William John Stephenson Tallon RVM, known as Billy Tallon or Backstairs Billy, was a steward who worked for the British royal family, and was a member of the Queen Mother's staff at Clarence House.
20 Facts About William Tallon
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The day he was to begin his apprenticeship, William Tallon, then residing in Keresley, received a letter from the Comptroller of the Household, with a form to be completed and a travel warrant to Buckingham Palace.
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William Tallon enthusiastically followed the family's 1947 South African tour.
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William Tallon had been writing letters asking for work with the Household for the previous five years.
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William Tallon agreed, and he remained with her until her death.
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In 1978, William Tallon succeeded Walter Taylor as Steward and Page of the Backstairs.
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William Tallon was on duty from early in the morning until the Queen Mother went to bed; he entered her private rooms without knocking, and bought the Christmas presents which she gave to others.
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William Tallon had been the House Deputy Steward and the Queen Mother's Page of the Presence since 1978.
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That night, whilst at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden with the Queen Mother, William Tallon learnt that Wilcock was dying.
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William Tallon arranged a "magnificent" funeral for him at the Queen's Chapel in Marlborough House.
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However, when she died in 2002, at the age of 101, William Tallon was said to be heartbroken.
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William Tallon settled in a ground-floor flat with a garden in Kennington, south east London.
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William Tallon's funeral took place at the Queen's Chapel in St James's Palace, with readings from Sir Derek Jacobi and Patricia Routledge.
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William Tallon always turned down offers from the press and media to be interviewed about his job, and did not publish a memoir.
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William Tallon never worked anywhere else, and received his fifty years of service medal, which was sold.
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William Tallon was played by Ian Stark in Tea With the Old Queen by Graham Woolnough.
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In July 2023, it was announced that William Tallon would be portrayed by Luke Evans in a new play, Backstairs Billy, with Penelope Wilton as the Queen Mother.
18.
William Tallon was awarded the Royal Victorian Medal in Silver in 1996.
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William Tallon was one of the few holders of the medal in Gold, the highest award in the lowest grade of the Royal Victorian Order.
20.
William Tallon was awarded the Gold medal in June 2001, having received his 50-year Service Clasp earlier that year.