The Royal Households of the United Kingdom are the collective departments that support members of the British royal family. The Royal Household (singular) supports the Sovereign. Other members of the royal family who undertake public duties have separate households; they vary considerably in size, from the medium-sized household that supports the Prince and Princess of Wales to those supporting junior working royals (with just a handful of 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, clergy, scientists, musicians, poets, and artists hold honorary positions within 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 offices of the Royal Household are some of the oldest administrative entities in the UK, from which over time the other principal offices of State emerged:[1] for example, HM Treasury was, in its pre-conquest origins, a strong-box kept for safety in the king's bedchamber, where it was overseen by one of the chamberlains (whose role would later evolve into the office of Lord High Treasurer).[2] Parts of the Royal Household continued to play a central role in the government of the country up until the 1530s,[3] and the four Great Officers of the Household[a] routinely had a seat in the Cabinet until the mid-18th century.[4]
Terminology
The term 'Househoulde' first appears in English in 1382, and it began to be used for the king and his entourage shortly afterwards (c.1387). Prior to this date Latin terms were used (e.g. domus regia (12th century) or hospitium regis (13th century)); Latin terms continued to be used, alongside English ones, until the 1550s.[5] The word 'court' (as in royal court) first appears in the 12th century, but, together with the word 'courtier', only came into common use in this context in the late 1470s, foreshadowing the more lavish and public displays of courtly life that characterised the Tudor period.[5]
The terminology of 'Hall' and 'Chamber' appears from an early date; in time they came to refer not only to significant and sizeable rooms in the royal palaces but also to the principal administrative divisions of the Royal Household (overseen respectively by a steward and a chamberlain); the equivalent 'outdoor' office was the Stables (overseen by a constable). Over time lesser rooms (such as the Wardrobe and the Bedchamber) likewise became metonyms for departments of the Household which, in their time, wielded significant powers.
In the 15th century, however, the two principal divisions (overseen by the Lord Steward and Lord Chamberlain) had come to be referred to as the Household and Chamber respectively,[6] (rather than the Hall and Chamber); this usage only began to recede following the formation of the Lord Steward's Department and the Lord Chamberlain's Department in the late 18th century.[7]
History
In the medieval period, there was little, if any, distinction made between the public and private capacities of the monarch: "The land, the people, the law-courts, the army were as much the King's own personal possessions as were his various demesne manors or the furniture of his palaces".[8] Thus, under the Norman kings of England, the Curia Regis ('King's Court') was engaged in every aspect of the management of State affairs - financial, administrative, legislative, judicial, diplomatic - as well as in providing for the day-to-day needs of the monarch and his entourage.
In the twelfth century, the Curia Regis began to disintegrate. Key departments to separate themselves from the Curia Regis were the Exchequer (substantially independent by the end of the twelfth century) and the Chancery (which gained independence more gradually through the thirteenth and early fourteenth century). The Exchequer and Chancery soon became (respectively) the principal accounting and administrative offices of The Crown, overseen by two high officials: the Treasurer and the Chancellor (respectively). Both these officials predated the establishment of their departments: within the Court, the Chancellor had kept the King's official seal since before the Norman conquest; while the office of Treasurer dated from the reign of William I, when the (previously mobile) Treasury found a more permanent home (together with its attendant chamberlain) in Winchester Castle.[9] Their offices also had a judicial character, as seen in the parallel (and inseparable) development of the Court of Exchequer and the Court of Chancery; other courts of law continued to emerge from the Curia Regis in the thirteenth century: first the Common Bench and later the King's Bench.
References to the King's Household, as a distinctive aspect of Court, served initially to differentiate the body of courtiers which continued to serve the immediate needs of the monarch, and to travel with him, as distinct from those more closely identified with what became departments of State with a settled existence 'out of Court'.
