Michael Chandler, the “Master of Ravens” at the Tower of London, walks through this castle on the banks of the Thames, on July 29, 2024
BENJAMIN CREMEL
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Photos by Benjamin CREMEL, video by Justine GERARDY
As a commando in the Royal Marines, Michael Chandler has operated in the most dangerous terrain. But his current mission is even more crucial: as “Master of Ravens” at the Tower of London, he is responsible for the survival of the United Kingdom.
Legend has it that King Charles II (1660-1685) heard a prophecy that said that if the ravens ever left the tower on the banks of the Thames, it would collapse and the kingdom of England with it.
Since then, members of the Yeomen Warders, the body of guards charged with watching over this famous medieval castle that houses the Crown Jewels, have been responsible for the care of these birds and ensure that at least six remain within the grounds, as dictated by the rules promulgated by Charles II.
Since March, Michael “Barney” Chandler, 57, has been taking on the task as “Master of Crows,” a role he takes very seriously. Dressed in a black and red uniform, recognizable by his round, flat-brimmed hat, he leads a team of four men charged with feeding, caring for and monitoring the Tower’s birds.
The former Royal Marine commando, who served in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Arctic, had no particular interest in birds before arriving at the Tower of London 14 years ago.
Two ravens in captivity at the Tower of London, 29 July 2024
BENJAMIN CREMEL
“I was initially drawn to the legend, I think. And then, working with them (…), it became a natural thing,” he explains. “I fell in love with the crows,” says Chandler, who praises their “extreme intelligence.”
“They have their own personality, just like us,” he says.
Seven crows currently live in the old prison, one more than necessary to keep it safe from unforeseen events, says the Master.
The Tower of London, a medieval castle and popular tourist attraction that houses the British Crown Jewels, is pictured on July 29, 2024.
BENJAMIN CREMEL
That morning, the crows Edgar and Harris are in no hurry to eat their breakfast: two dead chicks that Michael brings to them through the bars of his pen, located in the grass near one of the walls, where the birds spend the night.
His companions Poppy, Georgie, Jubilee and Rex (the last to arrive and named after King Charles III) are already outside, fluttering among the tourists at the former prison, which receives three million visitors each year.
There is also Branwen, the seventh, who has refused to sleep with his companions for years, but he does not run away from the place either.
“They are very homely (…), so even if they are free during the day, they don’t go outside,” explains Michael, who also highlights the good treatment they receive.
However, several feathers on one of their wings are cut so that they cannot fly very high.
They can survive in the Tower for about twenty years, compared to 10 to 15 in the wild. The oldest raven lived in the Tower for 44 years.
Michael Chandler watches one of the ravens at the Tower of London, July 29, 2024
BENJAMIN CREMEL
Graceful and not very shy, the birds sometimes scare tourists who do not expect to see them up close, perched on a staircase or railing.
“I saw a crow stick its beak into a bag and steal cheese from a child’s lunch box,” says his Master, amused.
“They serve Her Majesty just as we do, the Royal Guards,” says Michael Chandler. And the King “regularly receives news from them, as did Queen Elizabeth II” until her death in September 2022.
The former soldier, who with the Yeomen Warders guarded the Queen’s coffin at Westminster during the funeral vigil, does not take his service lightly.
“The moment of my life that I’m most proud of,” Michael recalls. “But don’t tell my wife,” says the father of four.
