The Royal Household is seeking to appoint a housekeeping assistant, one of whose jobs will be to put in the plug, turn on the tap and check the temperature of the water when the bath is full. The successful candidate for the £14,200-a-year post (NZ$27,000) will be "committed to achieving exceptional standards of service provision".

As well as filling the royal bath, he or she will pack and unpack for guests of the Royal Household, iron their clothes, help them dress, look after their jewellery and arrange for tea and breakfast trays to be brought to their room. As the modest starting salary indicates, the job is near the bottom of the Palace hierarchy. But whoever fills the vacancy will rub shoulders with the Queen and Prince Philip.

The job advertisement, which appears on the Royal Household website, says the post holder "will have contact with Members of the Royal Family, guests and all levels of Royal Household staff".

Article sourced from NZ HERALD - http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=10785117