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The Royal Household of Belfras
Formation	15 November 1897; 126 years ago
Headquarters	Questros Palace, Thessalona, Belfras
Sovereign Prince	Nicholaus
Lord Steward	Duke Tribonus Philo
Lord Chamberlain	Faustus Columella

The Royal Household of Belfras is royal officials and the supporting staff of the Belfrasian royal family and primarily the Sovereign. Each member of the royal family has their own separate household to support them, although only the sovereigns household is referred to as the "Royal Household", with other members having their households named after themselves and the power to appoint people to their own households. Typically the household of the Hereditary Prince is selected by both the sovereign and the Hereditary Prince to groom a competent structure should the monarch die, as the household of the Sovereign Prince will often be the prime candidates for the new positions within the royal household on succession.

The primary responsibility of the royal household is to coordinate and support the upkeep and wellbeing of the royal family, the monarch, and the possessions held by the royal household, such as property and vehicles. The various departments within the household exist to carry out this responsibility effectively with the appointed Lord Steward being the highest position within the household and is responsible for the day-to-day running of the separate departments.

Great Board of the Household

The Great Board of the Household is the board of officials belonging to the royal household. The board is regularly sat by the great officers of the household: The Lord Steward, Lord Chamberlain, Vice Chamberlain, Treasurer of the Household, Master of the Horse, and the Commander of the Guard. These meetings are also often sat by appointees made by the sovereign for a variety of different purposes, such as the appointment of his wife Beata of Callatis in 1982. The meetings held by the Great Board are typically to discuss and oversee the regular day-to-day running of the household and to execute directives given to them by the sovereign and the royal family. It also sometimes sits as a court on offenses committed within Questros Palace.

Office	Member		Appointed	Duties
Great Officers of the Household
Lord Steward		Tribonus Philo	1 February 2019	Administration of Royal Household and directing the offices.
Lord Chamberlain	File:FaustusColumella.jpg	Faustus Columella	5 August 2005	Adminstration of separate households of the royal family and liasing with other nobility staff.
Treasurer of the Household	pic	name	5 March 1999	Administration of finances of the Royal Household and the royal family.
Master of the House	pic	name	date	Upkeep and maintenance of royal properties and assets administration and wages of staff to the royal residences.
Commander of the Guard		Michael Patricinus	9 July 2008	Security of royal family and royal properties.
Permanent seats
Private Secretary to the Sovereign Prince		Lukas Kerularios	15 January 1997	Overseeing Royal Entourage and personal matters of the Sovereign.
Chief Medical Officer of the Royal Household	pic		14 February 2010	Oversees the Office of Medicine, responsible for medical professionals in the household.
Appointed Seats
Princess Consort to the Sovereign Prince	pic	Beata of Callatis	1982	Senior advisor to the Great Board and in charge of education of royal family.

Office of the Lord Steward

The Lord Steward is the most senior official in the royal household and oversees its business, including liaising with other senior officers of the household, chairing the Great Board of the Household and advising the Sovereign in appointment of senior household officials. His office is responsible for coordinating the activities of the other offices and being the primary link of communication between the Sovereign and the other offices except for the Private Secretary, who a part of the royal entourage.

The Lord Steward is responsible for ceremonial duties of the crown, organising activities including state visits, investitures, parties and balls, and organising the ceremonies of the Sovereign in their capacity as head of state, chief executive, and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. Weddings and funerals of the royal family are already organised with the assistance of the Lord Steward. During these ceremonies the Lord Steward carries symbols that represent his office. One of these symbols, a white staff, is considered the symbol of the royal household and when the household relocates between the royal sites the staff is required to be in attendance. In the event of the death of the monarch the staff is broken over the grave to symbolise the breaking of the royal house.

Office of the Lord Chamberlain

The Lord Chamberlain is the second most senior official in the Royal Household and a Great Officer of the House. Their duties include administrating the separate Households of the other members of the Royal Family, such as the Household of Prince Sergios, Duke of Patrinos which includes a Personal Secretary, treasurer and a retinue of staff for culinary, housekeeping and security purposes. The many facets of each household is overseen by the Lord Chamberlain and their deputies which focus on large sectors of business to cover the needs of each member of the royal family.

