| Queen's Messenger |
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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 {Link without Title} 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. |
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