This weekend, Royal Collection Trust staff will spend over 30 hours changing clocks across the Royal residences of His Majesty The King as British Summer Time comes to an end.

There are over 1600 clocks in the Royal Collection, including 450 at Windsor Castle, 350 at the London residences of His Majesty The King, and 50 at the Palace of Holyroodhouse

A busy team of three Horological Conservators will work through the weekend to adjust the clocks at Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace, St James’s Palace, and the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

The clocks in the kitchens at Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace are always set five minutes fast, to ensure that food arrives on time.

Senior Horological Conservator Tjeerd Bakker said: “Clockmakers have been employed by the Royal Household for centuries, and it is a privilege to continue that tradition.

“Visitors love the fact that the clocks are kept running and on time; they are a key part of the experience of visiting the State Apartments at these working royal residences.”

The Royal Collection contains some of the finest historic clocks in existence, many of which are on display to visitors at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse

They include musical clocks, astronomical clocks, and miniature clocks. Each must be carefully changed by hand to ensure that the times shown remain accurate for visitors, staff, and residents.

The oldest clock in the Royal Collection is the Anne Boleyn Clock, which is reputed to have been given by Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn on the morning of their marriage in 1532.