Most people would seldom see the king, still less come close to him. But these seven nobles had special access to the king.
According to one historian, the elect nobles of a Persian king had permanent access to him, except when he was with one of his wives.
14 the men next to him being Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, who saw the king’s face, and sat first in the kingdom):