Office of the Treasurer of the Household

The Treasurer of the Household is a Great Officer of the Household who is responsible for the accountancy of the Royal Household and the Royal Family as a whole. The holder of the position sits in the administration board of the Royal Mint and draws funds from the reserves to fulfill an annual budget that will include wages, upkeep and maintenance of royal residences and assets, and any expansions of workforce or assets foreseen in that year. With approval from the Sovereign the Treasurer may draw more from the reserves but only to fulfill a previously agreed set of conditions and goals.

Office of the Master of the House

The Master of the House is the Great Officer of the Household responsible for overseeing the upkeep and maintenance of royal properties and the assets of the Royal Household. In the execution of his duty he is also in charge of the administration of staff and their wages, with a number of smaller offices dealing with the many facets of this endeavour. His duties also extend to private properties owned by the royal family when requested. This office first came into existence with the construction of Questros Palace in the 16th century and had the same responsibilities as the Steward today. Supporting him is his second in command, the Deputy Master and the Assistants to the Master that are the equivalent to a assistant director that look after large sections of responsibility within either an individual residence or head an entire department responsibility.

Under the Master, his deputy and the assistants are the Household Stewards which are considered the primary supervisor for Royal Household activities within their assigned property and is responsible for changing planned activities immediately should anything arise during the day. He is also the staff's immediate point of contact for any concerns or questions. An instance is the Steward of Palatium Mondris, who lives and works at the site and is the immediate supervisor of their residences Housekeeper, the Master Chef and their residences

The Masters Office is the department responsible for helping the Master and Deputy Master administer the office. It consists of their individual secretaries, a liaison to the Royal Entourage and an accountancy department that settles wages and distributes funds provided by the Treasurer of the Household.

The Chief Housekeeper is a senior administrative position that is responsible for the Royal Residences staff's daily duties. Formally the position is considered the Housekeeper of Questros Palace, but with their responsibilities administering the other royal households the Deputy Housekeeper for Questros Palace heads up the daily duties for the primary royal residence. The other royal residences, such as Palatium Mondris, have their own Housekeepers in charge of the daily duties and staff.

The Assistant to the Master, responsible for Maintenance (OMM) is an administrator responsible for the overall maintenance of the royal residences and is also in charge of a private wood owned by the Royal Household which is the exclusive origin of wood used for furniture making. The position has a set of supervisors for each royal residence responsible for ensuring any contractors hired to the property are conducting themselves to their job-role and in a behaved and respectable manner. Projects operated at the royal residences require the OMMs approval and need weekly witness sign-offs with a observing third party.

The Assistant to the Master, responsible for the culinary. (OMCul) is the administrator in charge of catering across all sites of the Royal Household and in extension the Royal Barracks. Their responsibilities include creating a list of standards and protocols for the culinary teams at each residence operationally under the control of their residences Household Steward. The OMCul is responsible for ensuring each residence has it's requirements for food and culinary ingredients, utensils or other goods delivered in a timely matter. The position is considered equal in authority to the Sovereigns Personal Chef of the Royal Entourage wherever the Entourage is currently based, meaning that the Personal Chef may go against the OMCuls protocols if needed. This is highly unlikely to happen, as the OMCul is often a retired Personal Chef and the two positions cooperate very closely.

The Assistant to the Master, responsible for the assets (OMA) is responsible for overseeing the care, maintenance, storage and operation of the assets controlled by the Royal House. The day-to-day running of this position involves constant liaising with units within the Royal Guard for operation of aircraft and ships and the daily care of vehicles in constant usage on the road. For the operation of the Households aircraft the OMA works with the Royal Flight Squadron and civilian contractors for operation and maintenance of the aircraft. Larger aircraft used by the household are operated with permanently hired staff. The OMA cooperates with the Blue-Banner Naval Unit of the Royal Guard responsible for operating the Royal Households watercraft in order to keep the ships maintained and staffed with the civilian crewmembers required for operation of the vessel. The ships themselves are operationally under the control of the BBNU, but utilise contractors and staff hired by the OMA for ship maintenance and crewing. The ships fly the ensign of the Federation Navy and are registered at Thessalona, but are able to be permanently berthed anywhere in the country.

