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The “Grand maréchal du Palais” or Grand Marshal of the Palace was a high civilian officer of the crown whose duties and role were detailed in the decree of 28 Messidor, An XII (17 July 1804). These duties and role are little known and have always been masked by the personalities of those occupying the post, namely Duroc and Bertrand. However, the job in itself was extremely important. The Grand Marshal was a sort of “prime minister” of a state within the State. That state was the “Maison de l’Empereur” or Emperor’s Household, and it had more than 2,700 employees.The Grand Marshal was head of the military services within the imperial palaces, head of security for the imperial family, in charge of imperial family goods and personnel, overseer of the entrances and exits made into and out of the imperial palaces, and in charge of the management, upkeep, decoration and furnishing of the imperial residences. He managed the places where the members of the imperial family and their invitees would be lodged and in general oversaw the “service du Palais” or running of the palace. In addition to the military personnel, under his orders stood the concierges, the “garçons de château”, the security guards, the doormen, the gardeners, the firemen and fountain men. He was also in charge of the “service de la bouche” (food supplies and kitchens) “service de la table” (including supplies). When the emperor went on campaign or on a journey, it was the Grand Marshal who accompanied him and organised every last detail of the trip. The role of the Grand Marshal represented one tenth of the general budget for the “Maison de l’Empereur” or Emperor’s Household.