Queen seeks a personal assistant for her Private Secretary’s Office

Could YOU be the new Buckingham Palace PA? Queen advertises for £35,000 assistant in her private secretary’s office to help manage diaries and draft correspondence

  • Queen is recruiting a personal assistant to work in the Private Secretary Office
  • Duties include coordinating diaries, drafting correspondence, managing inbox 
  • Based at Buckingham Palace, employee will receive up to £35,000 annually 

The Queen is looking for a new member of staff to help manage diaries and draft correspondence at Buckingham Palace.

The monarch, 94, has already received more than 200 applications for the role of Personal Assistant at her Private Secretary’s Office, since the position was advertised on LinkedIn.

The listing explains the successful candidate should be a PA for board level individuals and have extensive experience of diary management.

Depending on experience, the salary being offered is up to £35,000 per year for working 37.5 hours a week.  

The Queen, 94, (pictured) is hiring a personal assistant for £35,000 a year to join the Private Secretary Office at Buckingham Palace 

The advert reveals the personal assistant is expected to become an ‘indispensable member of the team’, and should be able to liaise with people at all levels within the organisation and externally.  

The successful candidate who will be expected to travel as required, will be working closely with a senior manager.

The personal assistant role is described as being fast paced with responsibilities from the first day. 

In addition to diary management the individual will be expected to assist ‘with the efficient coordination of Government duty, liaising with stakeholders in the UK, Realms and Commonwealth to draft letters and other material’.

The successful employee will be responsible for drafting correspondence on behalf of the Royal Family. Pictured: Buckingham Palace 

The job listing shared on LinkedIn, explains the personal assistant will be responsible for taking minutes, coordinating diaries and meetings

The job listing shared on LinkedIn, explains the personal assistant will be responsible for taking minutes, coordinating diaries and meetings 

Searching for someone to start in January on a fixed term contract, the advert describes their ideal employee saying: ‘You’re a highly experienced PA used to supporting board level individuals, and you take pride in delivering work to the highest standards.

‘You’ll have superb interpersonal and communication skills, and will be at ease working as part of a team, and liaising with people at all levels. 

‘With good judgement, sensitivity and a willingness to help others, you’ll quickly become a trusted and indispensable member of the team.

‘Confident using a range of IT packages, along with excellent drafting skills and attention to detail, you’ll be capable of producing a range of papers, correspondence and reports.

‘Having had extensive experience of diary management, you’ll be capable of pre-empting situations, and also be confident to make informed decisions on the back of this. With a proactive approach, you’ll work efficiently with initiative and minimal direction, remaining calm and organised even when under pressure.’ 

How to successfully get a job at Buckingham Palace 

Sharing her top tips Charlotte Davies who is a careers expert at LinkedIn, said: ‘Being involved in the co-ordination of the day-to-day lives of The Royal Family really is a once in a lifetime opportunity! If you’re thinking about throwing your hat in the ring, here are three handy tips that could boost your chances:

1. Don’t be intimidated. It’s a unique role (with a very high-profile boss!) – so few applicants will have direct experience. As with any role, be sure to highlight the transferrable skills you do have – in this case, it could be managing large and complex projects or working under pressure.

2. Keep your socials professional. Employers will more often than not search for candidates online so ensuring you professional persona shows up is super important. Keep your LinkedIn up to date and ensure other public channels don’t contain anything that would make any of the Royals blush!

3. Brush up on your interview etiquette. You don’t want to be the person who accidentally gives the Queen a thumbs up – even if it is via video call! The interviewers for this role are sure to be on the lookout for tip-top manners from candidates. Outside of practising your bow and curtsies – attentive body language and steady but friendly eye contact are both really important for giving a great (virtual) interview!’