Office of the Guard

Michael Patricinus, Commander of the Guard since 2008

The Commander of the Guard is a Great Officer of the Household and is responsible for running the day-to-day security for the royal family and the monarch. The position has existed for as long as there has been a need for a Belfrasian-based permanent guard for the Latin Emperor, with the Commander then being responsible for augmenting the Praetorian Guard on their arrival however they are able to. Upon the installation of the Sovereign Prince the commander took up full time responsibility for the protection of the monarch. Since 2002 it has not been necessary for the commander to be an active member of the armed forces and has been occupied by Michael Patricinus, Duke of Jekos since 2008. Since it's modern inception only one commander has died in his duty - Colonel Markus Rellis who perished on 15 March 1912 alongside the Hereditary Prince Nicholaus during the Belfro-Mutulese war of 1911.

The responsibilities of the Commander of the Guard include overseeing the security of the royal family with the subordinate Royal Security Service, which is headed by a colonel hand-picked by the commander and approved by the monarch. The RSS provides daily, constant security to the royal family and cooperates with the National Police and the Royal Guard to ensure that all angles of security, from uniformed police officers and escorts to highly armed response teams are provided for. Previously the personal security was overseen by the Royal Guard, but it was decided in 1953 that a civilian branch should be opened to take advantage of police experience and to better cultivate ex-military talent. Of the total members of the RSS, roughly 65% today are ex-military and of the remaining personnel three quarters come from elite units within the National Police and Civil Guard.

The remaining responsibilities of the Commander include the daily security of the royal residences, the investigation of crimes committed on the property of the Royal Household and to organise the security of the Great Officers of the Guard, which was expanded in 2002 to liaise with the Federal Investigation Agency and offer the Crowns Advice on national crime investigation, and on 2009 it also began working with the Royal Mint and the FIA on cases of monetary fraud and cases in which fraudsters have pretended to be a member of nobility for criminal purposes.

The current Commander of the Guard is Michael Patricinus, Duke of Jekos who has had the position since 2008. Duke Patricinus had previously been a Vice Admiral in the Federation Navy and spent the latter years of his career working with the sovereign as aide-de-camp for the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. The last two commanders, from 1998 to 2001 and 2001 to 2008 had been civilians with no military experience, with the former being the former director of the FIA and the latter being a commissioner-general of the National Police.

Royal Guard

The Royal Guard is an independent regiment from the Armed Forces dedicated to the protection of the reigning monarch and the members of the royal family. The primary function of the Royal Guard is providing military security to the royal residences of the royal household, which they are publicly seen doing. They also provide protection to foreign dignitaries during visits and have on numerous occasions provided security to the senate. As a military unit, they hold no powers of arrest and instead rely on the Royal Security Service, which provides personal protection of the royal family, for making arrests during instances of crime on the grounds of the royal residences. The Royal Guard is a regiment serving the Armed Forces as a whole and is comprised of members of all branches and provides a number of services in it's day-to-day running.

The Residential Corps is the formal name given the main part of the Royal Guard and is responsible for the Royal Guard's primary duty of providing security to the royal residences. They perform the ceremonial duties of performing the manning of the guard but also provide security to dignitaries visiting the residences. Keeping with their duties and as active military personnel they are instructed to be always armed and are authorised to utilise their firearms in order to protect the royal residences and the staff within them.

The Royal Flight Squadron is a detachment from the Air Force that provides maintenance and operates the Household aircraft. One unit from this Squadron, the Philippos Flight, is tasked with the operation of the Sovereigns personal helicopter. The manpower of the squadron is hand picked by the Military Council for purpose and has been considered a vital part of an officer being promoted into the senior hierarchy of the air force. The Air Force has on numerous occasions had members within the residential corps of the Royal Guard.

