Queen’s 1,000 staff explained including clock winders, flag checker and handbag archiver
ok.co.ukFilled with priceless heirlooms and with centuries of Royal history, The Queen's seven official residences are in no way ordinary homes.
And that is reflected in the number of staff it takes to run them - with more than 1,000 on the payroll.There are over 800 staff at Buckingham Palace alone, while Balmoral has 50 full-time staff and 150 casual workers, including farmers, foresters, gardeners and gamekeepers.
A similar number are employed at Sandringham, while Windsor Castle has 150 full-time live-in staff. Alongside the essential cleaners, cooks and office staff, and the more well-known footmen and ladies-in-waiting, there are some unusual occupations.
Certain staff keep things ticking over, quite literally – the Queen employs a full-time clock maker and two “horological observers” who make sure the palace’s 350 timepieces are correct, otherwise one could be late for a very important date.There is also a Windsor Castle “horological conservator”, Robert Ball, who has a particularly hectic day at work twice a year. “The two clock change weekends are the busiest time of year for us, as we take on the challenge of adjusting hundreds of clocks over two days,” he has said.There’s also a family of fendersmiths, whose niche job is to clean and repair the metal fenders behind fireplaces, and a flag sergeant, who is tasked with making sure all the flags flown are shipshape.The Royal Standard is raised and lowered with military precision the second the Queen is on or off the premises.
Read more on ok.co.uk
