No fusty relic, Jeeves makes a comeback

"This is how a good butler gets his reputation. He thinks on his feet, foresees possible problems and finds solutions," says Watson, the Guild's director of training and himself a butler with 25 years of experience with the rich and famous. "You can never say – no, it's impossible to get hypoallergenic soap in the middle of the night," he says, by way of simple example. "There has to be a solution. We need to think broadly ... need to make it happen."

The trainees spend most of their days in the library going through real-life scenarios with Watson. What if the Marmite runs out on a Sunday? A vegan shows up for dinner?

Role plays are conducted: One student will pretend to be a drunken guest, throwing around a bread roll; another might be a demanding great- aunt displeased with the menu. "Your bosses are not interested in solving these things," explains Watson patiently. "If you ask them to make $3 million, that's not a problem. But when it comes to napkin wear, they might lack understanding. That's why they hire you."

Being a butler in this day and age is, apparently, more complicated then ever before. The times when setting the right silver and stage-whispering orders to the assistant butler were one's entire job description are, alas, no more. Today's butlers have to do all that – but also surf the Internet, find their way around a workout gym, and keep track of the Thursday night sitcom lineups on TV. They must be as comfortable wearing Bermuda shorts and serving pastel-colored drinks as they are polishing china in a single-breasted jacket and pinstriped trousers. "We do everything," says Carlos Antonus, a young Portuguese butler who serves a celebrated figure in Britain and is as well versed in karate chops as in comparison shopping for Norwegian salmon and decanting wine, "and everything is expected."

Mr. Antonus brings in freshly ironed shirts to his boss before every meeting, and stands behind him at every formal dinner, pouring his wine. He arranges air tickets and travels alongside the gentleman, making sure both appointments and diets are kept, but never asking any personal questions. He welcomes in house guests with a "Good evening your lordship and ladyship," and calmly calls for an ambulance if anyone faints.

The word "butler" is derived from old French 'bouteillier' or "bottle bearer," and historically, the butler – who rose to his stature by way of apprentices – was responsible for overseeing the wine cellar, announcing dinner, and directing the rest of the staff. The profession all but died out during the two world wars, with butlers and homeowners away fighting, and households falling into disrepair. The revival of the modern-day butler came in the 1980s and '90s with the stock market boom and the dotcom millionaires. And with the apprentice tradition long gone came the advent of butler school.

"So what did you learn at butler school?" Lorenzo Bulosan, the Filipino houseboy, is asked at the end of the course. "Well," he reflects, taking a break from his cigar-storing practice. "I had never heard the term 'butler' before, but now I will wear it with pride." "And," he concludes, "I will certainly explain to Madame that this butler needs an assistant butler. So very much to do."

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