54-950: The Vice-Chamberlain of the Household is a member of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom . The officeholder is usually a senior government whip in the British House of Commons ranking third or fourth after the Chief Whip and the Deputy Chief Whip. The Vice-Chamberlain is the Deputy to the Lord Chamberlain of the Household and, like the Lord Chamberlain, carries
108-680: A white staff of office when on duty on state occasions. The Vice-Chamberlain's main roles are to compile a daily private report to the Sovereign on proceedings in the House of Commons and to relay addresses from the Commons to the Sovereign and back. As a member of the Royal Household, the Vice-Chamberlain accompanies the Sovereign and Royal Household at certain diplomatic and social events, particularly
162-416: A comparatively late period, their original duties were transferred to the master of the horse . In these circumstances, the holders of the original great offices of state and the household ceased to attend court except on occasions of extraordinary ceremony, and their representatives either by inheritance or by special appointment continued to appear at coronations and some other public solemnities, such as
216-478: A large staff of domestic servants, military personnel, priests, and clerks. Household members included noble thegns for whom such service could lead to promotion to higher office. The highest ranking officers were: Cnut the Great ( r. 1016–1035 ) introduced officers known as stallers , who were close to the king and very wealthy. There could be as many as eight stallers at once, and they probably supervised
270-712: A number of honorary military appointments: the aides-de-camp to the King (who are usually very high-ranking officers of the three armed services), the two Gold Sticks and the Vice Admiral and Rear Admiral of the United Kingdom . In addition, the two corps of royal bodyguards (the Gentlemen at Arms and the Yeomen of the Guard ) are part of the Household. Gentlemen ushers are unpaid members of
324-568: Is Tim Knox . The Royal Almonry , Ecclesiastical Household , and Medical Household are functionally separate. For accounting purposes they are the responsibility of the Keeper of the Privy Purse and Treasurer to the King. The Crown Equerry has day-to-day operation of the Royal Mews , and is part of the Lord Chamberlain's Office. The other equerries have a different role: attending and assisting
378-655: The Earl of Harrington , the Earl Spencer , Michael Stewart and Bernard Weatherill . Royal Household of the United Kingdom The Royal Households of the United Kingdom are the collective departments that support members of the British royal family . Many members of the royal family who undertake public duties have separate households. They vary considerably in size, from the large household that supports
432-454: The Oath of Allegiance to the new monarchs and he was dismissed from the laureateship—the only holder to have been removed from office. Dryden's successor, Thomas Shadwell , was appointed in 1689 for life. He introduced the custom of producing poems for the new year and the monarch's birthday, which became one of the key duties of the position. After the appointment of William Wordsworth in 1843
486-556: The Regalia : Officers of the Order of the Thistle : The Household Division, Sovereign's Body Guard, King's Guard, and ceremonial military posts and bodies: Other hereditary and non-hereditary offices and Court appointments : A part-time Private Secretary to Prince William and Prince Harry ( James Lowther-Pinkerton MVO MBE Irish Guards (Rtd.) ) was appointed in the Household of
540-669: The State Opening of Parliament or trials by the House of Lords . In its main outlines the existing organisation of the royal household is essentially the same as it was under the Tudors or the Plantagenets . It is divided into three principal departments, at the head of which are the lord steward, the lord chamberlain and the master of the horse, and the respective provinces of which may be generally described as "below stairs", "above stairs" and "out of doors". The duties of these officials, and
594-766: The Union of the Crown with England ; or due to lack of a clear office holder. The Great Officers of the Royal Household (not to be confused with the Great Officers of State of Scotland which are political and judicial appointments, or the Great Officers of the Crown of Scotland though some officers are shared) are: Ecclesiastical officers of the Ecclesiastical Household of Scotland : Officers of Administration and Legal Officers: Governors, Captains and Keepers of Palaces and Castles: Heraldic Officers and Keepers of
