The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1911-03-28
HOW THE ROYAL PAIR
RECEIVE THEIR MAIL

otIdcned 10 the British royal house
hold is under the control of a Mr.. Hi
ley, who acted for several years as the
court postmaster in the late reign, and
was reappointed by King George. The
headquarters OF the court post-ofice
is at Buckingham Palace, but a tenn
porary Office is established wherever
the King may be staying. under the d.
rection of Mr.. Hiley. who always trav-
els with the court.
The post-ofice at Buckingham Palace
consists OF three large apartments; one
is htted up as a Geographic gallery,
another as sorting-room. and a third
as a general Office. There also is a
telephone exchange attached to the
post-office, where three operators are
employed. The letters for the King
and Queen and members OF the royal
household arc delivered to Bucking-
ham Palace from the general post-of-
fee six times a day. the first delivery
being made at o'clock in the morn
ing
The mail, on its arrival at the post
once, Is at once sorted there are four
sorters on duty throughout the day.. and
MADE up into separate packets for the
King, Queen, members of the royal fam
lily. resident officials in the household.
and the servants. The whole mail, by
the way. is carefully counted before it
Is sorted. and the number OF letters re-
celVed Is entered in a book labeled
Mails In After the packets for de-
livery throughout the palace have been
made up. the number of letters in each
packet is counted and entered in a book
labeled Malls Out and the numbers
in both books. Of course. must be the
same.
As soon as the mails have been sorted
they are given to two Of the palace post
men, who deliver them 10 their respec-
tive departments The letters for the
King and Queen are delivered to the
e1uerries' department and are placed in
the secretaries rooms by an eauerry.
The letters for members Of the house
hold are delivered to their respective
private rooms. and the letters for the
male servants are delivered to the stew
ards waiting-room, where they are put
into a large rack, from which they are
taken by servants between $50 and 10 81
a m. and 80 and $50 .. m. The letters
for the female servants are delivered
IN the head housekeeper's room. and are
dealt within the same manner as the
letters for the male servants
There are six large mahogany pillar
boxes within buckingham Palace. where
letters can be posted by members OF the
household. These boxes are emptied
every two hours. and the contents made
up into mail bags at the palace post
office. whence they are dispatched to the
general post-office. Tho mails arc sent
TO tho general post-office six times a day
All the Kings letters. whether on
state or private business. are marked
"off1cial paid" and neod not be stamped .
neither need any letters on state bust
ness written by member ~ the house
hold. hut all the private letters of mem
hers NJ the household must be stamped
in the usual rnann1r.
Apart from the ordinary mail business
the court postmaster receives a consider
able number Of dispatches for special de-
livery which are not rassed through tho
hands Of the general post-offfce. Dis
patches 10 the chief government offices
and to many private Individuals are sent
ont from buckingham Palace every dav
when the court IS in residence in London.
These are deliver d by ono OF the four
special messengers attached to the court
post-offiCe. Two of these officials deliver
messages in London only. but the other
two must be ready 10 start for any part
If tho United Kingdom at a moments
notice Each Of these two always has
a bag packed ready for travelling.
Urgent dispatches for the Continent
are sent To the foreign Office. whence
the Kings messengers are instructed
as 10 their delivery.
The teIesraphic business passing
through the court post-ofice is very
heavy: all kilograms for the King are
wired as they come in from the central
post-ofice TO buckingham Palace and are
delivered to the Kings private secretary
There are three first-class operators at
Buckingham Palace, who are able 10
take down dispatches in French and Ger
man as well as in r. glish.
The bulk of the telegraphic messages
for the King. as a matter Of fact. are
sent in code and have to be transcribed
by the operators with the greatest care.
for the least mistake in the wording Of
the transcription might alter the whole
meaning of the message
When the King travels anywhere his
suite always includes the court most
master and two assistants. who make ar
ranRements for dealing with the Kings
mail matter wherever his majesty may
stay. All the royal residences are fitted
with private past-offlce and served
with Geographic and telephone wires, but
when the sovereign becomes a guest at
private house the Kings postmaster
"a In
A temporary wire with the nearest tele-
graph Office. Inc temporary wire Is re-
moved at the end of the Kings visit.
The telephone depa at Bucking-
ham Palace also is under the control of
the court postmaster. There are three
operators on duty when the King is in
London. all Of whom can take messages
in French and German. as well as in
English. The King has certain telephone
privileges, by the way. which are not
granted to any other person in the king
dom. not even to the Queen or members
Ct the royal family. when call is
made by the King. or on behalf of the
King. the required line is at once cleared
OF all other traffic and the royal call is
put through at once. II the royal call is
for number on some London exchange
this privilege Is of no special benefit for
the lines on the London exchanges are
cleared very quickly in the ordinary way:
but IL the King requires to speak to
some one in the provinces or on the Con-
tinent the privilege is of immense ad
Vantage
For example. say the King called for
100 Paris Central" Now there are only
four lines between London and Paris