The Tower of London is hiring for a $40,000 Beefeater to help defend the Crown Jewels – but you'll need 22 years of military experience to apply

• The Tower of London is hiring for a Beefeater, offering $40,000 for the role.
• The Tower holds the Crown Jewels, which have an estimated value of $4 billion.

The Tower of London is hiring a Beefeater for $40,000 to help defend the Crown Jewels. But applicants will need a long military career to have a chance at the job.

The position of Yeoman Warder is being advertised by the Tower of London's parent group Historic Royal Palaces, which also manages Kensington Palace, occupied by Prince William and his wife, Kate.

However, lucky candidates will be few. Applicants must have served 22 years in the military, be a former warrant officer, hold the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, and have a "suitable level of fitness."

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The successful candidate will be part of a group of 32 men and women who originally served as the Queen's de facto bodyguards. According to their website, Henry VII was the first to suggest some move to the Tower.

While the job is largely a ceremonial and hospitality-focused position, with Warders showing tourists around the tower, the job specification does indicate that Beefeaters must "prevent damage to, or theft of, articles or other property within the Tower of London," which would feasibly include the Crown Jewels.

A Historic Royal Palaces spokesperson declined to comment on the security of the Crown Jewels and whether the position would involve their defense, but said the successful candidate "will be required to lead the Tower's popular daily tours, welcome and assist visitors on site and bring the history and stories of the Tower to life."

According to Readers' Digest, the Crown Jewels - which are housed in the Jewel House of the Tower - are not insured so they have never been appraised, but estimates put their value at $4 billion. Only one attempt has been made to steal them, by Thomas Blood in 1671 before they were moved to the Tower.

Yeoman Warders are "sworn in" during a centuries-old ceremony, before drinking a toast of port served in an 18th-century pewter bowl. Tradition requires the Chief Yeoman Warder to toast all new recruits with the words "may you never die a Yeoman Warder."

According to their website, Yeoman Warders can look forward to a free bottle of Beefeater Gin on their birthdays.