The Queen is looking for a cleaner to oversee the removal of chewing gum at one of her royal palaces.

Advertised on the British monarchy website, the part-time post, based at Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, has a pro-rata salary of £16,000 a year and duties include cleaning all the stairs in the Palace on a weekly basis.

The cleaner must also "arrange for the removal of chewing gum from the Historic and State Apartments", which are usually open to members of the public all year round.

A Buckingham Palace spokesman told The Sun: "A tiny minority of individuals leave chewing gum at the Royal Palaces and it has to be removed."

When rooms in the Palace are not in use, the cleaner will have to cover all items of furniture with dust sheets and pack away all movable objects. The successful applicant will also have to act as a cloakroom attendant for evening parties.

The Palace of Holyroodhouse is the Queen's official residence in Scotland.