Queen Elizabeth has a rat problem in Buckingham Palace and it's been plaguing the royal family and their household staff for centuries.
Royal historian Professor Kate Williams said in the documentary, Secrets of the Royal Palaces, that rats have been a perennial royal problem. Queen Elizabeth's ancestors have also been trying to get rid of the rats using different methods, which have been unsuccessful.
Queen Victoria, the Queen's great-great grandmother, was said to be shocked to learn that the royal palace was infested with these long-tail rodents when she first moved into Buckingham. The problem became so bad that the monarch had to hire a personal rat catcher, by the name of Jack Black, whose only job was to make sure that rats will not overrun the massive castle and turn their home into their playground.
Unfortunately, Buckingham Palace continues to have a rat problem even after Queen Victoria's reign. Williams said that Queen Elizabeth's mother used to shoot rats inside the palace, which ruined some of the walls and the pillars of Buckingham.
In 2019, Queen Elizabeth hired exterminators to deal with the problem since the rodents have been gnawing and messing up the royal kitchen. It's supposed to be part of the massive renovation of the monarch's official residence, which was first erected in 1703.
According to The Sun, the staff members in Buckingham's lower quarters have gotten so used to the situation because nothing can be done despite frequent pest control measures. Instead, the royal staff have been oriented and trained to limit the infestation by making their quarters clean, storing food properly, or making sure that there are no crumbs left on tables or kitchen counters.
Meanwhile, fans of The Crown were surprised to find a rat in one scene in the fourth season. It happened while the Queen Mother (played by Marion Bailey) was at one of the sitting rooms in Buckingham Palace and a tiny right scurried through the rug.
Viewers thought that this was deliberate and part of the scene, as the rat problem in Buckingham Palace is public knowledge to the British people despite denials from the royal courtiers. Some fans, however, said that it might have been a metaphorical depiction of the problems in Prince Charles and Princess Diana's marriage, which further broke down after Camilla Parker Bowles befriended the Princess of Wales.
Netflix nor The Crown production team has never commented about the scene with the rat.
