a raid…she lived a gilded age life …no wonder she looked good for her age..
@@jacquelinearcher1158the King and Queen were superb during World War 2 we were very lucky to have them Buckingham Palace was bombed seven times don't forget.
@jacquelinearcher1158 the Queen mothers brother died during the war a did one of the Kings just as during the Great War there was little class divide during such times.thats why the King and the Queen were beloved by the ordinary folk they went through it all with them and were not spared sadness or fear.
I suppose she had absolutely no stress or worries.
@@jeanmyers1787 But you would think that being a total lush would have taken its toll. Most alcoholics look like hell by old age.
Great story.😊
That was very interesting, I am glad that he had a good life in service and in retirement.
The Queem Mum being a low key ally😌😌😌we can be problematic 😂😂😂😂😂
Well,well,well... employees are employees nothing more or less. He had a great living and took his advantage from it...
After 50 years you are not just an employee.
@@Celisar1 Yes you are. Everyone is dispensable.
Yes you are an employee
He was awarded the Royal Victoria Medal in silver, and later (as very rarely happens) in gold. He would have known the ropes - that was high praise indeed, and the way the bosses he worked for expressed themselves. I doubt if he would have felt badly treated or sorry for himself if it wasn't for the alcohol dependency.
What a sad story. It’s a shame that even in death he is shamed from what I can tell is a life devoted to service. Shame he was treated so poorly…
He made a great living and was by all accounts a nasty piece of work to his colleagues. He had illusions of grander.
Shame how terribly he treated the young men working under him. Horrible man who abused his privileged position.
@deev3282 Very true. He was an arrogant bully who used to make drunken passes at attractive young men who joined the household. If they refused they found that they just didn't fit in at Clarence House. He used to pick men up, including escorts, and take them back to Clarence House, usually giving them a tour, to show how important he was. He helped himself to what he wanted in the way of drink and food, and only got away with it because he made himself indispensable to the Queen Mother when she was a grieving widow. An obnoxious man.
He was like his boss quite nasty. He had a good life with her.
The Queen spent 2 hours visiting Billy after here mother died and he's bitching about it? What a narcissist. Given how busy the Queen would have been, he's lucky he got a 2 minute visit!
And politely told him that his service was over. And don’t worry about the corgis we will look after them .
He was in his 70ies when the Queen Mother died: way older than the average pensionier. So it was natural for him to leave service. I mean .. no employer lets you stay in your old office ha?
I wanted to see the Tea set that QE sent the painter.
Three years before QM died , my friends father ( admirer)
Sent her a CD with Christmass songs he recorded himself .
Shortly after , he recieved hand written Thank You letter .
She certainly had a style !!
Now sits framed in his living room.
Pull-eeze!
William alienated everyone and burned many bridges, confident he would forever be the spoiled old Queen's pet poodle.
Imagine the grievances that came to Elizabeth ll's ears!
But she could do nothing while her mother was alive.
Good for Her Majesty!
What goes around comes around, old Billy!
Or should I say, Bully?
Good old Billy did quite well for himself - making £500,000 from the royal memorabilia left to him.
Making drama out of very little drama. He had a honourable life, no scandals no blunders, and after the queen mothers death, the consequences were quite natural, without human sacrifices.
Honorable? Sexually abusing and terrorizing his 'underlings'? If he had been the head of a corporation or film studio instead of a royal household, there'd be a place for him in the #metoo movement. He was arrogant, vain, and self-indulgent, a parasite who lived a high life by his association with royalty. He was loyal like a tick or leech is loyal: he knew where his liquor, his lifestyle, and his free pass to sexually abusing other employees came from. If he had had any humility or real kindness or heart for people, he would have looked after and been helpful and kind to the people who worked under him instead of exploiting and tormenting them. He would also have been prudent enough to look ahead to his own retirement, like any sensible person. But parasites always think they can go on sucking blood forever.
"...without human sacrifices." Brilliant!
Besides those he bullied
That's why she lived so long in my eyes .Of strong Scottish heritage.❤🎉A very Good Queen and wife to King George the Vi. A very good KING👑husband,and Father to his family...I wish they were still here with us.❤❤❤❤all 4 of them.
he was so handsome, omg
I highly recommend the book "Backstairs Billy: The Life of William Tallon--The Queen Mother's Most Devoted Servant" by Tom Quinn. Tallon was ruthless in pursuit of young male pages and such who piqued his fancy, whether they were of his inclinations or not.
