The life of a queen is far different than that of ours, the ‘commoners.’ Therefore, she has different needs and attention that must be paid, as well as the more normal ones such as a cook or maid. Then there are the slightly odder positions such as the two currently held to maintain the royal swans and make sure the Queen’s stamps are kept in proper order. Throughout the ages, these seemingly wordy positions have morphed and grown into roles that the Royals wouldn’t know what to do without. There are a lot of structures and boundaries placed on a Queen’s, or even a Royal’s life and how they’re allowed to live it. Most of the positions listed below are surprisingly still in effect, but a handful of the funnier ones (Strewer of Herbs so you don’t stink?) have been eliminated due to technology or cultural refinements or have been turned into primarily ceremonial roles. Although I wouldn’t mind having an official chocolate maker all to myself. Take a peek at some of these roles and imagine if all you had to do all day was wear slightly tight shoes or stand in front of a doorway.
Chocolate Maker to the Queen
As one can guess from this position’s title, this wonderful human being created chocolate specifically for the Queen and the Royals. Although there isn’t much information on this retired profession, the Queen and the Queen Mother both gave Royal Warrants to the chocolate shop Prestat. So perhaps they’ve taken to trying out chocolate businesses since this position existed.
The Grand Carver of England
Although I’m sure the Grand Carver of England generally wears much fancier clothes than seen above, his job is to carve the meat. This hereditary position of carving up food for the Queen on fancy occasions makes sense if you think about it. I wouldn’t want to get any grease stains on my expensive clothing! Plus, there is a certain art to carving meat, something I believe the Queen might also respect. Currently (and for as long as the Windsor family is about), this position is held by the Earls of Denbigh and Desmond.
Black Blotter Paper Placer
This position is held by one of the Queen’s servants and lets us see the mild paranoia the Queen has to live in. The position is simple: the servant puts a black blotting paper on the Queen’s desk. This is so that no one can try and scribble their way to learning what the Queen has been writing about.
