Queen's Messenger
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Corps of Queen's Messengers are couriers employed by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office. They hand-carry secret and important documents to British embassies and consulates around the world. Many Queen's Messengers are retired Army officers. Messengers generally travel in plain clothes in business class on scheduled airlines, carrying an official case from which they must not be separated - it may even be chained to their wrist.
The first recorded King's Messenger was John Norman, who was appointed in 1485 by King Richard III to hand-deliver secret documents for his monarch. During his exile, Charles II appointed four trusted men to convey messages to Royalist forces in England. As a sign of their authority, the King broke four silver greyhounds from a bowl familiar to royal courtiers, and gave one to each man. The symbol of the Service therefore became a silver greyhound. On formal occasions, the Queen's Messengers wear this badge from a ribbon, and on less formal occasions many messengers wear ties with a discreet greyhound pattern while working.
The current number of Messengers is not readily available; a Parliamentary question [1] in 1995 put the number then at 27. Modern communications have diminished the role of the Queen's Messengers, but as original documents still need to be conveyed between countries by 'safe-hand', their function remains valuable.