Anglo-Saxon period (871–1066)
The royal household has roots in the comitatus that provided military support to early Anglo-Saxon kings.[10] In addition to the royal family, the household would have included a large staff of domestic servants, military personnel and clergy.[11] Household members included noble thegns for whom such service could lead to promotion to higher office. The daily life of the king's household was focused around the stig or hall; the other main spaces were the chapel (staffed by clerks) and the búr or chamber: a more private space, where the king slept and where his clothes, jewels and important documents were kept.[12]
Burthegns ('chamber-thegns'), bedthegns ('bed-thegns'), and hræglthegns ('raiment-thegns') who between them supervised the royal bedchamber (Latin: camera) and wardrobe (garderoba); later referred to as chamberlains (Latin: cubicularii, camerarii).[14][15][16]
Byrelas (Latin: pincernae) in charge of drink provisions; later referred to as butlers.[15]
King Eadred bequeathed eighty gold coins each to his dish-thegns, raiment-thegns and butlers upon his death in AD 995.[12] His household also included more junior stewards (stigweardas), attached to the hall, to whom he bequeathed thirty gold coins each.[17]
Cnut the Great (r.1016–1035) introduced officers known as stallers, who were close to the king and very wealthy.[18] There could be as many as eight stallers at once; there is uncertainty as to their precise duties, but they may have supervised the housecarls (royal bodyguards).[14] Other officers included the marshals (horsethegns) in charge of the royal stables and household travel.[14]
The household included several priests, who also probably had noble backgrounds,[19] and service in the royal chapel could be a stepping stone towards becoming a bishop.[20] Priests in the household not only performed religious duties but also acted as royal secretaries: writing letters, charters, and other official documents.[21] By the reign of Edward the Confessor (r.1042–1066), the chapel's writing office had custody of the great seal, used to authenticate writs; during his reign the office of chancellor first makes an appearance within the English court.[22]
Even though it travelled constantly with the king as an itinerant court, the royal household was the centre of the Anglo-Saxon government.[23] Initially, household officers performed domestic tasks (such as overseeing food, clothing, royal stables, or travel). As 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.[24]
On the continent of Europe, the Merovingian and Carolingian royal households had similar offices, and there is evidence that these influenced their English counterpart. However, there 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.[24]
Anglo-Norman period (1066–1154)
After the Norman conquest the ducal household of Normandy (with seneschal, cup-bearer, chamberlain and constable) appears to have been replicated in England and merged into the English court.[22] The Anglo-Norman French term 'seneschal' came to be translated as 'steward' in English.
Constitutio Domus Regis
The Constitutio Domus Regis, dating from the end of the reign of King Henry I (r.1100–1135), provides the earliest surviving account of the household.[25] The senior figures (according to their remuneration) were:[12]
the chancellor (Latin: cancellarius), under whom was placed the master of the writing office (magister scriptorii) and the clerks of the chapel.
the seneschals (or stewards) (Latin: dapiferi)
the master butler (Latin: magister pincerna)
the master chamberlain (Latin: magister camerarius), under whom were lesser chamberlains and others who undertook various practical duties.[26]
the treasurer (Latin: thesaurarius)
the constables (Latin: constabularii), under whom was the master marshal (magister marescallus) and four other marshals.
The above six office-holders were paid five shillings per day; the chancellor received this invariably, but the others' pay was reduced on days when they ate in hall at the king's expense.[12]
The office of chancellor was still comparatively new, but it appears from his remuneration that he held a degree of seniority within the household. The chancellor was head of the Chapel; he also had custody of the great seal used to validate documents issued in the king's name.[27] His department (the chancery) was named after the screen (Latin cancella) which separated his clerks (who were engaged in writing official documents) from the main body of the hall.[12] The clerks (who were clerics) also served in the chapel, which saw to the king's spiritual needs: there they said mass, heard confessions, and kept custody of the royal relics.
