Words: Alex Woodhall
Celebrity diva demands are the stuff of legend. Those who work for the super rich and the mega famous all have a tale or two to spill. When money becomes no object, there’s often an ego to accompany that sizeable bank account. In the spectrum of the most bizarre, unrealistic and downright preposterous requests that have been passed down from overlord to underling, these 10 all rank pretty highly…
Michael Harwood, private chef to celebrities and aristocrats, has previously revealed a millionaire client in Monaco ordered his wagyu beef to be blended so he wouldn’t have to face the taxing task that is chewing his food.
Harwood also once had a client’s wife demand a pineapple whilst they were on a superyacht near the tropics, in Tahiti. He didn’t have any of the fruit onboard, so he was sent out with a step ladder, machete and helicopter to retrieve a pineapple.
Songstress and diva extraordinaire Mariah Carey apparently once insisted that a new toilet seat and gold faucets were installed in a hotel suite before she checked in. On top of that, she also flew in her own personal bed linens and required an attendant to take her used chewing gum.
(Source: Getty)
Elton John goes one better though and expects those on his payroll to control the weather. He recently told Shortlist: “I rang up the office from a London hotel and said it was too windy, could they do something about it. How crazy is that? Stop the wind! I was serious.”
(Source: Raphael Dias/Getty)
Rod Stewart also likes his stays away from home to be nothing but perfect. The singer hates the light coming into his room so much that he has a “darkening team”. These members of his entourage scout hotel rooms ahead of time, ensuring no light comes in so he can enjoy his afternoon nap in the pitch black.
(Source: Getty)
Even the outrageous stipulations that A-List celebrities utter struggle to compete with the demands of the Royal Family though. According to a former Royal Family staffer, Prince Charles has entourage members who ensure he has never undressed himself or put away any of his clothing. Instead, his valets merely remove his clothing and take care of everything at the end of a hard day. There’s even one valet who’s tasked with ironing his shoelaces.
(Source: Getty)
Then on one proposed visit to an international rugby match at Twickenham, the Rugby Football Union showed a lady-in-waiting the retiring room. Horrifically, the noise of the cistern could be heard from the nearest seats. Engineers were summoned, of course, to drain the offending water and replace it with straw, which proved silent. The real kicker? The Queen never ended up using the facilities.
Back to billionaires and their impossibly high living standards. One superyacht owner reportedly requested that crew members clear the jellyfish out of the water before her family took a dip. How she expected crew to go ahead and do this no one is sure. The demand couldn’t be fulfilled, unsurprisingly.
(Source: Warner)
Head concierge at the Four Seasons in D.C., Javier Loureiro, was once asked by a guest, in true Devil Wear’s Prada fashion, to procure the new Harry Potter book – as in the next novel that was at the time unpublished. Astonishingly, he accomplished it – in fact he managed to get two copies, one for each child.
Finally, personal concierge service Quintessentially counts closing the Sydney Harbour Bridge for a private climb and proposal for a client as one of its major successes. Staff have also previously arranged a dinner for two on an iceberg for a particularly demanding client, as you do.
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