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#1732845200629648-587: The green cloth and other inferior officers both of the household and chamber , it is thought that he will employ his own and dismiss his father's, because he hath caused the latter all to be removed to Denmark House to attend the body, and lodged the former about himself at Whitehall '. As consort of the British sovereign, Queen Camilla will receive a household of her own. Traditionally, queens consort have appointed their own Lord Chamberlain and various ladies-in-waiting as part of their household. This tradition
702-418: The housecarls (royal bodyguards). Other officers included the stewards ( stigweardas ) and the marshals ( horsethegns ) in charge of the royal stables and household travel. The household also included priests, who also probably had noble backgrounds. Priests in the royal chapel performed religious duties and acted as royal secretaries—writing letters, charters , and other official documents. By
756-481: The sovereign to the household of the Prince and Princess of Wales , with fewer members. In addition to the royal officials and support staff, the sovereign's own household incorporates representatives of other estates of the realm, including the government, the military, and the church. Government whips , defence chiefs , several clerics , scientists , musicians , poets , and artists hold honorary positions within
810-616: The House of Commons. In the House of Lords, the Government Chief Whip is usually appointed Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms and the Deputy Chief Whip as Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard , with junior whips appointed as lords-in-waiting and baronesses-in-waiting. Occasionally these officers are called upon to undertake Household duties, especially the Vice-Chamberlain, who is responsible for writing regular parliamentary reports for
864-415: The Household , since 2013, has been Vice Admiral Sir Tony Johnstone-Burt KCVO CB OBE and has overall responsibility for the domestic workings of the Household. The Lord Chamberlain's Office , led by its Comptroller current Lt-Colonel Michael Vernon, is responsible for official royal occasions. The Royal Collection Department is overseen by its Director who since February 2018
918-571: The King in his official duties from day to day. (Historically, they too were part of the mews, but today they are entirely separate.) The Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood is also under the Lord Chamberlain's Office, as is the office of the Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps . The College of Arms has been a branch of the Royal Household since its incorporation in 1484 by King Richard III it
972-665: The King's Music , Piper to the Sovereign , Poet Laureate , and Astronomer Royal . The King's Bargemaster , the Keeper of the Jewel House , the Serjeants-at-Arms , and the Warden and Marker of the Swans , perform less celebrated functions. The offices of Treasurer of the Household , Comptroller of the Household , and Vice-Chamberlain of the Household are held by senior government whips in
1026-572: The King. If the monarch is female she has ladies-in-waiting (formally styled either ladies of the bedchamber or women of the bedchamber ), some of whom are in personal attendance on a daily basis. They are overseen by the Mistress of the Robes , who traditionally was head of the female household. If the monarch is male these roles are instead attached to the Household of the Queen consort. The Household includes
1080-468: The Lord Chamberlain as they watch the State Opening of Parliament on television. During the latter part of her reign, the Vice-Chamberlain sent a daily email to Elizabeth II . The Queen was regarded as well informed about British political affairs as she typically read daily newspapers and was a listener of the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 . The late queen's private secretary told Andrew MacKay , who held
1134-779: The Prince of Wales and the Princess of Wales in May 2005. In January 2009, a separate Household of Prince William and Prince Harry was established (formally "The Household of His Royal Highness Prince William of Wales and His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales"), headed by Lowther-Pinkerton. Following their marriages, the Household also additionally served their wives. The Household's offices are currently based in Kensington Palace , having formerly been based in St James's Palace . The Household, as of 2011, had
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#17328452006291188-590: The Queen's equerry. Queen Elizabeth II's ladies-in-waiting will be given new roles as "ladies of the household". The Household is for the time being configured as follows (according to the arrangements inherited from Elizabeth II): The Great Officers of the Household are, in order of seniority, the Lord Steward , the Lord Chamberlain and the Master of the Horse . Only the Lord Chamberlain fulfils an executive function; while