The seneschals (or stewards) and the butler between them provided food and drink for the king's hall. They oversaw various subsidiary officers who, although they received a lower wage, were far from being menial servants, as evidenced by the example of one Roger, who served as larderer to Henry I and was afterwards appointed Bishop of Hereford.[22]
The chamber saw to the king's personal needs and was the main financial office of the government. It had two divisions: the royal bedchamber (Latin: camera regis) and the chamber of the court (Latin: camera curie). The latter chamber handled the finances;[28] albeit by this time the treasurer is named alongside the master chamberlain, serving as head of an emerging new department (namely the Exchequer).
The constables oversaw the outdoor staff and the familia militaris (Latin for military household). The outdoor staff included huntsmen, houndsmen, and foresters. The military household were knights who received wages and formed the backbone of the army.[29][30] Historian C. W. Hollister likened it to "something between a royal bodyguard[...] and a small standing army."[31] The master marshal functioned as paymaster of the military household.[32] The other marshals acted as ushers, preserving order in the king's hall; they also recorded household expenditures on tallies.[33][30]
Plantagenet period (1154–1485)
The formation of the Exchequer marked the beginning of the separation of government functions from the king's Court. As the treasurer had emerged alongside the chamberlain, taking over some of the latter's financial responsibilities, so another official emerged at this time: the chief justiciar, who took on some of the historic duties of the seneschal or steward.[34] The justiciar quickly became a person of great importance in the realm (his role being analogous to that of the king's chief minister when the monarch was in the country, and akin to a regent when he was not).[35] He had his headquarters in the Exchequer, however, and is not generally considered an officer of the household.
Evolution of Great Officers of State and of the Household
As part of this process, the above-mentioned great officers of state ceased to attend court except on State or special occasions.[34] Their domestic duties therefore had to be undertaken by others. They seem at first to have been shared among several officers bearing the same or similar titles (the 1135 Constitutio lists multiple senior and subsidiary officials with the titles of steward, chamberlain, butler, constable and marshal). In due course, the domestic responsibilities of the steward and chamberlain devolved upon two senior officers 'of the Household': the Lord Steward of the Household and Lord Chamberlain of the Household. The Lord High Constable and Earl Marshal retained their military authority until a comparatively late period; it was not until the 14th century that their domestic duties came to be attached to a new household official named the Master of the Horse.[36]
Neither the chancellor (later Lord High Chancellor) nor the treasurer (Lord High Treasurer) became hereditary offices, as they were more clearly engaged in the government of the realm (which required them to be present); they were also ecclesiastics, which precluded the possibility of legitimate heirs.[22] Although not hereditary, these high offices were routinely offered for sale or rent, until reforms were enacted in the 13th century.[22]
The emergence of autonomous departments of State from within the Court had a lasting effect on the shape of the medieval Royal Household, because something was needed to fill the gap that they left (the monarch still required a financial and administrative office). At first the Chamber filled this role; but those who sought to limit monarchical power at this time took great care to maintain the authority of the Exchequer and Chancery over any potential rival office developing within the Household. Thus, while some parts of the Royal Household had a relatively settled continuity of existence through this period (including the extensive 'below-stairs' establishment overseen by the Lord Steward), the Chamber came under sustained political pressure: particularly during the reign of King John, it was subject to various restrictions on its activity and autonomy. For this reason the effectiveness of the Chamber as the King's de facto administrative and financial office waned, and in its place, a new department came to the fore: the Wardrobe.
