King Charles has advertised for a new royal job at St James' Palace as the iconic palace prepares to open for the very first time. The 500-year-old palace, which is based in London, is allowing small guided groups to tour the historical location between April and May 2025.

Located a short distance from Buckingham Palace, the palace has been off-limits to the public until now. It was built by Henry VIII between 1531 and 1536 and became the most senior royal residence after the Palace of Whitehall was destroyed in a fire in 1698. The new role at the palace is an Assistant Curator of Paintings and has been advertised with a salary of £30,000 per annum on the Royal Household vacancies page.

The role, which will run between July 2025 and July 2026, will require the candidate to work 37.5 hours per week and will only require work between Monday and Friday.

The position will allow the candidate to "work with a worldclass collection of European paintings and support the team with a wide range of curatorial activities to ensure our collection is presented to the highest of standards and enjoyed by thousands of visitors."

It will require the ideal candidate to have a broad understanding of art history, have relevant curatorial experience of working with a collection in a museum, art gallery or historic house and be an effective communicator.

The person required for the job will also be a natural organiser, someone with lots of initiative, have strong IT skills and have amazing attention to detail.

The role will require, but will not be limited to, the candidate to undertake research into the paintings and assist with their interpretation through a range of channels, ensure online painting records are accurate and up to date and contribute to the delivery of upcoming exhibitions and the development of new exhibition ideas.

The new job announcement comes shortly before St James's Palace is set to open to the public for the first time. Guided tours, which are expected to last around one hour and 45 minutes, will include the Colour Court, the Grand Staircase, Armoury, Tapestry Room and Queen Anne Room.

Visitors will also tour the Entrée Room, Throne Room, Picture Gallery and a view of the Chapel Royal from the balcony.