The life of a royal [1] isn't easy: it might look like a glamorous string of beautiful events [2] and high fashion [3], but in reality, it's a lot of hard work, tedious information, and long travel [4]. There's no way the royal family could do everything they do without a lot of help, and that's why they have a huge support staff. Even though you rarely see them, the royal staff is behind all the day-to-day operations of the royal household [5], dealing with all the planning and details [6] that the public doesn't really think about. Because they often work in close proximity to the Queen [7] and the other royals, staffers have to be discreet as well as good at their jobs. Check out our gallery of some of the most important members of the royal staff!
Edward Young
The job of Private Secretary to the Queen is one of the most important posts on the royal staff. The Queen has had several private secretaries over the years, a few of whom have already been immortalized on The Crown [8]. Currently, The Right Honourable Edward Young (on the right in this photo) serves in the position, after spending several years in junior positions in the private secretary's office. His job involves being the primary conduit of communication to and from the sovereign and taking care of official correspondence and public-facing duties such as speech writing and scheduling.
Angela Kelly
As the Queen's senior dresser and personal assistant, Kelly is responsible for the Queen's wardrobe in every aspect. Not only has she designed some of the Queen's outfits personally, she also goes through tons of research to create the perfect ensembles, from researching the history of individual pieces of jewelry to scoping out event venues so that the Queen's outfit is the right color. Kelly's work has endeared her to the Queen: she's one of Elizabeth II's closest confidantes [9] too!
Sir Alan Reid
The Treasurer and Keeper of the Privy Purse is responsible for the overall finances of the royal household. Along with his deputy, he also manages the funds from the Sovereign Grant, which is the British government's payment [10] to support the royals' duties. Reid retired in late 2017 and was replaced by his deputy, Sir Michael Stevens.
Lord Samuel Vestey
A lot of high-ranking members of the Queen's staff aren't "staff" so much as they are officials with particular duties and ceremonial titles. This is the case with the Master of the Horse, a historic position that is largely ceremonial for the modern royals — but ceremony is a big part of the royal image! He formally supervises all matters related to the royal stables [11], although in reality, the Crown Equerry and the Royal Train Office deal with most of the position's former duties.
Toby Browne
When transportation is involved, you can bet that Colonel Toby Browne is too. He's in charge of the Royal Mews department, which includes the staff of the royal stables as well as chauffeurs and coachmen. For something like a royal carriage ride [12] after a royal wedding [13], for instance, Browne would be the person coordinating all the necessary equipment and people.
Andrew Ford
Lieutenant Colonel Sir Andrew Ford is the Comptroller of the Lord Chamberlain's office — which is a longwinded way of saying that he arranges ceremonial affairs. Events such as investitures, state visits, and royal weddings [14] all fall under his purview. He's also an expert on royal protocol [15], which is always important for these public events.
Palace Staffers
Aside from the high-ranking formal members of the royal household, much of the day-to-day work is carried out by ordinary workers. On-the-ground tasks — such as decorating the palace [16] for Christmas [17], as seen in this photo — are supervised and ordered by higher-ups but carried out by legions of lower and mid-tier staff.
Equerries
Equerries, drawn from senior officers in the armed services, are essentially personal attendants to the sovereign. At least one senior equerry is with the sovereign every day, and the others split their time between royal duties and other official duties. Senior members of the royal family may also have an equerry to assist them. The role of equerry to the sovereign often results in a close connection between the royals and the equerry — most famously in the case of Group Captain Peter Townsend, the equerry to George VI who became the first love of Princess Margaret [18].