Declaring new royal baby no help to footman with old visa

The Buckingham Palace footman who helped announce the birth of Prince George has appealed to the Queen to help him return to his old job after he had to go home to India because his visa expired.

Badar Azim said he was applying for a new visa and hoped his job would be held open for him.

He faces an uphill struggle, however, because to be considered for a new visa he needs a guaranteed job paying at least 24,000 ($45,600) a year - about 10,000 more than he was earning as a footman.

Azim, 25, appeared in newspapers and on television around the world last week when he helped to make the formal announcement of the royal baby's birth by placing a bulletin on an easel outside Buckingham Palace.

At the time he was living in a grace and favour apartment in the Royal Mews inside the palace grounds. His home is now a two-room flat above a sweatshop in Kolkata, which he shares with eight members of his family.

Speaking for the first time since he returned to India at the weekend, Azim said: "I'm trying to get a visa so I can get back to my job at Buckingham Palace. I'm really just waiting for my job to begin. I've been working there for the last two years and I'm hoping my job is still there.

"I believe they will support me, they were really happy with my work, I did my job well. I'm appealing to Buckingham Palace for my job again, I'm really happy there."

Azim spent 18 months at the palace on a two-year working allowance as part of a student visa. He hopes to apply for a Tier 2 visa to return, but will qualify only if he has a sponsor and a job paying at least 24,300 that can't be filled by a British citizen.

Royal footmen are paid as little as 14,000, meaning he would not qualify for a new visa even if the royal household agreed to be his sponsor.

He said of his moment in the spotlight: "I never anticipated anything like that but it feels great, obviously it's a proud moment for me. I feel like I've been blessed."