Queen Elizabeth II to unveil revamped royal website

13 February 2009

Queen Elizabeth II is offering her internet-savvy subjects the option of applying for a job at her palace through her newly revamped website, royal officials said yesterday.

Sir Tim Berners-Lee OM, KBE, inventor of the world wide web and popularly called ''the father of the internet'', is travelling from the US for the launch.

Guests for the reception will include the minister for digital engagement Tom Watson, and a cross-section of people from the web-based community.

Royal.gov.uk was launched in 1997 during a royal visit to Kingsbury High School in Brent, and currently enjoys about 250,000 visits a week. The site was visited over 100 million times in its first year, and recorded an astounding 35 million hits in the week after Princess Diana's death. However, the website is being given a whole new look keeping in tune with the changing times, after having already undergone an overhaul in 2001.

Officials said the improved site would now have a direct link to the videos carried on You Tube's royal channel, integration with Google Maps, and a new section on the queen's pets. Those interested in working with the royal family will have the chance to submit their job applications to Buckingham Palace and book interviews over the internet.

Although openings are already posted online (a selection includes trainee butler and housekeeping assistant) a palace spokesman said the new web site would have much more "about what it's like to work here at the royal household", including information about the social side to serving the queen.