King's Bargemaster

The King's Bargemaster is a subordinate officer of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom.

The tradition of the Bargemaster dates back to 1215, with the signing of Magna Carta at Runnymede.

At the State Opening of Parliament, the King’s Bargemaster and four Royal Watermen travel as boxmen on coaches, guarding the regalia when it is conveyed from Buckingham Palace to Westminster and back.

The privately owned charter vessel MV Spirit of Chartwell was transformed into a royal barge for the Queen's use during her Diamond Jubilee.

On 3 June 2012, the barge carried the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and other members of the Royal Family, in the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant.

The Royal Barge Gloriana . Queen Elizabeth II's Royal Barge presented to her at her Diamond Jubilee in 2012.
The Queen's Bargemaster and a Royal Waterman (with a royal footman standing behind them) on the carriage conveying the Imperial State Crown to the Palace of Westminster for the State Opening, 2015.
James Arthur Messenger , Barge Master to Her Majesty Queen Victoria 1862–1901
Queen Victoria's Royal Barge. This would have been the barge of which James Messenger was the Master in his service from 1862 to 1901. The photo is of an etching created in 1854.