11 weird job roles only the British royals need: from managing William and Kate’s expenses as the Keeper of the Privy Purse, to cutting Queen Elizabeth’s meat as the Grand Carver

Nov 14 , 2021

You won’t believe some of the extremely niche jobs available in the royal household. Photos: @RoyalFamily/Twitter; AFP; AFP

While Queen Elizabeth and her family are known the world over, the army of staff that manage their day to day affairs are not – and there are hundreds of them

From Astronomer Royal Martin Rees and Master of the Queen’s Music Judith Weir, to the telephone operator who deals with Buckingham Palace’s 7,000 weekly calls

The British royal family employs over 1,000 people across its many estates. Given the huge amount of work it takes to manage the day-to-day lives of the British monarchy, that number almost makes sense.

But while some assignments are pretty standard, there are a few that you may not be aware exist. Here are 11 royal jobs you probably didn’t know existed.

The faces of Britain’s royal family are well known – but there are more than a thousand people employed behind the scenes to manage them. Photo: Reuters

Furniture conservator

The White Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace – just one of the 775 rooms that need arranging and managing on a daily basis. Photo: The Royal Family

With a plethora of rooms in each palace adorned with unique furniture, it’s no wonder the royal family needs someone to maintain the visual appearance and condition of their grand homes.

The furniture conservator is a job for someone with a passion for restoring historic pieces and identifying trendy decor. A job description posted in 2019 sought a person to fill the role at Windsor Castle. At the time, the salary was £25,500 (about US$34,000) a year.

Master of the Queen’s Music

First established as a role in 1625, the Master of the Queen’s Music is given to an individual for a period of 10 years and is currently held by prominent musician Judith Weir, the first female Master of the Queen’s Music, appointed in 2014.

Though there are no set responsibilities for the role, the Master of the Queen’s music can compose music for royal or state occasions.

According to an article in The Guardian, the salary for the role is £15,000 (US$20,250) a year.