A queen without her servants is incomplete. The royal household presently comprises approximately 1,200 individuals who play various roles. While some perform conventional tasks like food service or housekeeping, others engage in more unusual duties, such as caring for the royal swans, tending to the clocks, or breaking in the notorious kitten heels. The grandeur and formality associated with these positions may cause one to overlook the current era and evoke a sense of humbleness.
The Grand Carver
Well you didn’t expect the Queen to cut her own meat, did you? The royal household maintains the position of Grand Carver, which literally just
designates someone to carve up the roast meat on special occasions. The role is currently held by the Earls of Denbigh and Desmond. Grand Carver is a hereditary position, because apparently the gift of evenly slicing poultry is a genetic one.
The Royal Horological Conservator
One thing the British Monarchy truly excels at is creating fancy, The Royal Horological Conservator is actually the Royal Clock Winder. If you haven’t noticed by now, the Queen isn’t generally one to favour modernity over tradition.
Warden of the Swans & Marker of the Swans
Historically, this position was filled by one person and was titled Keeper of the Swans. But in 1993 it was decided that swan duty was simply not a one-man job, and thus the separate positions of Warden of the Swans and Marker of the
Swans were created
Page of Honour
The Pages of Honour are responsible for carrying the Queen’s long, heavy train during ceremonial occasions. That’s pretty much. The position is usually given to teenage sons of nobility or senior members of the royal household. Because every teen boy dreams of dressing up like a nutcracker and carrying an old
lady’s robes around all day.
Keeper of the Queen’s Stamps
The Royal Philatelic Collection, AKA the Queen’s stamps, has been kept under the watchful eyes of Michael Sefi since 2003. While this job might sound so dull that it can't be real, Sefi travels internationally to acquire new stamps and arrange stamp exhibitions to display the Queen’s impressive collection.
