By Sarah Millman
TRURO - London's Buckingham Palace may seem like the epitome of royalty to most people, but to former Truro resident Sarah Gorveatt it has become a part of her everyday life.
Gorveatt, 25, followed her passion for history to England last January in an effort to find work at one of the city's many prestigious museums.
Instead, she now finds herself as one of 450 employees who work at the palace, which is the symbol and home of the British monarchy, an art gallery and very popular tourist attraction.
"Honestly, the weirdest part of my job is that I get to walk into Buckingham Palace every morning and the police officers actually let me in!," said Gorveatt, who attended Cobequid Educational Centre"
Applying for work at Buckingham Palace is a similar process to any other job. Up to a point. There's a standard application and interview followed by three months of rigorous security and work permit checks. A position at the palace must be carried out discretely and meticulously.
Gorveatt's job comes with the title Warden of the Queen's Gallery and Royal Mews.
"I work within a close group of wardens to maintain a high quality of customer service and provide a warm welcome to visitors," she said.
Gorveatt has also volunteered at the palace to be part of the correspondence team, answering letters of congratulations the Queen has received in her Diamond Jubilee year.
And while she hasn't met any members of the royal family yet, there's always a chance.
Gorveatt has taken in many of the sights of London during her off-hours and she enjoyed the atmosphere when the city hosted the Summer Olympics in August.
"The energy was really exciting. Everyone was walking around with their country's colours splashed all over them," said Gorveatt. "Canadians are by far the most obvious people in the world. Some of my colleagues were commenting that the entire city of Edmonton must be empty because everyone was in London."
After high school, Gorveatt attended Mount Allison University to pursue a Bachelor of Arts degree in religious studies and classics. After her first year of university, she came home and worked as a summer curatorial assistant at the Colchester Historical Museum and Archives.
Graduating from Mount Allison in 2010, she became the heritage interpreter at the Hector Exhibit Centre and Archives and the McCulloch House Museum in Pictou.
Gorveatt plans to continue living and working in London until at least January of 2014, at which point she may return to school and pursue a Master's Degree in art history or museum studies so she can continue advancing in the museum world.