Named after an annexe to the Chamber in which clothes, armour and other valuables were stored, the Wardrobe grew under Henry III and Edward I until it rivalled the Exchequer in its spending and bypassed the Chancery in its issuing of writs. Its senior officials became close confidants to the King: the Keeper of the Wardrobe and the Controller of the Wardrobe. The former went on to subsume the office (and title) of Treasurer of the Chamber; the latter had custody of the King's Privy Seal, which (unlike the Great Seal, which was kept by the Chancellor in the Chancery) always travelled with the monarch, including overseas.[37]
It was at times of war that the Wardrobe came into its own as an effective means not only of communication but also of fundraising for the Sovereign. This was not without risk, however, and on occasion the Wardrobe found itself having to be bailed out by the Exchequer. Under a weaker king, Edward II, the Exchequer reasserted its authority; the Ordinances of 1311 severely curtailed its independence, with the result that the Wardrobe was eventually subsumed back entirely into the Household and placed under the authority of the Lord Steward. Its senior officers (the Treasurer, Controller and Cofferer of the Wardrobe) were re-designated 'of the Household'; together with the Lord Steward, they constituted the Board of Green Cloth (which oversaw the Household accounts).[38]
The demise of the Wardrobe led to the re-emergence of the Chamber (and Chamberlain) as an office (and person) of influence. While the Wardrobe held sway, the Chamber had continued to operate at a domestic level: providing the place (and entourage) for the king to sleep, eat his meals and meet with visitors. The Chamber was scarcely mentioned in the 1311 Ordinances (the Barons not wishing to legislate over the monarch's domestic arrangements), so it now found itself well-placed to take back authority over financial and administrative matters on behalf of the King. Funding was provided out of certain estates forfeited to the Crown (including those of the Knights Templar).
By 1389 a vice-chamberlain was in place as deputy to the Lord Chamberlain.[41] The Chamber continued to retain its long-established personnel: Yeomen, Valets, Esquires and Knights of the Chamber; the yeomen and valets undertook more menial tasks (making the beds and stoking the fires), while the Esquires fulfilled particular tasks in direct relation to the King (e.g. as his carver or cup-bearer) and some of them were designated Gentleman Ushers of the Court. Guard duties were performed by the Serjeants at Arms.[42]
Wherever administrative or financial skills were required, clerks were employed - a word which in this period signified clergy. At their head, during this period of growth in the mid-fourteenth century, was the Receiver. The Privy Seal, now removed from the influence of the Wardrobe, was given its own dedicated Lord Keeper, who initially operated within the structure of the Chamber.
Before long, however, moves were again made to limit the Household as a direct agency of kingly power. The Keeper of the Privy Seal, together with his office of clerks, was removed from the sphere of the Court and followed the Exchequer and the Chancery to Westminster, where, like them, it took on the guise of a department of State. In place of the Privy Seal, a new seal (later known as the signet) began to be used by the King, administered by a clerk in his Household who later came to be called the King's Secretary (precursor of the present-day Secretaries of State).[43]
Domestic household expenses in the 13th-14th centuries[44][45]
Down to the reign of King Edward II, the Great Hall (the largest room in the palace) had been the centre of courtly life: a place of political meetings, public ceremonies and courtly social gatherings. Under his successor Edward III, however, the focus of activity moved to a more private room behind the dais of the Hall: the Great Chamber.[5] While the king continued to use the Hall on special occasions, for ceremonies, feasts and entertainments, the main focus of Court life shifted to the Chamber, where (when in residence) the king and his closest advisers were usually to be found.
Nevertheless, the Hall still remained in regular daily use as the place where the majority of the household ate their meals (meals were provided as part of their remuneration and they were expected to sit down together to eat); but only a select few took their meals in the Chamber with the king).
Over time the Great Chamber came to be divided into a suite of rooms; for example, in the Tower of London, Henry III's Great Chamber was converted by King Edward IV into an audience chamber, privy chamber and bedchamber.[46] Another small room, the privy closet, functioned as a small private chapel.