1242-812: The Royal Household Property Section directly from the grant-in-aid provided by Parliament , whereas Balmoral Castle and Sandringham House are privately owned and maintained. The unoccupied royal residences (including the Tower of London) are run by the Historic Royal Palaces Agency, which is self-funding. The Royal Household in Scotland includes offices of personal, honorary and state appointments. Many appointments are vacant having fallen into abeyance ; been abolished or returned to The Crown ; merged with other positions both before and after
1296-534: The Royal Household, often retired military officers, who provide occasional assistance as marshals at royal events. The Lady Usher of the Black Rod is an important official in the Houses of Parliament; but technically she too is a member of the Royal Household (and acts as the King's messenger at the State Opening ). The royal residences (see list of British royal residences ) in current use are cared for and maintained by
1350-412: The Royal Household. In this way, the Royal Household may be seen as having a symbolic, as well as a practical, function: exemplifying the monarchy's close relationship with other parts of the constitution and of national life. The royal household has roots in the comitatus that provided military support to early Anglo-Saxon kings . In addition to the royal family, the household would have included
1404-538: The Sovereign and serves as the principal channel of communication between the Sovereign and his or her governments. Besides these, he also manages the Sovereign's official programme and correspondence. The Keeper of the Privy Purse has responsibility for the Sovereign's personal finances and those to do with semi-private concerns, along with, as Treasurer to the King oversight of the civil list . The two positions are held together and, since 2018, they have both been held by Sir Michael Stevens KCVO . The Master of
1458-496: The United Kingdom The British Poet Laureate is an honorary position appointed by the monarch of the United Kingdom on the advice of the prime minister . The role does not entail any specific duties, but there is an expectation that the holder will write verse for significant national occasions. The laureateship dates to 1616 when a pension was provided to Ben Jonson , but the first official Laureate
1512-504: The annual garden party at Buckingham Palace. When the Sovereign goes in procession to Westminster for the State Opening of Parliament , the Vice-Chamberlain stays and is "held captive" at Buckingham Palace . This custom began with the Stuart Restoration (1660), because of the previous parliament's role in the beheading of Charles I . During their captivity the Vice-Chamberlain is offered a choice of champagne or sherry to drink by
1566-571: The appointment of Duffy the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) undertook a consultation of academics and literary organisations to draw up a short list of recommendations which they presented to the prime minister. He, in conjunction with the Cabinet Office , then submitted the name to the Queen for approval. Dryden's salary for the laureateship was £200 per year. In 1630 Charles I added an annual " butt of Canary wine ", although this
1620-428: The chamber divided into two sub-departments: the great chamber and the privy chamber . The privy chamber was overseen by grooms of the chamber , led by the groom of the stool . The groom of the stool was one of the most powerful officials in the household until the office was abolished in 1837. He or she (when the monarch was female) acted as a royal gatekeeper , allowing or denying other household officials access to
1674-557: The duties settled into an expectation, not requirement, for major court and national occasions. Alfred, Lord Tennyson held the post between November 1850 and October 1892. According to Andrew Motion and Hilary Laurie, Tennyson "gave the poet laureateship new status and significance" with works such as "Ode on the Death of the Duke of Wellington" and " The Charge of the Light Brigade ". On his death
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1728-673: The equivalent of 7.8 full-time staff. It was announced in June 2011 that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge would temporarily move their official London residence to an apartment in Kensington Palace , a move that was completed in August of that year. The Duke and Duchess' primary residence continued to be the island of Anglesey in Wales, where the Duke served as an RAF search and rescue pilot. The couple previously shared an apartment at Clarence House with Prince Harry, which he retained. On 6 November 2011, it
1782-620: The household of Edward IV ) written between 1467 and 1477, the household was divided into the Domus Providencie (the Hall) and the Domus Regie Magnificencie (the Chamber). The Domus Providencie was led by the lord steward . The Domus Regie Magnificencie was led by the lord chamberlain . (kitchens, bakehouse, buttery, laundry, woodyard, etc) Sometime in the 15th century,
