The Queen Needs Someone to Write Letters for Her

Between hosting world leaders, supporting charities, and adding to her colorful hat collection, Queen Elizabeth II is a busy woman. She receives thousands of letters each year—about 200 to 300 a day, according to some estimates—and could use a little help answering all of them.

That’s where the royal letter writer comes in. Buckingham Palace is looking for a “correspondence officer” who will be tasked with “drafting a letter that someone will never forget,” according to the job listing. The officer would be responsible for answering each and every letter and answering the public’s queries, whether they be political or social in nature, or something altogether “unique.”

This individual would work out of the Private Secretary’s Office, which also handles the Queen’s speeches, receives official presents, and arranges domestic and overseas programs. The salary is £24,000 (about $32,100), making it an ideal job for someone early in their career. Applicants must have some administrative experience, excellent writing skills, and must be a British citizen or have the right to work legally in the UK.

Although the Queen’s Ladies-in-Waiting respond to most letters from the public, the Queen occasionally answers some personally. In 2012, she wrote a letter to Andrew Simes, the grandson of a man who had sent her a Christmas card every year from 1952 up until his death in 2011. She wrote, "When I received a letter from a different Simes this Christmas, I instructed my office to research your grandfather's whereabouts. Therefore it is with much sadness, I have learned of his passing and extend my condolences to you and your family."

If penning letters on behalf of the Queen sounds like your dream job, you’d better act fast—the deadline for submissions is June 13. Online applications can be submitted here, and other openings (including pastry chef, housekeeping assistant, and administrator of “royal bindery,” or bookbinding operations at Windsor Castle) can be viewed here.