The Black Book of the Household
In the Liber Niger Domus Regis Angliae (the 'Black Book of the Household' of Edward IV, written between 1467 and 1477), the domain of the Hall is termed the Domus Providencie ('Household of Providence') and that of the Chamber the Domus Regie Magnificencie ('Royal Household of Magnificence').[5] The Domus Providencie was overseen by the Steward, the Domus Magnificencie by the Chamberlain.[47]
Also within the domain of the Steward was the Board of Green Cloth, here called the Domus Compotis, Consilii et Judicii ('Household of Control, Counsel and Judgement'). This functioned both as the Household's counting house and as its judgement seat: "for at the green-cloth is always represented the King's power touching matters of this Household".[48] The green cloth itself was a tablecloth, charged with the arms of the Board: on a field of green a key crossed with a rod of silver, "signifying that this office may close, open or punish other offices".[48]
Office of the Counting House (staffed by a Serjeant Usher)[q]
The Liber Niger appears to be unfinished: a number of 'below stairs' departments are omitted (including the kitchen, larder, boiling-house and several others) and other offices, though referred to in passing, are missing from the main listing (such as the stables, almonry and woodyard).[50]
The Tudor period (1485-1603)
Under Henry VII the Chamber was equipped once again to serve as a powerful and efficient financial office, to be funded by income from the Crown lands (bypassing the Exchequer).[51] In 1487, Henry revived the office of Treasurer of the Chamber in order to secure and manage this income. These arrangements were maintained for a time, until the departments of State were reformed under Thomas Cromwell, beginning in the 1530s.
Growing influence of the Privy Chamber
In 1495 King Henry VII effected an administrative separation between the Chamber (which, under the Chamberlain, continued to retain its public and ceremonial character and functions) and the Privy Chamber (which, under the Groom of the Stool, was separated off as a more private and intimate space).[5] Under Henry VII the Privy Chamber was staffed by relatively humble servants who took care of the king's more personal requirements and bodily needs; but under his successor, King Henry VIII, it began to be filled with close companions of high birth and influence.
Henry had come to the throne accompanied by an influential group of young noblemen, who were nicknamed 'the king's minions'. When Francis I of France despatched a delegation to England in 1518, to sign a peace treaty drawn up by Cardinal Wolsey, it included some of that monarch's most trusted courtiers who bore the title Gentilshommes de la Chambre ('Gentlemen of the Chamber'). So when Henry sent a group of his 'minions' as part of a reciprocal delegation to Paris later that same year, he gave them a parallel title: Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber.[52] In this role, the Gentlemen came to control access to the king's private rooms (and thus to the king himself). This created difficulties for the more established courtiers. Powerful individuals on the outside (such as Thomas Wolsey and Anne Boleyn) did their best to infiltrate the chamber and its entourage.[52]
Before long the Privy Chamber became a "fully fledged third department of the Royal Household", eclipsing both Chamber and Household in its prestige and in power.[53] By the end of the 1530s it was functioning as a fully autonomous financial and administrative office with its own paid staff. The six Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber were akin to the king's chief ministers: they had oversight of the Privy Purse and administered the royal sign-manual.[54]
The Chief Gentleman of the Privy Chamber was the Groom of the Stool, who thus became one of the most powerful officials in the household: he acted as a royal gatekeeper, allowing or denying other officials access to the privy lodgings (and thus to the monarch).[55] In addition to the Gentlemen, the Privy Chamber had its own select staff, who operated under the Groom of the Stool (rather than the Lord Chamberlain): two Gentlemen Ushers of the Privy Chamber kept the doors, and oversaw the serving of meals and other practical arrangements; they were assisted by four Grooms of the Privy Chamber.[56] The king's barber and a page were also in attendance daily.