The Federation Navy operates the Blue-Banner Naval Unit which is directed to the operation of seacraft in the Households inventory, including the Royal Family's yacht.

Royal Security Service

The Royal Security Service, commonly referred to as the RSS, is a department under the Commander of the Guard dedicated to the protection of the royal family. The RSS is made up of civilian officers hand-picked from the National Police, Civil Guard, and the armed forces. It's internal structure is led by a director who, at the authorisation of the Sovereign and Commander of the Guard, is charged to organise and run the RSS with the objective of protecting the monarch and the royal family. While the RSS relies on the nation's police forces for uniformed security, agents of the service are officers of the law and have the power of arrest and are authorised to carry firearms.

The National Police and the Civil Guard, the two primary police forces in the country, have numerous liaison offices designed to ease the organisation of armed escorts to the members of the royal family and to facilitate the stationing of uniformed security at royal residences or places of special interest to the royal household. Both of the police forces primary armed response units are available for calls directly from the RSS without needing prior approval from their domestic chains of command by decree of the monarch signed in 1985. In times of crisis the Royal Security Service may be directed by the sovereign to take executive control of police forces and direct them at the Sovereigns direct orders. An example of this happening is in the limited control taken over the Orestes Police during the 1992 Orestes Terror Attack.

The Royal Security Service has a number of units that are designed to compliment each other and provide vital services to the RSS as a whole.

The Office of the Sovereigns Security (OSS) is one of the two most elite units within the Service and was originally the sole security unit within the Royal Household until it's expansion. The OSS is placed directly under the Commander of the Guard's command and is comprised of both selected RSS Agents who have passed rigorous training and active-duty special forces soldiers of the armed forces. It is one of the most classified units in the country with details of it's day-to-day operations so far unknown to the public aside from it's primary objective to the personal protection of the sovereign.

The Royal Security of the Residences is a division within the RSS that provides law enforcement within the perimeter of the royal residences. It is one of the largest of the units within the Royal Security Service and is responsible for providing armed guards within the properties controlled by the Royal Household. While the Royal Guards Residential Corps is responsible for armed military security, the plain clothes security within the properties falls within the jurisdiction of the RSR, which have the power of arrest and work very closely with the Residential Corps in schedules for dignitary visits and daily operations. The Royal Barracks, which provides beds for the Royal Security Service and the Royal Guard, is protected internally by the Royal Security of the Residences that operates in their solitary uniformed role.

The Special Response Troop is a specially trained tactical unit within the Royal Security Service tasked with responding to high-risk situations involving the Royal Household. It was formed in the aftermath of the 1992 Orestes Terror Attack and travels with the sovereign when they are staying within the national borders, relying on special operations units from the armed forces for high-risk response when the sovereign is travelling abroad. The SRT utilises military equipment and it's personnel are largely comprised of hand-picked tactical police officers from across the country. One team within the SRT, Crown Squadron, are half controlled by the OSS as they are typically positioned within the Royal Entourage undercover at all times even when travelling abroad.

Royal Entourage to the Sovereign

Lukas Kerularios, Private Secretary to the Sovereign since 1997

The Royal Entourage to the Sovereign is the exclusive permanent body tasked with seeing to the day-to-day needs of the Monarch and to support their functions as the head of state, chief executive, and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. In the original structure of the Royal Household, the Lord Steward was personally responsible for the day-to-day running of the Royal Entourage but as the responsibilities of their office grew the necessity for devolution was undeniable. The Private Secretary to the Sovereign was, until this point, a position that dealt with communications from the Sovereign to other bodies and for the handling of the press.

The Private Secretary to the Sovereign today is the most senior role within the Royal Entourage and is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day running of activities within the Entourage, the upkeep of staff and the facilities serving the Sovereign and the organisation of staff dedicated to the Royal Entourage. The Master of the House, a Great Officer of the Royal Household, is responsible for the facilities and staff of the Royal Household and as such works closely with the Private Secretary to the Sovereign. While each of the royal residences have their own staff tasked with the day-to-day upkeep of the residence, facilities are available to accommodate the Royal Entourage upon their arrival with some members being superior to others, such as the Sovereigns Personal Chief taking charge of the kitchen upon arrival.

