The Corps of Queen’s Messengers are couriers employed by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office to hand-deliver secret and important documents to British embassies, high commissions, and consulates across the globe. Many of the Queen’s Messengers are retired Army personnel and generally travel in plain clothes in business class on scheduled airlines with their consignment. But this group of covert posties have nothing to do with Royal Mail, as they date back more than 100 years before Britain’s postal service was founded in 1516.

YouTube channel SideNote revealed how the royal delivery service first started in a mini-documentary.

The narrator said in 2018: “The exchange of mail or passports between Britain and its high commissions, consulates and embassies around the world without being compromised is vital.

“For more than five centuries, the UK has employed a loyal group called King’s or Queen’s Messengers who have carried the Government’s top-secret mail and parcels around the world, risking their lives and facing dangers.

“These people wear plain clothes, travel in commercial planes sitting next to you and carry no gun, yet this lesser-known service is dubbed as one of the most efficient and successful services in the world.

For more than five centuries, the UK has employed a loyal group called King’s or Queen’s Messengers

SideNote

“The service goes as far back as the 15th century when King Richard III reputedly employed a messenger to hand-deliver secretive documents for his monarch.”

The series went on to detail how the messengers became a vital part of the monarch.

It added: “Later on, Charles II, exiled in Europe, appointed four trusted men to convey messages to royalists forces in England.

“When asked how they were to be identified as His Majesty’s messengers, Charles II broke off four greyhounds from a silver breakfast platter familiar to royal couriers and presented each with this token.

“A silver greenhouse thus became the symbol of the service which has remained so to this day.

“This also gave the messengers their nickname of 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 series went on to detail how the silver greyhounds became key to identifying the Queen’s Messengers.

It added: “This distinctive tie with the embroidered pattern works as a passkey and proves the identity of the messenger in situations where it’s difficult to show the Queen’s Messengers special passport.

“As messengers proved their usefulness over time, the number increased and by the 17th century, King’s Messengers became an important department in the royal palace.

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“Starting from 1795, messengers began to be deployed abroad and their role became not only important but dangerous.

“With England being at war with France, it was now impossible to predict when a messenger would arrive back in London.

“Some were killed while on duty, while others still succeeded despite dangers.”

The safe passage of diplomatic baggage is guaranteed by the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, and for reasons of state secrecy, the diplomatic bag does not go through normal airport baggage-checks and must not be opened by anyone.

However, the messenger and the messenger’s personal luggage go through normal security screening.

The series continued: “The Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations of 1961 gave the Queen’s Messengers even more widely acceptable recognition and guaranteed diplomatic baggage a safer passage without any hindrance.

“Messengers carry a special passport that allows them to avoid regular airport checks and also provides them with immunity from being detained.

“Mail and parcels are carried in a bag closed with a tamper-proof seal and has its own diplomatic passport.

“This bag does not go through normal airport baggage-checks and must not be opened, x-rayed, or otherwise investigated by customs, airline security staff, or anyone else.”

This group of trusted messengers are still used today.

The series continued “In March 2000, Zimbabwe opened Britain’s six-tonne diplomatic shipment, which sparked tensions between the two nations.

“Confidential mail and documents aren’t the only thing the Queen’s Messengers have carried, during World War 2, Winston Churchill received shipments of Cuban cigars by this means.

“Each year the Queen’s Christmas Day message is sent in a diplomatic bag to every corner of the world.

“Queen’s Messengers today work under the Foreign and Commonwealth office of the Government.

“According to an official release in 2015, 18 messengers, between the ages of 40 and 70 are actively performing their duty.”

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