1836-401: The king's administrative and judicial responsibilities expanded, public duties were delegated to household officers, making them state officers as well. Typically, each office had two or three holders who most likely served on a rotating basis. The Merovingian and Carolingian royal households had similar offices, and there is evidence that it influenced its English counterpart. However, there
1890-559: The ladies of the court from the Mistress of the Robes to the Maids of Honour are in her service. At the commencement of the reign of Queen Victoria, the two establishments were combined, and considerably reduced. On the accession of Edward VII , the civil list was again reconstituted; while the household of the king and his consort became larger than during the previous reign, redundant or unnecessary offices were merged or abolished. The household of Elizabeth II included 1,200 employees. This
1944-445: The laureateship. Historically appointed for an unfixed term and typically held for life, since 1999 the term has been ten years. The holder of the position as at 2024 is Simon Armitage who succeeded Carol Ann Duffy in May 2019 after 10 years in office. The origins of the British poet laureateship date back to 1616 when James I of England granted a pension to the writer Ben Jonson . Although there were subsequent court poets it
1998-567: The monarch. Over time, the offices of Lord High Steward and Lord Great Chamberlain lost both their political functions, which were taken over by the Chief Justiciar and Lord High Treasurer , and their domestic functions, which were taken over by the lord steward and lord chamberlain. The marshalship and the constableship became hereditary, and, although the Lord High Constable and Earl Marshal retained their military authority until
2052-754: The other two continue to have a ceremonial role, and are to be seen particularly on State occasions. The Royal Household is coordinated by the part-time Lord Chamberlain ( The Lord Benyon ). The Private Secretary to the Sovereign ( the Rt Hon. Sir Clive Alderton KCVO since 2022), manages the Private Secretary's Office, and controls the Press Office, the Royal Archives , and the Defence Services Secretary 's Office, serves as principal advisor to
2106-459: The post in 1996, to include more "gossip and the inside track" as his initial efforts had been "rather stilted". MacKay turned his efforts into a "who's up, who's down" for the queen. Anne Milton , who held the post in 2014 and 2015, looked for things that "might amuse" the queen and to "give a bit of colour" to the proceedings in the House of Commons . The Queen reportedly told Jim Fitzpatrick , who held
2160-415: The post of Vice-Chamberlain between 2003 and 2005 to send her news which "doesn't make the press" and that he felt encouraged to be "frank and transparent" with her due to the privacy of their communications. Emails began to be sent to the Queen at Buckingham Palace in 2014; the dispatches had previously been collected by a messenger. Notable holders of the office include Sir George Carteret , Lord Hervey ,
2214-452: The post was left vacant as a mark of respect; a new laureate was not appointed until four years later, with the appointment of Alfred Austin in January 1896. As at 2015 the position is an honorary one, and the office holder is left to decide on which occasions they will produce poetry. Following Dryden's dismissal from the post, the laureateship was held for life by all successors until Motion
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2268-607: The reign of Edward the Confessor ( r. 1042–1066 ), the chapel's writing office had custody of the great seal used to authenticate writs . Service in the royal chapel could be a stepping stone towards becoming a bishop . Even though it traveled constantly with the king as an itinerant court , the royal household was the center of the Anglo-Saxon government . Initially, household officers performed domestic tasks (such as overseeing food, clothing, royal stables, or travel). As
2322-434: The various officers under their charge are dealt with in the articles under those headings. When the reigning sovereign is a queen, the royal household is in some other respects rather differently arranged from that of a king and a queen consort. Under a king and a queen consort, a separate establishment "above stairs" and "out of doors" works for the queen consort. She has a Lord Chamberlain 's department of her own, and all
2376-514: Was John Dryden , appointed in 1668 by Charles II . On the death of Alfred, Lord Tennyson , who held the post between November 1850 and October 1892, there was a break of four years as a mark of respect; Tennyson's laureate poems "Ode on the Death of the Duke of Wellington" and " The Charge of the Light Brigade " were particularly cherished by the Victorian public. Four poets, Thomas Gray , Samuel Rogers , Walter Scott and Philip Larkin turned down
