Working for Royal Family is an ambition of many, not only for the prestige of reality but also for the unique experiences that can be lived in such a context. The company that manages the daily life of the royal residences is the Royal Household and has a website and a LinkedIn page, on which employment opportunities are periodically updated.
But to put it in the verse of a famous song, only one in a thousand (perhaps less) makes it.
In addition to the more specific professional characteristics, attention should be paid to soft skill more important: the language and the way it is used. It goes without saying that yours English level it must be very tall; a goal that for some of us still seems far away, despite the fact that, according to a recent analysis by Cambridge Assessment English, a good knowledge of English favors a faster career in 16% of cases.
Beyond the statistics, today we want to give you some more advice on the variety of English that increases your chances of setting foot in the palace with a contract.
The written language: the candidacy
It all starts here, from a resume and a cover letter. Fortunately, some useful tips were shared some time ago by James Upsher, a former employee of the Royal Family. In a LinkedIn content, Upsher summarized several valuable tips, some of which have to do with language.
The first, as trivial as it may be, is still important: if there are typos in your resume and cover letter, i.e. typos, spelling errors or other linguistic inaccuracies, your application will have very little chance of being considered. After all, the shape care, especially in a context like this, it cannot be considered an accessory.
And let’s add that putting a word in American English in a cover letter for Buckingham Palace might not be a wise idea. So beware of the systematic spelling differences between British and American English as happens in couples theatre/theater, colour/color, traveller/traveler.
Your linguistic competence must then allow you to be concise and effective. As Upsher wisely suggests, recruiters receive thousands of applications and the brevity might give you a fast track. As regards the content of the cover letter, one topic is taboo: paradoxically it is the Royal Family itself, especially if you venture into profusions of admiration that have little to do with a professional role; at most, a discreet sign of respect for the institution of the monarchy is advisable.
The spoken language: which English, or rather, which pronunciation?
Moving from the written code to the oral one, the matter becomes a bit more complicated, especially in the eyes of us Italians. Yes, because in England «the accent allows us to place people in primis in a social class and only secondarily in a geographical area ”, as he explains Matteo Santipolo, full professor of Didactics of Modern Languages and scholar of sociolinguistics of English at the University of Padua.
A situation therefore very different from the Italian one, where accents are more often an indicator of the region in which one grew up. The socio-linguistic history of England is different, however, also because the very presence of the monarchy has consolidated in a certain sense the relevance of social classes. «In the eighteenth century a standard of pronunciation began to establish itself, especially for those who want to access the famous sects public school (which are not public at all). The variety chosen is that of the English upper social classes, that is, those who gravitated around the court: it is precisely on this way of speaking English that the so-called Received Pronunciation (RP) “. Attention, that received it is not going to receipt, but retains its nineteenth-century meaning: understood and, by extension, socially accepted.
The RP has thus established itself as the most prestigious pronunciation and is the one spoken by Queen Elizabeth (but not by all members of the Royal Family) and by a tiny slice of the population of England that roams between 3 and 5%.
Why is it meaningful to use this accent if you want to apply for a position at Buckingham Palace? Because even recently “it has been noted that accents often condition the perception of professionalism, reliability, credibility”.
It follows that a lawyer speaking cockney, the socially more negatively connoted variety of English is less credible. «Even in the media there is a reflection of this approach. Until the 1990s, all BBC commentators had to have an impeccable RP. Rarely even today is a Wimbledon tournament commentator heard with an accent cockney, while it is possible in a sport such as boxing. This is also because the accent creates cohesion and is a product of society: with an extreme trivialization, in fact, we could say who attends public school generally plays tennis, while those who come from London’s East End are more likely to be interested in boxing ».
In gallery find some tasty curiosities, including the kind of English Lady Diana spoke and Harry’s.
(Photo: unsplash.com).
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
