Discretion is a must in a life serving royalty and its representatives, but this Queen's Birthday Roger King is front and centre.
After 43 years as a household attendant at Government House, he has received an Order of Australia medal for service to the Crown.
"I look after the Governor-General and all the domestic side of their life," Mr King said.
"Whether it's pressing their clothing, cleaning their suite ... doing a little bit of everything to make their life a little bit easier."
Mr King took just 10 seconds to list the 10 Governors-General he has served.
"Sir Paul Hasluck, Sir John Kerr, Sir Zelman Cowen, Sir Ninian Stephen, Bill Hayden, Sir William Deane, Dr Hollingworth, General Jeffery, Quentin Bryce our first female Governor-General, who was an absolute honour to serve, now Sir Peter Cosgrove," he said.
Mr King has also waited on Queen Elizabeth five times.
His first brush with royalty came just a fortnight after he began as a junior footman, providing precious little time to learn the required protocol.
"It was awesome. [I] thoroughly enjoyed it," he said.
"My family back home were so proud that I had been able to serve my first royals and especially Her Majesty the Queen."
Witnessing history first-hand
But Mr King's most memorable moment on the job came decades later.
"When Will and Kate came over on their state visit they brought baby George. And I can remember Princess Diana bringing William over at George's age," Mr King said.
"I actually served them, they had a picnic on the lawn and I had a good old chat with him about when he came over with his mother."
When there are no royals to attend to, Mr King and his team are busy showing 20,000 school children every year around Government House.
They are invited to play the grand piano and each take a lesson in history from a man who has witnessed it first-hand.
"I get them to sit in the Governor-General's chair in the study," he said.
"That's got a little bit of history to it because that's where, on November 11, 1975, the Honourable Sir John Kerr had the misfortune of dismissing the Prime Minister."
Mr King is one of 67 Canberran to be recognised in this Queen's Birthday Honour's List.
.jpg?w=600)
