FOI release

FOI20260003S King's Messengers ID

Published 3 February 2026

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 - REQUEST REF: FOI2026_00003S 

Thank you for your email of 3 January 2026 asking for information under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000. Your email was forwarded to us by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on 5 January 2026 and was validated on 12 January 2026. You asked: 

1. Please could you provide information relating to King’s Messengers identification. Do they have unique passports? 

2. If you could provide redacted images of an example of a King’s Messengers passport, that would be appreciated. For example, prior to 2014 they had unique passports with a unique coat of arms that stated ”Queen’s Messenger Courrier Diplomatique” is there a modern equivalent or is this just stated on the “Official observations” page inside the passport? 

3. Additionally, are there any badges, medals, ribbons, coat of arms for the King’s Messengers? If so, please provide images and descriptions of them. 

I am writing to confirm that we have now completed the search for the information which you requested.   

I can confirm that FCDO Services does hold information relevant to your request, as set out below. 

1) King’s Messengers have Diplomatic Passports. Additional information is exempt under section 21 of the FOIA, as we are not required to provide information in response to a request if it is already reasonably accessible to you. Further information can be found here:   

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/observations-in-passports/observations-in-passports-accessible#diplomatic-official-and-kings-messenger-observations  

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/types-of-british-passports/types-of-british-passports-accessible  

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/diplomatic-and-official-service-passports-and-observations/diplomatic-and-official-service-passports-and-observations-accessible  

2) Images of King’s Messengers passports are withheld under Section 31 – see below for further information. However technical descriptions are included in the hyperlinks provided above. 

3) There is a King’s Messenger King Charles III ceremonial badge. Further information, including the official Kings Messenger’s emblem and tie, can be found here: https://www.fcdoservices.gov.uk/long-live-the-king. Additional images and descriptions are withheld under Section 31 – see below for further information. 

Section 31   

Section 31(1) is a qualified exemption, which means that it is subject to a public interest test. We acknowledge the public interest in openness and transparency. However, disclosure of the information requested could aid a criminal who was intent on impersonating a member of the King’s Messenger Service or could expose the King’s Messenger Service to potential threats of a criminal nature.   

For the reasons set out above, we have assessed that the public interest in maintaining this exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosure.    

Once an FOI request is answered, it is considered to be in the public domain.  To promote transparency, FCDO Services may now publish the response and any material released on GOV.UK in the FOI releases section.  All personal information in the letter will be removed before publishing.  

Where copies of information have been supplied to you they will continue to be protected by the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.  You are free to use it for your own purposes, including any non-commercial research you are doing and for the purposes of news reporting.  Any other re-use, for example commercial publication, would require the permission of the copyright holder.  Most documents supplied by the FCDO will have been produced by government officials and will be protected by Crown Copyright.  To re-use Crown Copyright documents please consult the Open Government Licence v3 on the National Archives website. 

Information you receive which is not subject to Crown Copyright continues to be protected by the copyright of the person, or organisation, from which the information originated. You must ensure that you gain their permission before reproducing any third party (non-Crown Copyright) information. 

If you would like to request a review of our decision, you should write to the Data Protection Officer (DPO), Knowledge and Information Management (KIM) Team, FCDO Services, Hanslope Park, Milton Keynes, England, MK19 7BH (e-mail: FCDOServices.DataProtectionOfficer@fcdo.gov.uk).  Please note you have 40 working days to do so from the date of this letter. Please quote the reference number above in any future communications. 

If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint, you may then apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision.  Generally, the Information Commissioner cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the complaints procedure provided by the FCDO. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF, or online at: https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/  

Yours sincerely, 

FOI Officer 

Knowledge and Information Management (KIM) Team 

FCDO Services