On festivals and great days of celebration the king would still be seen in the Great Hall or Chamber, and he granted audiences in the latter (which, for clarity, came to be known as the Presence Chamber); but otherwise, once he was within the palace, the king was seldom to be seen outside the Privy Chamber.[5]
While under Henry VIII the Privy Chamber served both as an administrative office and as a circle of royal companionship, under both Mary I and Elizabeth I (whose intimate servants were necessarily women) these functions were separated. Mary maintained a full complement of Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber, but alongside them appointed Ladies and Gentlewomen of the Privy Chamber.[57] Elizabeth did likewise, appointing Kat Ashley to serve as Chief Gentlewoman of the Privy Chamber (which became more clearly a personal rather than an administrative space, though it remained a sphere of influence).[54]
The Stuart Household
The Bedchamber
When King James VI of Scotland inherited the throne of England as James I, he retained much of the structure (and personnel) of the Elizabethan English court (with the Ladies and Gentlewomen being transferred to his consort's Household).[57] Within this structure, however, he created the office of Gentleman of the Bedchamber to which he appointed members of his Scottish entourage.[54] It immediately took the place of the Privy Chamber as the locus of the King's closest confidants; the First Gentleman of the Bedchamber, Sir Thomas Erskine, was additionally appointed Groom of the Stool in 1604 (an office which had been in abeyance during the reign of Elizabeth I). The Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber were retained, but their salary was taken away; they were, though, provided with board and lodging when on duty).[57]
After the Restoration, Charles II reconstituted the Royal Household without seeking to reduce its size (which had previously grown large and expensive).[58] From as early as 1662 efforts were made to reduce the number of extraneous offices in the household (a process which would continue for decades afterwards). Sale of offices was prevalent at this time, and several were held as lucrative sinecures. Chamberlayne's Present State of England of 1669 said of the Gentlemen of the Bedchamber at this time that they 'consist usually of the prime nobility of England'. As regards their duties, they are 'each one in his turn to wait a week in every quarter in the king's bedchamber, there to lie by the king on a pallet bed all night and in the absence of the groom of the stole to supply his place'.[59] It is also noted that they are required to serve at the king's table when he eats in private, 'for then the cup bearers, carvers and sewers do not wait'.
In the reign of Queen Anne, Ladies of the Bedchamber replaced the Gentlemen, and Bedchamber women replaced the Grooms of the Bedchamber; a pattern which was repeated in later centuries when a queen regnant acceded to the throne.[59] In subsequent Queens' reigns the office of Groom of the Stole likewise went into abeyance, but under Anne it was given to two duchesses in succession, who also served as Mistress of the Robes.[60] (The latter title remained attached to the head of the female Household of a Queen (regnant or consort) up until the reign of Charles III).[61]
Modern day
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 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.[34]
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 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.[34]
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.[63]
In 2022, walking in the state procession for the state funeral of Elizabeth II, the new King 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'.[64]
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 was Prince of Wales were notified of potential redundancies.[65][66] 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 that "[w]hat 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 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".[67]
As consort of the British sovereign, Queen Camilla has a household of her own. Traditionally, queens consort have appointed their own Lord Chamberlain and various ladies-in-waiting as part of their household.[68] There was likewise a Household of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. This tradition was scrapped in accordance with the King's view of having a slimmed-down monarchy, and instead of ladies-in-waiting, Queen Camilla is served by "Queen's companions", a group of six ladies who occupy the new occasional and informal position and who are not involved in tasks such as replying to letters or developing schedules.[69] The Queen's companions are the Marchioness of Lansdowne, Jane von Westenholz, Lady Brooke, Sarah Troughton, Lady Sarah Keswick and Baroness Chisholm.[69] Major Ollie Plunket serves as the Queen's equerry.[69] Queen Elizabeth II's ladies-in-waiting were given new roles as "ladies of the household".[69]
The Great Officers of the Household are, in order of seniority, the Lord Steward, the Lord Chamberlain and the Master of the Horse.[34] Only the Lord Chamberlain fulfils an executive function, while the other two continue to have a ceremonial role, and are seen particularly on State occasions.
The Private Secretary to the Sovereign (the Rt Hon. Sir Clive AldertonKCVO 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 the Sovereign and serves as the principal channel of communication between the Sovereign and their 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 2025, they have both been held by James Chalmers.
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 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 College of Arms has been a branch of the Royal Household since its incorporation in 1484 by King Richard III[72] it 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.[73]
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.
