The Royal Household is a major institution that requires more than just a few frontline family members to keep it ticking over. There are historic palaces, houses and castles to run, events to organise and important business to administrate - and this all means a small army of staff are needed.
Queen Elizabeth II employed around 1,200 staff in her household, where roles cover everything from HR, finance and IT to engineers, curators and chefs. But there have been some more unusual jobs over the years, as genealogy website Findmypast has discovered.
With King Charles' Coronation just around the corner, they have researched the 10 most bizarre roles that have existed - or even still exist – to perform ceremonial duties in the Royal Household, along with the individuals who held those roles. From Gold Sticks to Royal Tapissiers, the experts have delved into historical records from the 20th Century, uncovering a host of unusual professions during the reigns of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II required to help the royal household and ceremonial events run like clockwork.
