Q: Alexander - Isle of Man
How is the Ball Supper Room used?  Are there any photographs of this space on the website?

The Ball Supper Room is used for temporary exhibitions each year during the summer opening of Buckingham Palace. It is also occasionally used for entertaining, most notably for the Staff Dance at Christmas time.

Q: Graham - Stafford
What would be the protocol if an individual won an OBE (Civil) as well as an MBE (Military)? Would they use both awards in their post-nominals and wear both medals?

In this situation, the recipient would wear both the OBE and the MBE, but use only the post-nominal initials of the senior award, in this case the OBE.

If, however, a recipient already had an MBE (Civil) and was later promoted to an OBE (Civil), then they would only wear the OBE, and the MBE would be returned to the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood.

Q: Tamara - Hampshire
Do The Queen's diadems and tiaras belong to her, rather than being part of the Crown Jewels?

The tiaras worn by The Queen to official events such as State Banquets and receptions are not part of the Crown Jewels. The Crown Jewels includes a very specific set of items, the best known of which are the regalia which encompass the items used at a coronation and other crowns.

The Queen's diadems and the George IV diadem are not owned privately by Her Majesty, but are held in trust for her successors and the nation.

Some tiaras are on public display for the general public to see. The George IV Diadem can be found in The Queen's Gallery at Buckingham Palace when not in use, and the Vladimir Tiara will go on display at the summer opening of the palace to celebrate The Queen's 80th birthday in 2006.

Q: Mark - Solihull
I have been told that my Great Grandfather was an equerry to Queen Victoria, are there any records where I could check this information?

Any enquiries about relatives who may have worked for the Royal Household should be directed to the Royal Archives, which has records of people employed in the Royal Household going back to the 18th century, and indexes to names of people employed from 1660 onwards.

Please put your enquiry in writing, including as much detail as possible, and send it to:

The Royal Archives,
Windsor Castle,
Windsor,
Berkshire
SL4 1NJ.

For earlier periods, contact the National Archives at:

The National Archives
Ruskin Avenue,
Kew,
Richmond,
Surrey
TW9 4DU.

Q: Sophia - Wales
I was wondering how to apply for a job in the Royal Household as it is something I am very interested in and would love to pursue.

The Royal Household employs people from a wide variety of backgrounds in numerous roles, from blacksmiths to IT team leaders, butlers to accountants.

A dedicated section of this web site lists all current vacancies, as well as providing information about the Royal Household as an organisation and as an employer. Follow the link at the bottom of this page for further details.