Gentlemen ushers are unpaid members of the Royal Household, often retired military officers, who provide occasional assistance as marshals at royal events. The Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod is an important official in the Houses of Parliament; but technically he too is a member of the Royal Household (and acts as the King's messenger at the State Opening).
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 the Union of the Crown with England; or due to lack of a clear office holder.
The Mounted Troop of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards – Ceremonial mounted unit based at Edinburgh Castle, assembled for events such as the Waterloo Day celebrations
Her Majesty's Clockmaker and Keeper and Dresser of His Majesty's Clocks in Scotland – Hamilton & Inches
Court Postmaster
Household of the Prince and Princess of Wales
A part-time Private Secretary to Prince William and Prince Harry (James Lowther-Pinkerton MVO MBEIrish Guards (Rtd.)) was appointed in the Household of the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall 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 the equivalent of 7.8 full-time staff.[77]
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.[78] On 6 November 2011, it 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 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.[79] Until the moves were complete, their Household remained based at St James's Palace and continued to be shared.[78]
It was later announced in early May 2013 that the royal couple's private secretary, James Lowther-Pinkerton, intended to leave his post as private secretary for the private sector, and his position was split with each member of the household receiving a private secretary. In September 2013, Miguel Head became Private Secretary to the Duke of Cambridge and Rebecca Deacon assumed the role of Private Secretary to the Duchess of Cambridge.[80] Ed Perkins left his post as communication secretary at the household in 2014. On 21 November 2014, the palace announced his replacement as Jason Knauf.[81] As of 2025, the Household had 66 people and is led by Ian Patrick, the Private Secretary to The Prince of Wales.
List of Household staff
Private Secretary to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry
2005–2013: Major James Lowther-PinkertonLVOMBEIrish Guards (Retd.)[77][82] Lowther-Pinkerton left his post in September 2013, but intended to spend one day a week at St James's Palace to act as a sounding board for the much younger members of staff who would take his place.[80]
In 1980 of Sqn Ldr Adam Wise was appointed to assist the Prince with his work – although he still shared staff with the Queen and Prince Andrew. In 1983, Wise was promoted to wing commander and appointed Private Secretary to Princes Edward and Andrew, severing his link with The Royal Household. He left in 1987, when Lt Col. Sean O'Dwyer was appointed – also jointly with Prince Andrew.
Private Secretaries to the Earl and Countess of Wessex
In 2000, the Prince revived a tradition of having an official harpist, a role last seen under Queen Victoria. The first holder of the office was Catrin Finch, followed in 2004 by Jemima Phillips, and in 2007 by Claire Jones. Following Prince Charles's accession to the throne in 2022, the role has been referred to as King's Harpist.[70]
The Prince of Wales' Office was principally based at Clarence House, London, but also occupied rooms in the rest of St James's Palace. There were also offices for official staff at Highgrove House and Birkhall House, the Prince's private residences.
Most of the expenses incurred in operating the office came from the Prince's private appanage, the Duchy of Cornwall. The only significant costs met by grant-in-aid provided by the Government was for the upkeep of Clarence House, and for official travel by air and rail, and for communications support.
Details of the Prince's Senior Staff were available in his office's annual reports.[154] The following titles all have "to/of The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall" suffixed when written in full. Prior to the Prince's 2005 marriage, they were instead suffixed "to/of The Prince of Wales".
In 2013, it was announced that Prince Harry had appointed former Household Cavalry captain, Edward Lane Fox, as his private secretary effective July 2013.[172]
In March 2019, it was announced that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would establish a new household for themselves, following the birth of their child in spring as well as the move of their official residence to Frogmore Cottage, with their office set to be located at Buckingham Palace.[173] Following the decision to step back from royal duties, it was announced in February 2020 that they would close their office at Buckingham Palace.[174]
The Household of the Duke of York provided administrative support for the royal duties of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, along with his immediate family. From 1971, Prince Andrew (then aged 11 years), had the assistance of one of the Queen's equerries when required. The first was Sqn Ldr Peter Beer, who served until he was replaced by Maj. George BrokeRoyal Artillery in 1974, and Lt Cdr Robert Guy RN in 1977.
