Britain's Queen Elizabeth's hand washer has died. Peter Houison Craufurd - who held the title Washer of the Sovereign's Hands - performed the role when the 86-year-old monarch was in residence at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, but he passed away last week aged 82, the Daily Telegraph newspaper reports. Speaking in an interview prior to his death, he said: 'We used to have to write to Buckingham Palace to offer to wash the monarch's hands every time they were in residence at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.