The Duchy of Lancaster is the private estate of the British sovereign as Duke of Lancaster. The principal purpose of the estate is to provide a source of independent income to the sovereign. The estate consists of a portfolio of lands, properties and assets held in trust for the sovereign and is administered separately from the Crown Estate. The duchy consists of 18,433 ha of land holdings, urban developments, historic buildings and some commercial properties across England and Wales, particularly in Cheshire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, Lancashire and the Savoy Estate in London. The Duchy of Lancaster is one of two royal duchies: the other is the Duchy of Cornwall, which provides income to the Duke of Cornwall, which is traditionally held by the Prince of Wales.
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch of the Commonwealth realms, members of the monarch's family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the monarch. The present monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, is the sovereign of the order, the order's motto is Victoria, and its official day is 20 June. The order's chapel is the Savoy Chapel in London.
The Privy Purse is the British Sovereign's private income, mostly from the Duchy of Lancaster. This amounted to £20.1 million in net income for the year to 31 March 2018. The Duchy is a landed estate of approximately 46,000 acres held in trust for the Sovereign since 1399. It also has 190 miles of foreshore. The Duchy was valued at approximately £533 million in 2018. The land is organised into the Lancashire Survey, the Yorkshire Survey, the Crewe Survey, the Nedwood Estate and the South Survey. The Sovereign is not entitled to the Duchy's capital, but the net revenues of the Duchy are the property of the Sovereign in right of the Duchy of Lancaster. While the income is private, the Queen uses the larger part of it to meet official expenses incurred by other members of the British Royal Family. Only the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh receive payments from Parliament that are not reimbursed by the Queen.
The Private Secretary to the Sovereign is the senior operational member of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. The Private Secretary is the principal channel of communication between the monarch and the governments in most of the Commonwealth realms. They also have responsibility for the official programme and correspondence of the Sovereign. Through these roles the position wields considerable influence.
The Keeper of the Privy Purse and Treasurer to the King/Queen is responsible for the financial management of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom.
Sir Edward Young, is the Private Secretary to Queen Elizabeth II. As Private Secretary to the Sovereign, he is the senior operational member of the Royal Households of the United Kingdom. Young was recruited to the Royal Household in 2004, serving as the Queen's Assistant and then Deputy Private Secretary until his promotion to Private Secretary in 2017. He is the 24th holder of the office of Private Secretary since its inception in 1805.
Sir Michael Charles Gerrard Peat is an English retired accountant and courtier. He was the Principal Private Secretary to Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall between 2002 and 2011.
Brigadier Charles George Vivian Tryon, 2nd Baron Tryon, was a British peer, British Army officer, and a member of the Royal Household.
Colonel Sir Arthur Davidson, was a British soldier and courtier.
The Royal Households of the United Kingdom are the collective departments which 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 Royal Household which supports the Sovereign to the household of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, with fewer members.
The finances of the British royal family come from a number of sources. The British government supports the monarch and some other members of the House of Windsor financially by means of the Sovereign Grant, a percentage of the annual profits of the Crown Estate which is intended to meet the costs of the sovereign's official expenditures. This includes the costs of the upkeep of the various royal residences, staffing, travel and state visits, public engagements, and official entertainment. Other sources of income include revenues from the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall, a parliamentary annuity, and income from private investments. The Keeper of the Privy Purse is Head of the Privy Purse and Treasurer's Office and has overall responsibility for the management of the sovereign's financial affairs.
Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Fleetwood Isham Edwards was Keeper of the Privy Purse to Queen Victoria from 1895 to 1901.
Sir Thomas Myddelton Biddulph was an officer in the British Army and courtier.
The list of Diamond Jubilee Honours 2012 was released on 13 September 2012 and made appointments and promotions within the Royal Victorian Order to recognise contributions to the celebration of the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II in 2012. The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood recognising distinguished personal service to the Sovereign, and remains in the personal gift of the monarch.
Major Sir Shane Gabriel Basil Blewitt was knighted twice is a British courtier and retired military officer. He served in the Irish Guards from 1956 to 1974 in BAOR, Germany, Northern Ireland, Aden, and Hong Kong, attaining the rank of Major.
Major Sir James Rennie Maudslay, was a British Army officer and courtier in the Household of Queen Elizabeth II.
Sir Peter Tremayne Miles was a British Army officer, businessman and courtier in the Household of Elizabeth II.
Sir Michael John Stevens, KCVO is a British accountant and courtier.