A very sad story.... but when you work in a place like that you always have to remember that you are just a worker he crossed the line and paid the price!
Well done video thanks
Excellent thank you
The Queen mother didn't move aside She had to be pushed And who were all these people she was wining and dining
As a Canadian I cannot understand this fascination and loyalty to royalty. Such an out dated institution. After WW1 all the major dynasties fell but the British Royalty continued to thrive🤔
As an American, I agree.
😮😮😮😮 Não se joga ao chão uma dinastia de 300 anos ... isso é tudo !
Their value in entertainment and tourism keeps them going.
They are an important part of the government, and in fact have the ability to remove your government. They are an important check and balance to government. They aren’t just a tourist attraction.
If you’re Canadian, you’d know that we have a Constitutional Monarchy with King Charles as our Head of State, and we have a Parliamentary Democracy. Nobody worships the monarch, but he plays an important role in keeping absolute power out of the hands of the Prime Minister, thereby preventing a corrupt President Trudeau. All our Bills go to the King for Royal Assent before they become law. That’s after perusal by the Upper House, or the Senate. Keeps things moving slowly and carefully.
What an incredible and sad story.
Billy was clearly a complete nightmare.
@58christiansful He was. He thought he could do whatever he wanted. He would even pick up boys for sex and give them tours of Clarence House, to show off how important he was and how lucky they were. Actually an odious drunk.
He was probably institutionalsed and abused.
30:19 speaking as a gay man myself, this just shows that bullying, prejudice and discrimination from (within) the gay community has remained an unresolved issue to this day as in the song “love to hate you”
But there are many, many friends of friends of Dorothy. I am one. It's just hateful morons who aren't.
❤ We love you! ❤ The only kindness I received in my adopted family in the 1950s was from my mother's Uncle and her first cousin ❤ Both gay men. It imbibed in me a life long trust of these dear souls. To this day...kindred spirits.
So handsome 😍. I wonder how many ladies tried and failed 😂.
Love learning about the staff life. I wasn't there so i don't know but the Queen mother and Margaret appeared to be a tad difficult to be around too long😂.
I imagine that when you work in a house with a family for so long you would forget that you are actually staff...not family...😮
RIP BILLY,it's a Shame you were treated like trash after 50 years!
That is the British Royal Family for ya!!!
Yep, the Queen and here mother.
He had a job and a pension…like other workers ..why would he expect more ?
8 uiHuas t 6@@mariannevontrapp1063
She certainly couldn't spoil herself enough.
And totally useless!
Really enjoyed this film , fascinating character was Billy and the perfect butler for a charismatic Queen Mother , who , in spite of her little foibles was the nation's darling .
What a sad story. I don't think HM The Queen knew what thank you meant to William. I have no doubt that William's spirit is indeed somewhere in the corridors and rooms of Clarence House..R.I.P William and Thank you. 🙏 💐
Wow, so Downton Abbey wasn’t too far off on the way they lived in the staff that lived downstairs😊
WHAT did he expect... he was hired personally without ever going through the wringer of a process. His stay then was totally dependent on the late Queen Mother ...
Its incredible to see that the Queen Mother had rotten teeth. With all her wealth, she couldn't get dental care?
Bad teeth are a great English tradition
They were badly stained
They were a shade of green
This is an incredible story, sad story
The Queen Mum missed her husband. She became a heavy drinker. No one interveened. She & PP did not get along. Hard on QE 2. Did Princess Margaret inherit her mother's love of the drink and men? The King was a lot like QE2 steady and a hard worker. Too bad he died so young. She was a widow for many long, lonely years.
It’s disgusting to watch the Royal family feed and live off the rest of humanity.Very few of them have ever lifted a finger to help humanity.
silly man. thinking he was invincible. trusting other people like that. Never ever trust your employer. A bully who died a lonely death. God save us.
Correct nobody is indespensible if you keep that in your head your half way there
He was loyal to the end
Staff, always an afterthought...
Still 😂 great euphemism of a nickname
Yes butler and Queen well suited. Not nice people. Such horrendous snobs.
I always liked her ! but power corrupts and though you may move in high class circles unless you wear the right tie you will never be invited in !
The are reptiles
Truer words were never spoken. Most hated her.
