King's Messenger

[1] The formal role and title ‘Royal Messenger’, whether to King or Queen, is most certainly evident within the retinues of the English monarchy, certainly extending back to the early 12th century.

They were the primary means for communication with local officials such as sheriffs and mayors and travelled in circuits so that the King and his staff had regular updates on the actions that had been commanded.

During his exile, Charles II appointed four trusted men to convey messages to Royalist forces in England.

[5] As a sign of their authority, the King broke four silver greyhounds from a bowl familiar to royal courtiers, and gave one to each man.

Their badge has the motto Honi soit qui mal y pense meaning "shame on anyone who thinks evil of it".

Modern communications have diminished the role of the King's Messengers, but as original confidential documents still need to be conveyed securely between countries, their function remains valuable, but declining.

[8] In December 2015 an article in the Daily Express suggested that the Queen's Messenger service was "facing the chop by cost-cutting Foreign Office mandarins who see them as a legacy of a by-gone age".