It was only with the appointment in 1980 of Sqn Ldr Adam Wise, that the Prince could be said to have acquired the assistance of his own staff – although he was still shared with the Queen and Prince Edward. In 1983, Wise was promoted to wing commander and appointed Private Secretary to Princes Andrew and Edward, severing his link with The Royal Household. He left the Duke of York's service in 1987, when Lt Col. Sean O'Dwyer was appointed – also jointly with Prince Edward.
The Duke of York was assisted by a private secretary, deputy private secretary, assistant private secretary and equerry. There were an office assistant, and a handful of personal staff including cook and butler. The Duke of York's office was based at Buckingham Palace, and the Duke has a residence at the Royal Lodge, Windsor, into which he moved during 2004, from Sunninghill Park, Ascot.
In December 2022, it was reported that as a non-working member of the royal family he would no longer have an office at Buckingham Palace.[182]
↑ the King's Chamberlain, Secretary and Confessor customarily had their meals in the Chamber; those in attendance included an Esquire and Knight of the Body, the Chaplains, Physician and Surgeon, two Gentlemen Ushers (who kept a record of all Chamber expenses) and four of the yeomen (the yeoman of beds, yeoman of robes and two yeomen ushers). All others ate in the Hall.
↑ The marshals provided an equivalent service in the Hall as the Gentlemen Ushers did in the Chamber: supervising staff, overseeing activities and maintaining order and decorum.
↑ Knights Banneret or Bachelor, who served the king at table as carvers or cupbearers
↑ 'most valiant men' recruited from around the country, four of whom were always on duty 'continually abiding and attending upon the king's person in court'.
↑ of whom 20 were on duty at any one time. These were men chosen for their 'possession, worship and wisdom'; from 'sundry Shires' (so that from them 'it may be known the disposition of all the countries'). They were to be 'attendant upon the king's person, in riding, and going at all times'. They also helped serve meals, in both the Chamber and the Hall.
↑ Two to be on duty in the Chamber, two in the Hall
↑ Two of whom were always 'attendant on the king's person, to array and unarray him' and 'to watch day and night'.
↑ The Yeomen of the Crown were a corps of yeomen archers, whose members were allocated to specific duties at court: one to be yeoman of the robes, another yeoman of the beds, two to serve as yeomen ushers of the chamber, and others as yeomen of the armoury, of bows, of dogs, of books and of other items.
↑ They made beds, carried torches, laid tables and provided various other services at the Chamberlain's request.
↑ These appear to have been either young men or adolescent boys, who received instruction in horsemanship, jousting and other noble arts, whilst also being in attendance on the king.[49]
↑ "stig-weard". Bosworth Toller's Anglo-Saxon Dictionary online. Retrieved 18 June 2025. The king leaves to the archbishop 240 mancuses, to bishops and aldermen 120, to every discðegn, hræglðegn, and biriele 80, to every stigweard 30.
↑ Coleman, Christopher; Starkey, David, eds. (1986). "Court and Government". Revolution Reassessed: Revisions in the History of Tudor Government and Administration. Oxford: Clarendon Press. p.35.
↑ Hoak, Dale E. (1982). "The King's Privy Chamber 1547-1553". In Guth, DeLloyd J.; McKenna, John W. (eds.). Tudor Rule and Revolution. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp.94–96. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
↑ "Simon Case appointed as Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service" (Press release). Gov.uk. 1 September 2020. Archived from the original on 14 September 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2020. The Prime Minister has appointed Simon Case as the Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service. Simon is currently the Permanent Secretary in Number 10.
Lyon, Bryce (1980). A Constitutional and Legal History of Medieval England (2nded.). W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN0-393-95132-4. 1st edition available to read online here.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
