The Astronomer Royal
[ranking: 8]
Back in 1675, King Charles II appointed the first Astronomer Royal, John Flamsteed, to map out ??the motions of the heavens.?? Sure, piece of cake. Today, with iPhone apps that can label the constellations, one might think the position of Astronomer Royal would fall by the wayside. Yet the prestigious role still exists and is currently held by Martin Rees.
Though largely a ceremonial figure, he is responsible for advising the sovereign on all astronomical matters as needed.
Yeomen Warder
[ranking: 16]
The Yeomen Warders act as the ceremonial guardians of the Tower of London. In other words, they??re glorified tour guides. Often called ??Beefeaters,?? their position in the Royal Bodyguard once allowed them to eat all the beef their hearts desired from the king??s table. In the grand scheme of nicknames, that??s a pretty bad one.
If you visit London, you can catch the Yeomen Warders outside the Tower of London taking pictures with tourists and telling creepy execution stories.
The Queen's Bargemaster
[ranking: 10]
Like so many other royal jobs, the Queen's Bargemaster is now mainly ceremonial in function. In the 18th century, the sovereign regularly traveled on the River Thames. Forty-eight Royal Watermen would row the Royal Barges up and down the river, and the Queen's Bargemaster was in charge of them all.
Now there are no state barges, yet still there are 24 Royal Watermen and a Bargemaster. Currently, the royal family uses the Royal Nore, the official motor launch, to travel on the river, and they have 25 men available to escort them, ever so ceremoniously, on board.
Medical Officer to the Queen Abroad
[ranking: 17]
Typically a senior surgeon of the Royal Navy, the Medical Officer to the Queen Abroad is essentially the Queen??s doctor to-go for whenever she??s traveling. The position is more interesting when you consider that the royal medical household also includes two Physicians to the Queen, The Serjeant Surgeon, a Surgeon Gynaecologist to the Queen, a Surgeon Dentist to the Queen, an Orthopaedic Surgeon to the Queen, a Surgeon Oculist to the Queen, an Apothecary to the Queen, and, well, you get the picture. Hospitals are for peasants!
Surveyor of the Queen's Pictures
[ranking: 11]
The Queen??s ??Royal Collection?? currently includes roughly 7,000 oil paintings and 3,000 miniatures. That??s a lot of pictures that need surveying. Desmond Shawe-Taylor holds curatorial responsibility for all of the Queen??s Pictures, which are on display at the principal royal residences, but are open to the public.
This role is not to be confused with the entirely separate role of Surveyor of the Queen??s Works of Art. Raise your hand if you??re confused.
Piper to the Sovereign
[ranking: 7]
A position created by Queen Victoria, the Piper to the Sovereign acts as the official bagpiper for special events. His main duty, however, is to play the bagpipes every morning at 9 am for 15 minutes under the Queen??s window. Which sounds... unpleasant, at best. Lest the queen escape this peculiar form of torture, the Piper to the Sovereign travels to her residences at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Balmoral Castle, and the Palace Holyroodhouse.
Of course the position is a huge honor, a real who??s-who of the bagpiping community, and only fourteen pipers have held the post since 1843.
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