He was loyal all right bec he was about to cling to that lifestyle as long as theQueen Mother was alive. HE DESERVED what he got... his loyalty had a price.. his lifestyle within the royal enclaves...
The Queen mother was a wicked woman. She obviously need him to pour her drinks.
hehe
She was a fabulous lady just from a very different time she didn't suffer fools
@@simongarthwaite7695 Yeah, because she was so wise and wonderful. Apart from some favorable photo-ops during the second world war, what did she contribute to the world? How is the world - or any single person, for that matter - better because she lived? She was a self-indulgent old drunk.
@FigaroHey nonsense Britain would not of got through the war without its Royal Family.
He should have written & sold a book. He could have exposed it all.
*35.00* I doubt anyone could persuade or dissuade Princess Margaret from anything if she decided on it
I love queen of hearts Queen Diana❤
He could have hos own Crown series.
What a cold family.
As a matter of fact the Rf are well known for how well they treat staff in General always have been even in the days when servant were treated like crap.
@simongarthwaite7695 Exactly right. If staff were treated badly they wouldn't have stayed on so long or been so loyal.
Feeding staff chips and beans - speaks volumes about the depravity of the hse of windsor
@@cahillgreg That was in the 1950s, when food was still rationed. It's much better than that now.
There's no doubt that Billy would have done an excellent job, but after many years in the job, surely he should have foreseen a time when the Queen Mother would eventually die and he should make provisions for himself afterwards. The job was for the duration of her life and he would have been better prepared for life afterwards had he done that. As far as I know, not many employers provide for ex employees when they finish so why would Billy be an exception. My dad worked down the pit for 40 years and British Coal didn't provide our house or my dad's pension. Billy was very well looked after for 40 or so years. He wasn't perfect nor was he hard done by.
Speaks so so HORRIBLY for the Queen to toss him out after 50 Years of service. She acted so dishonorably. As Michael Jackson sang "they don't care about us".
It does not speak badly about the late Queen Elizabeth. His service of 50 years was over. He could have put money aside for his retirement.
Leave a door for back stairs Willie.
And the Bridgeton reference.....😅
Hey Utub, GOT IT!
HE WAS A PAID SERVANT AND HIS JOB WAS OVER IT IS THAT SIMPLE WHAT ELSE COULD HE EXPECT HIS OWN LIFE WAS his RESPONSIBILITY LIFE IS TOUGH FOR everyone GET ON WITH IT🎉
Cecil Beaton said that in the weeks following the death of the Queen Mother's husband the king and before she moved to Clarence House, because she was no longer a reigning queen alot of the courtiers at Buckingham Palace were suddenly quite casual and off-hand with her, the deference gone.
So life can be cruel even to a Queen Empress
The Queen Mother was a Queen and an Empress.
He was a flawed character in some ways, but in truth, how many of us aren't? One thing that stands out from this story, is that he remained extremely loyal to the Royal Family, and did not, as he could have, accept huge amounts of money in expose stories for the tabloids. He had a certain integrity, and the Royal family, instead of remaining loyal to him, treated him in the most shabby and uncaring manner! It is an object lesson in the real attitude of the Royals to those who serve them! The disgusting Papparazzi Press hunted and stalked this vulnerable man to his death, as they did with Princess Diana!
The Queen should have thanked Billy for helping looking after her mother.
Billy did it for free??
He was not important enough for queen's to bother with.😢
How do you know she didn’t?
The Queen was MUCH LOVED ...she behaved ao well during rhe War
Just proves how long you can go on being a complete waste of human skin if you take the precaution of making ONE good impression at JUST the right moment. What ELSE did she do besides 'behaving well during the war' that made her life worth anything? Seriously? An old lush who spent money like there was no tomorrow and allowed the abuse of her staff under her very nose. No concern for anyone, obviously, apart from her own pleasures and comfort.
She WAS NOT loved in the east end where she was rudely sent on her mink lined way...fact
I am most surprised by the cobwebs under the table and almost every glass was not washed well, almost all of them had a murky film on them.
Funny that this is probably the inspiration of the gay couple in the animated HBO show, “The Prince,”
I think he had a fabulous life. Like everyone. You end up alone. He was privileged. Pretty sure his pension wasn’t meagre either. Maybe to what he had become accustomed to. I’m sure he never truly begrudged leaving..