The Queen has moved her two closest staff members to Windsor, strongly suggesting that plans for a less active role are now ongoing.

Angela Kelly, once told by the Queen “We could be sisters”, is her personal assistant and “gatekeeper” who wakes her in the morning with a cup of Darjeeling tea. She began her Palace career as a housemaid and was born in a council house. Now she’s moved from an apartment in Marlborough House on the Mall to a house in Windsor Home Park within the Castle grounds.

Paul Whybrew, the Queen’s personal page, is the son of a bank manager. He has recently moved from Kensington Palace to a grace-and-favour property in Windsor.

Her Majesty is gradually scaling down her duties, handing more investitures to Prince Charles, and the role of “face of the Monarchy” to Prince William. The process is probably being hastened by her increasing health problems, especially the apparently chronic attacks of sciatica.

I’m hearing that Prince William and Prince Harry have “begged the Queen” to let girlfriends, Kate and Chelsy Davy stay overnight for the Royals’ Christmas Day celebration.

Insiders are saying that she has agreed to this but only on the proviso that the girls have their own bedrooms. The Royal Family will hold Christmas at Windsor Castle this year, instead of Sandringham, which can seem cramped for large gatherings.

Another source said: “When the Princes get time off from military duties it’s very important for them to get together with the girls.”

So Chelsy will get to be introduced to the Queen after all. Things are definitely getting serious.

Prince William has always wanted to be a gentleman farmer, much like his dad. Now he’s been given his opportunity.

He will take over as Ranger of Windsor Great Park, a post currently held by his 85-year-old grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh.

William will cut short his Army career to the minimum three years, which will also involve spells in the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force, since he will be Commander in Chief of them all when he becomes King.

In 2009, he will settle into the part-time Ranger’s job at Windsor. Does this mean he will live at Windsor Castle? We don’t know. Clarence House is very tight-lipped about the whole thing.

A friend chips in : “If truth be told, William would love to spend the rest of his life as a gentleman farmer. He’s a country boy at heart and it is where his interests lie.”

I wonder how all this will go down with Kate Middleton?

John Freeman, The Royal Collection © 2006, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Two wonderful Royal TV programmes are currently gracing our screens in Britain. The Queen’s Castle on BBC2 Tuesdays, and Time Team’s Channel 4 archeological dig at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and Hollyrood Palace in Edinburgh. Both are fascinating and gripping television.

The Queen’s Castle is a repeat of a series about the inner workings of Windsor Castle. And if you thought the old place must be a bit down-at-heel in democratic, 21st century England, think again. You’ll need to travel many leagues around the world and beyond to find interiors as sumptuous as these. It’s no wonder Windsor is the Queen’s favourite residence.

Last week’s hour-long episode centered around a visit by the President of France, Jacques Chirac, the State Banquet for him and Madame, and a performance by the entire West End cast of the hit musical, Les Miserables.

The meticulousness of the arrangements was what caught the eye : chairbacks precisely 27 inches from the massive table, cutlery lined up with military precision, and the Queen’s personal inspection of the table before her guests arrived. What a sharp eye she had for every detail.

If you get a chance to see this series of films, you won’t be disappointed. Just gazing at the inside of Windsor Castle provides enough fascination for an entire day.

By contrast, Time Team’s dig, which is still going on as I write, is almost all outdoors amid the dirt and rubble of trenches and bits of old pottery. The event is being staged to mark the Queen’s 80th birthday and required special permission from Her Majesty to set up. Digging up not one of the Monarch’s lawns but three must have taken a good deal of persuasion.

What have they found so far? Well, the beginnings of Windsor Castle had serious Arthurian connections. Wouldn’t you just know it. They also think they’ve found the site of King Edward III’s Round Table, the HQ for his Knightly Order based on King Arthur’s presumed version at Camelot. Could Windsor Castle be built on the site of “Camelot”? They’re not saying, but there’s a great deal of excitement in the air at Windsor this weekend.

It’s a good job the Queen is at Balmoral — another of her castles — but well away from all the digging.