does the U.K. royal family still have an offical jester, and how does one apply for the job?

Answer 1

Nigel Roder, also known professionally as Kester the Jester, (born 1967) became the official court jester of England in 2004. He succeeded Muckle John, whose position became redundant when his employer, King Charles I of England, was beheaded in 1649.

Roder was appointed by English Heritage after winning a jesting competition.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigel_Roder

In response...
..."The National Guild of Jesters said there was too little notice for professionals to be able to apply.

"It's a gimmick. It's getting people for cheap," Jonathan the jester, guild member and the official jester for the city of Salisbury, told the BBC's Today programme. "
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/3536508.stm

In August 2005 English Heritage (having hurriedly dropped the 'State' from 'State Jester' after Members of Parliament got involved) held another audition which resulted in the appointment of Peterkin the Fool.

Peterkin was a fixture at English Heritage events during the tourist season of 2006. There has been no replacement announced for the 2007 season as of this writing.

To answer your question though, it seems that only the department of English heritage has recognized the function of
"official jester" within Britain. Certainly there has been no recognition from parliament nor the Royal family for that matter,
so the claim that this role has been fulfilled in 2004 after a vacancy of over 350 years seems a bit dubious.

As far as the British people are concerned, the role of "unofficial jester" to the Royal family seems to be a toss up between Sirs' Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger or Elton John.

Answer 2

The official jester of the Royal Family is Anthony Charles Blair. One receives this position by securing a safe seat within the Labour Party. The only serious contender for this position of official jester is David Cameron although some say Boris Johnson might have a look in...

Answer 3

Hi,
I understand that the current position is held by someone called Charles.
He does a decent job of it, but does not wear the harlequin outfit with the bells, more is the pity.
I tried once with my mandolin, sitting in the back of an MG Midget car, outside the palace one night, but was shooed away by a policeman.
Have a word with Phil, perhaps.
I hear that he has a list of humourous stories which get him into trouble with folks overseas.

Oh, I am a bit of a Royalist, really, so we could do a double act.
I shall contact the entertainments secretay at the Palace office to see if there is an application form available.

As long as we don't get sent to The Tower after telling a bad joke, or playing in the wrong key !

Cheers,
Bob.

Answer 4

Now that the Blair-bashing is done...

The tradition of British Court Jesters came to an end in Britain when Charles I was overthrown in the Civil War. However the custom lives on infrequently. King of Tonga officially appointed a Court Jester in 1999 who was later embroiled in a financial scandal.

Answer 5

I think the answer is no. There is a show called The Royal Variety Performance which is held once a year at the Palladium theatre in London. The artistes are chosen by the Royal family to perform before them and a fee paying audience. After the show the artistes meet the royal family I think this is the nearest the Queen gets to having her own performers.

Answer 6

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Answer 7

Not an official one. The family is full of jesters...they just don't know they are

Answer 8

Yeah hes called Tony Blair, but the job is spoken for and his mate Gordon is doing it next!

Answer 9

Yes, his name is Paddy D. Foigras (of Irish descent). It's a lifetime gig, so you will have to wait till he dies before applying. He's only like 35, so it could be rather a wait... Sorry.

Answer 10

Prince Charles - no applications accepted - it's an hereditary position!