11 surprising royal jobs you didn't know existed

Given the huge responsibilities it takes to manage the day-to-day lives of the British monarchy, that number makes sense.

While some assignments are pretty standard, there are a few that you may not be aware exist.

With a plethora of rooms in each palace adorned with unique furniture, it's no wonder the royal family needs someone to maintain the aesthetics of their home goods.

The furniture conservator is a job for someone with a passion for restoring historic pieces and identifying trendy decor. A job description posted in 2019 sought a person to fill the role at Windsor Castle. At the time, the salary was £25,500, or about $34,000, a year.

The master of the Queen's music role is given to an individual for a period of 10 years and currently held by prominent musician, Judith Weir. Weir, the first female master of the Queen's music, was appointed in 2014, according to The Guardian.

Though there are no set responsibilities for the role, the master of the Queen's music can compose music for royal or state occasions.

According to The Guardian report, the salary for the role is £15,000 ($20,250) a year.

With royal family net worths estimated at being in the hundreds of millions, it's vital to have a trained staff member tasked with managing the family's finances.

That all-important role is currently assigned to Sir Michael Stevens, the keeper of the privy purse. He functions as the Queen's treasurer, and each year is required to publish a report on the family's financial assets.

The role has previously been reported to earn £180,000 a year (approximately $240,000 today).

In official existence since 1675, the astronomer royal advises the Queen on her cosmos and all astronomical matters. The current appointee to this role is Martin Rees, Baron Rees of Ludlow.

Familiar with the widely known Halley's Comet? That name derived from Edmond Halley, the astronomer royal in 1720.

The astronomer royal receives a yearly stipend of £100.

If you love linens, this job is for you. According to a 2017 listing, the person in charge is responsible for "ensuring the cloth matches the magnificence of the banqueting table," making sure "all linen requirements are met to the highest standards," and conserving linen for "future generations."

At the time, the salary was £17,778 ($24,000) per year, as well as meals and living quarters.

The Queen obtained her late father George V's collection and has every intention of keeping the tradition alive.

Michael Sefi served as keeper of the Queen's stamps from 2003 to 2018, traveling worldwide to find unique pieces to add to her collection. A replacement was not named after his retirement.

Buckingham Palace has 775 rooms, so one can imagine the hundreds of frames that decorate the priceless art on the walls of the estate. The frames conservator ensures that no photo frame goes unrestored.

Per a 2018 job listing, the Palace has its own workroom, so the person in charge will be on site to not only evaluate the condition of the frames but also to recommend changes to the ones that have wear and tear. The salary for the position was £27,280, or $36,800, a year.

According to Forbes, thousands of eager fans and members of the media phone into Buckingham Palace each week, totaling a number of 7,000 calls.

Given the high volume of traffic, the person in charge must be skilled in operating a switchboard and skilled on conflict resolution, according to the official listing from 2016. The role had a £23,000-a-year salary ($31,000).

This is probably one of the few roles where you don't need relevant experience to be considered. The kitchen porter joins a seasoned catering team where they will maintain the kitchen, clean up, and help with food preparation.

In addition to those responsibilities, there's also the added benefit of traveling alongside the Queen as she visits other royal properties.

A 2018 job description for the position listed a salary of £19,935.80, or $26,900.

Evidenced by the luxurious dinners Buckingham Palace hosts, it's understandable if the Queen can't step away from her guests and carve the meat attendees will eat that day. The grand carver is on hand to slice the roast beef to a perfect portion.

However, the position isn't available to everyone as it's a hereditary role, meaning it's inherited from person to person. It's currently held by Alexander Fielding, the Earl of Denbigh and Desmond.

Queen Elizabeth needs a whole team of clock experts to spend a weekend manually changing each timepiece across her royal residences so they are ready for the one-hour time change under daylight-saving time, Insider's Maria Noyen reported.

Twice a year, they spend 40 hours in the Queen's residences tweaking the time on over 1,000 clocks.

Lead horologist at Windsor Castle, Fjodor van den Broek, says he's known as "clockmaker of the castle." He was featured in a video posted by the official royal family Twitter account on Saturday, before daylight-saving time in the UK kicked in on Sunday morning.

"I get to know every clock very well," van den Broek said in the video. "We have 400 clocks on the estate, of which 250 are inside the castle and the rest are distributed around the estate."