While the position of Private Secretary to the Sovereign is not listed as a Great Office, it is considered by many to be one of the most vital positions in the Royal Household, as it's responsibilities directly to the Sovereign, and potential consequences to mismanagement, are undeniable. The name of the position is officially the Private Secretary to the Sovereign, but is most commonly known as the Private Secretary to the Sovereign Prince. The current Private Secretary is Lukas Kerularios who has held the position since 1997, having served as the undersecretary of the wages prior to assuming the position.

The Royal Entourage is organised into several bodies with the Private Secretary having his own office and subordinates to smoothen the running of business.

Office of the Private Secretary is the support structure to the Private Secretary, consisting of the undersecretaries responsible for important matters to the Royal Entourage. One position, the undersecretary of the wages, is responsible for the wages of staff within the Royal Entourage and a part of their duty is to ensure funds are available from the Royal Mint so that the Royal Entourage may execute directives issued by the sovereign. Another position, the undersecretary of the baggage is responsible for arranging and overseeing the logistics in moving the Royal Entourage either abroad on foreign visits or wherever the Sovereign wishes to go.

Sovereigns Personal Chef is a position held by a trusted professional chef and his kitchen staff that is responsible for preparing the food for the monarch on a day-to-day basis. Subordinates to the Sovereigns Personal Chef include Sous Chefs, cooks and porters. The position of Chief Porter exists within these ranks and is responsible for the foodstuffs and ingredients. The Chief Porter and Sovereigns Personal Chef meet regularly to update the ingredients and recommend the Crown Insignia of Approval to producers if deemed high quality and beyond satisfactory.

The Personal physician to the Sovereign is a position held by the second most senior medical official in the Royal Households' Grand Office of Medicine and is responsible for the running of the Sovereigns medical staff. The position is always held by a senior medical official of very good standing in the medical community. It is his responsibility to recommend for appointment surgeons, physicians and medical professionals to see to the needs of the sovereign and, at their request, other members of the royal family or other peoples directed by the Sovereign.

Office of the Sovereigns Security is a division of the Royal Security Service permanently placed within the Royal Entourage and is directly responsible for the safety of the Belfrasian Sovereign. The Private Secretary is the titular head of this office, but the division is officially run by the RSS and is not responsible to the Private Secretary.

Grand Office of Medicine

Royal properties and assets

Properties

The sovereign's official residence in Thessalona is Questros Palace. The palace is the site of most state banquets, investitures, royal christenings and other formal ceremonies. Questros Palace was originally created for visits by the Latium Imperial Family before independence. The ancestral home of the royal family, Palatium Mondris, is another official residence with the archipelago-based palace being used frequently by the family and friends. On the west coast another residence of the family is The Sedis, an estate with it's own vineyard gifted to the family in the 1920s. Private residences such as apartments are not classified as part of the royal household. Historically the Questros Palace was controlled by the Latium Imperial Family when the country was a colony, with the Dimitrios family controlling Palatium Mondris as the dukes and duchesses of Mondria.

Questros Palace, the main residence of the royal family in Thessalona.
The Sedis, west-coast residence for the royal family.
Palatium Mondris, the ancestral seat of the Dimitrios family

Assets

The Royal Household controls and operates a large fleet of vehicles for official usage and for regular day-to-day business needs. The royal family are able to utilise the vehicles as needed and staff members are often given a pool of unmarked vehicles in order to carry out their duties, with members of the Royal Security Service being given unmarked police versions of the vehicles when applicable for emergency lights. Vehicles of the fleet used by members of the royal family are adorned with the national flag and coat of arms when in an official capacity but are left unmarked when used in a day-to-day function.

The Royal Household controls a number of aviation assets for usage by the royal family and visiting dignitaries. They are maintained by the air force and operated by the air force detachment of the royal guard. The helicopter fleet are housed normally at the military quarter of Thessalona International Airport and are often utilised by members of the royal family in an official and private business.

Editor comments

Title of page to be Royal Household of Belfras