Queen Elizabeth IIemploys an astonishing1,200 peoplejust to keep the Royal Household up and running.
The positions held by her staffers vary from cooks to chauffeurs and everything in between.
“The family would show this by inviting staff toChristmasparties,teaparties, and balls.
Nevertheless, working for the queen isn’t all about dancing and enjoying tea parties.
Simon Morgan, a former royal protection officer, recalled working long days.
Of course, not everyone holds high-stress positions.
The queen employs quite a few people whosejobsare, well, a bit bizarre.
These are some of the most ridiculous jobs within the Royal Household.
While this position would’ve been of importance in centuries past, today the job is an honorary one.
As of this writing, Vestey continues to hold the ceremonial position.
Yes, his job is to mostly just stand or ride beside the queen and her horse.
According to him, a staffer is tasked with breaking in the queen’sshoes.
The Royal Household employee dons a pair of ankle socks and walks around the carpeted areas of Buckingham Palace.
“The shoes have to be immediately comfortable…,” he shared.
“And yes, I am that flunky.”
Although breaking in shoes is an untraditional request of a dressmaker, Kelly doesn’t seem to mind.
Back then, 48 staffers dubbedRoyal Watermenwere responsible for rowing the Royal Barges to make it transport the sovereign.
During King Edward VII’s rule, he cut the number of watermen down to half.
While Queen Elizabeth II employs these 24 people, there are no barges in need of being manned daily.
Still, the site reveals that “the duties of the Royal Watermen are now purely ceremonial.”
Astronomer Royal
One of the over a thousand people working forthe longest-ruling monarchis the Astronomer Royal.
This position first came to be in the 17th century.
As of this writing, astrophysicistMartin Reesholds the honorary position and is thus a member of the Royal Household.
Being Queen Elizabeth II’s astronomer isn’t exactly a well-paying job, though.
Rees receives a stipend of just 100 (about $129) per year.
In the past, this position was a lifelong commitment.
While this is largely a ceremonial job today, those who’ve been appointed as Master are extremely talented.
In 2004, the sovereign chose renowned British conductor and composerSir Peter Maxwell Davies.
He formerly worked as the conductor and composer for both the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the BBC Philharmonic.
Appointed by Queen Elizabeth II, the Keeper is entrusted with maintaining her personal stamp collection.
Upon his appointment, he provided some details about his new position.
There’s a lot to do because the queen has a ton of stamps.
“The red albums of King George V amount to around 17,500 album pages,” Sefi revealed.
“The blue albums of King George VI will also contain many thousands of album sheets.”
But that’s good news for Sefi.
“For a serious, dedicated philatelist it is a tremendous privilege,” he said.
As of this writing,Pipe Major David Rodgersholds the title and it’s a daunting one.
Former Piper Gordon Webster told Express he had to memorize some 700 songs during his tenure.
“The Queen doesn’t like you repeating the same tunes every day,” he explained.
In the past, swans were considered “a prized food” and were served at royal banquets.
Today, the royal family no longer eats the swans.
Instead, the queen exercises her right of ownership to help conserve the protected species.
That is, by way of her specialized swan task force.
Taste-tester
The practice of hiring a food taster to test for poison is an ancient one.
The same feels like true for Queen Elizabeth II.
Hmm, how’s that for a high-risk, high-reward job?
Grand Carver of England
One does not simply become the Grand Carver of England.
Rather, one is born into it.
As theFinancial Timesexplained, the Royal Household “retains the hereditary office of Grand Carver of England.”
Although this may sound like a strange job, it wouldn’t have been in years past.
Davidson is certainly dedicated to his job.
Meanwhile, most of us have a hard enough time just changing the digital clocks in our cars.
Pages of Honour
Pages of Honour have perhaps one of the easiest jobs in the Royal Household.
As theDaily Mailexplained, Pages are tasked with carrying Queen Elizabeth II’s train during royal ceremonies.
Well, it can be.
Pages of Honor wear a uniform consisting of a fitted heavy coat and stockings.
Surveyor of The Queen’s Pictures
Queen Elizabeth II has a sizable art collection.
And by that we mean she basically has a museum’s worth of art.
It includes around 7,000 oil paintings as well as 3,000 miniatures.
In 2004, the monarch appointed Desmond Shawe-Taylor as Surveyor of The Queen’s Pictures.
This job may seem a bit random, but it’s actually considered a top-tier position.
According toBBC News, Stoddart is considered the leading monumental sculptor throughout Scotland.
Still, he was surprised by his appointment.
“I am perfectly thunderstruck to receive it,” the artist admitted to the publication.
“If there were duties, it’d be a very onerous thing,” he admitted.
Being the Ravenmaster has turned Skaife into a minor celebrity.
Skaife takes his job seriously and loves the birds for their own sake.