2430-542: Was Prince of Wales were notified of potential redundancies. This reflects the uncertain situation of members of the Royal Households at the start of each new reign: in the days following the death of King James I in 1625, the Countess of Bedford remarked 'What the King's resolution is yet for his own and his father's servants, he hath not declared (farther than the white staves , which are to remain as they were); but for
2484-490: Was announced that the Duke, Duchess and Prince Harry, along with Elizabeth II and the Prince of Wales (later King Charles) had approved a plan that would have the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge permanently move to a larger apartment in Kensington Palace in 2013, after it is renovated. This apartment was previously occupied by the Queen's sister, Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon and her husband Antony Armstrong-Jones, Earl of Snowdon after their marriage in 1960. The apartment
2538-438: Was appointed in 1999 for a fixed term of ten years; his successor, Carol Ann Duffy , was also appointed on the same fixed term. Duffy was the first female poet to hold the role, and the first Scot. After Shadwell's selection the laureate was appointed by the Lord Chamberlain , on the monarch's instructions. Since the appointment of Henry James Pye in 1790, the prime minister has recommended which candidate to appoint. For
2592-524: Was directly appointed by the Sovereign on the recommendation of Earl Marshal. The college is a corporation of thirteen royal heralds , overseen by the Earl Marshal , a hereditary office held by the Duke of Norfolk . The college is self-supporting and receives no funds from the Crown. The college holds jurisdiction over all matters pertaining to heraldry , genealogy , and pedigrees in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and in some Commonwealth realms . Certain independent and honorific posts include Master of
2646-452: Was followed by his Private Secretary, Principal Private Secretary, Master of the Household and two Equerries; however, since the King's new household had yet to be appointed they were gazetted, not as 'His Majesty's Household', but as the 'Household of the former Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall'. On 13 September, five days after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II , 100 staff who had been working for King Charles III while he
2700-413: Was no English equivalent to the powerful office of major domus (Latin for " mayor of the palace "), and English kings maintained ultimate authority over their households. By the time of Henry I ( r. 1100–1135 ), the royal household was divided into five departments as described in the Constitutio Domus Regis : According to the Liber Niger Domus Regis Angliae (the Black Book of
2754-410: Was not until 1668, and the appointment of John Dryden by Charles II , that the post was made an established royal office within the royal household . Dryden, who had been appointed following the success of his 1667 poem Annus Mirabilis , was dismissed from office in 1689 following the accession of the Protestant William III and Mary II to the throne. Dryden, a Catholic convert, refused to take
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#17328452006292808-529: Was retained by Princess Margaret after her divorce in 1978 and was her London residence until her death in 2002. Prince Harry then moved his official residence from Clarence House to the apartment vacated by the Cambridges. In addition, once the move was complete, their official household was also moved to Kensington Palace from St James's Palace, although the household remained shared. Until the moves were complete, their Household remained based at St James's Palace and continued to be shared. Poet Laureate of
2862-411: Was roughly the same size as Charles II's household but larger than Victoria 's, whose staff numbered 921. Appointing a new monarch's household can take some time; in 1952 the full list of appointments to the new Queen's household was not published until almost six months after her accession to the throne. In 2022, walking in the state procession for the state funeral of Elizabeth II , the new King
2916-530: Was scrapped in accordance with the King's view of having a slimmed-down monarchy, and instead of ladies-in-waiting, Queen Camilla will be served by "Queen's companions", a group of six ladies that will occupy the new occasional and informal position and will not be involved in tasks such as replying to letters or developing schedules. The Queen's companions are the Marchioness of Lansdowne , Jane von Westenholz, Lady Brooke, Sarah Troughton , Lady Sarah Keswick and Baroness Chisholm . Major Ollie Plunket will serve as
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