Kate and William Poach Housekeeper From the Queen

By Katie Kindelan May 8, 2013

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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge placed an ad for household help in January but, in the end, they didn't have to look far to find the right royal servant to help with their growing family.

A 13-year veteran of Buckingham Palace and housekeeper to the Queen herself has been hired by Prince William and Duchess Kate to oversee their new home in Kensington Palace, the U.K.'s Express reports.

Antonella Fresolone, 42-years-old, single and with no children, began her new job two weeks ago in preparation for the birth of William and Kate's first child, due in July. She has reportedly taken residence in a staff apartment at Kensington Palace, close to the Nottingham Cottage where the couple is staying while their residence is under renovation.

If Duchess Kate is craving carbs post-delivery, she is in luck with Fresolone, who is known by her peers for her "delicious Italian cooking," according to the Express.

Duchess Kate has also gained in Fresolone a right-hand person well-versed in royal affairs as one of the top three housekeepers to her grandmother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth.

"The queen will have given it her blessing," a source told the Express. "She does not like to stop people progressing through the ranks and will be happy that William and Kate have someone they can trust."

William, 30, and Kate, 31, sought a candidate with a "high standard of housekeeping" who could ensure "all areas of the residence are cleaned and maintained to a high standard at all times," according to the ad placed in January and circulated among Buckingham Palace staff.

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The roughly $35,000 per year post will also require Fresolone to keep a handle on the couple's dog, Lupo, a cocker spaniel who will likely need even more of her attention after the birth of the royal heir-to-be.

The royals conducted a similar search for a Kensington Palace aide shortly after their fairy tale wedding at London's Westminster Abbey in April 2011 but changed their minds because they spent most of their time at their cottage in Anglesey, Wales, where William works an RAF search-and-rescue pilot.

Now, with Duchess Kate now just months away from welcoming their first child, the couple is making final plans to move into their newly renovated apartment at the 300-year old Kensington Palace. Renovations to the new apartment, formerly the home of the late Princess Margaret, the queen's younger sister, include $750,000 in security upgrades, the UK's Mirror reported last year.

William grew up in Kensington Palace, living there as a child while his parents, Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana, were married, and then staying on with his mother after their divorce.

William and Kate will share space with other royals who also live in the palace, which is broken up into a number of apartments.

The palace has not commented on the royal couple's reported new hire, nor have they said if Kate and William will continue to staff up as their family expands. Royal watchers say, however, to not expect the same type of hands-off parenting done by the royal family in the past.

"They're really shaking things up behind the scenes and within the royal family," ABC News' royals expert Victoria Arbiter said last month.

"They will have nannies at some point," she said, "but I don't think it's going to be the school of nannies we've seen in the past."