The royal footman who played a pivotal role in announcing the birth of Prince George has made an appeal to the Queen, asking the monarch to help him return to the UK, just days after he was deported back to India.Badar Azim, who was forced to leave his job at Buckingham Palace after his visa expired, said that he "would love to go back if the opportunity arises" and hoped the British royal family would support his plea. "I've been working there for the last two years and I'm hoping my job is still there," said Badar.
"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. I would love to go back if the opportunity arises."
The 25-year-old former royal footman is hoping to apply for a Tier 2 visa, which would enable him to return to the UK, after his previous student visa ran out.The process could be difficult, however, as Badar would need to be on a payroll of at least £24,300 to qualify, £10,000 short of what he was earning at Buckingham Palace.Badar had spent the past 18 months working at the Queen's official London residence, but his 15 minutes of fame came last week when he helped announce the birth of Prince George.
Dressed in a black tailcoat and red waistcoat, the Indian-born footman assisted the Queen's press secretary Ailsa Anderson in fixing the official birth notice to the historic easel after news broke that the future King had been born. "I never anticipated anything like that but it feels great," he said, recalling his time in the spotlight.
"Obviously it's a proud moment for me. I feel like I've been blessed. "Badar first came to the UK to complete his degree in hospitality management at Edinburgh's Napier University. He graduated in June 2011 and remained in the UK under a two-year work extension of his student visa.
The budding student then secured his job as a royal footman at Buckingham Palace in February 2012 and was said to be well-liked by his colleagues.
Returning back to his family in Kolkata (Calcutta), Badar has been living in a two-room house with eight other family members above a shoe factory.