Royal Households of the United Kingdom


The Royal Households of the United Kingdom are the collective departments that support members of the British royal family. The Royal Household 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 [William, William, Prince of Wales|Prince of Wales|Prince] and Princess of Wales to those supporting junior working royals.
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: 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. Parts of the Royal Household continued to play a central role in the government of the country up until the 1530s, and the four Great Officers of the Household routinely had a seat in the Cabinet until the mid-18th century.

Terminology

The term 'Househoulde' first appears in English in 1382, and it began to be used for the king and his entourage shortly afterwards. Prior to this date Latin terms were used or hospitium regis ); Latin terms continued to be used, alongside English ones, until the 1550s. The word '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.
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 ; the equivalent "outdoor" office was the Stables. Over time, lesser rooms likewise became metonyms for departments of the Household that, in their time, wielded significant powers.
In the 15th century, however, the two principal divisions had come to be referred to as the Household and Chamber respectively, ; 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.

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". Thus, under the Norman kings of England, the Curia Regis 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 and the Chancery. The Exchequer and Chancery soon became the principal accounting and administrative offices of The Crown, overseen by two high officials: the Treasurer and the Chancellor. 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 Treasury found a more permanent home in Winchester Castle. Their offices also had a judicial character, as seen in the parallel 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 that 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. Household members included noble thegns, who were expected to commit a portion of their time and resources to royal service as a condition of their social status and in return for certain privileges. In addition to thegns, the household would have included clergy and a large staff of domestic servants. The daily life of the king's household was focused around the stig or hall; the other main spaces were the chapel and the búr or chamber: a more private space, where the king slept and where his clothes, jewels and important documents were kept.
The highest-ranking officers were:
Typically, each office had three holders who served on a rotating basis.
King Eadred bequeathed eighty gold coins each to his dish-thegns, raiment-thegns and butlers upon his death in AD 995. His household also included stigweardas, attached to the hall, to whom he bequeathed thirty gold coins each.
Another high officer was the horse-thegn, who was in charge of the king's horses, the royal stables and household travel. When the country was on a war footing, the royal stables took on a military character and function, and the horse-thegn's role adapted to it accordingly.
Cnut the Great introduced two new offices to the household: staller and housecarl. The stallers were close to the king and very wealthy. There were as many as eight stallers in post at any one time, and there is uncertainty as to their precise duties; they had a supervisory role, and thus 'staller' may have been a generic term for any of chief officials of the king's household. The housecarls were professional soldiers who, among other things, functioned as royal bodyguards.
The household included several priests, who also probably had noble backgrounds, and service in the royal chapel could be a stepping stone towards becoming a bishop. Priests in the household not only performed religious duties but also acted as royal secretaries: writing letters, charters, and other official documents. By the reign of Edward the Confessor, 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.
Even though it travelled constantly with the king as an itinerant court, the royal household was the centre of the Anglo-Saxon government. Initially, household officers performed domestic tasks. As the king's administrative and judicial responsibilities expanded, public duties were delegated to the household officers, making them state officers as well.
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, and English kings maintained ultimate authority over their households.

Anglo-Norman period (1066–1154)

After the Norman conquest the ducal household of Normandy appears to have been replicated in England and merged into the English court. 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, provides the earliest surviving account of the household. The senior figures were:
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.
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 a senior churchman and head of the Chapel; he also had custody of the great seal, used to validate documents issued in the king's name. Working under him were the master of the writing office, the chaplain keeper of the chapel and relics, and several clerks. The clerks drafted official documents and 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 chancellor's department was named after the screen which separated the clerks from the main body of the hall.
The seneschals 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.
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 and the chamber of the court. The latter chamber handled the finances; albeit by this time the treasurer is named alongside the master chamberlain, serving as head of an emerging new department. Under the master chamberlain were lesser chamberlains and others, who undertook various practical duties.
The constables oversaw the outdoor staff and the familia militaris. The outdoor staff included huntsmen, houndsmen, and foresters. The military household were knights who received wages and formed the backbone of the army. Historian C. W. Hollister likened it to "something between a royal bodyguard and a small standing army."
Also listed is the master marshal. It is known from later references that the master marshal was responsible for preserving order within the verge of the king's court ; similarly, at time of war he had charge of military discipline. He also had financial duties: keeping a tally of certain household expenditures, and in wartime functioning as paymaster of the military. Assisting the master marshal were four other marshals.

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. The justiciar quickly became a person of great importance in the realm. 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

There had been a tendency in Normandy for the highest Court appointments to become hereditary offices, held under terms of grand serjeanty, and in the 12th century this began to happen likewise in England. Thus by the end of the reign of Henry II, the office of steward was attached to the Earls of Leicester, that of chamberlain to the Earls of Oxford, that of butler to the family of William de Albini, that of constable to the Earls of Hereford and that of marshal to the family of John FitzGilbert.
As part of this process, the above-mentioned great officers of state ceased to attend court except on State or special occasions. 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. In due course, the domestic responsibilities of the steward and chamberlain devolved upon two senior officers 'of the Household': the Steward of the Household and Chamberlain of the Household. The Lord High Constable and Earl Marshal retained their military authority until a comparatively late period. As regards the latter's domestic duties, a 'Marshal of the Household' maintained discipline within the Verge from the 13th century, while a 'Marshal of the Exchequer' took care of the marshal's erstwhile financial duties.
Neither the chancellor nor the treasurer became hereditary offices, as they were more clearly engaged in the government of the realm ; they were also ecclesiastics, which precluded the possibility of legitimate heirs. Although not hereditary, these high offices were routinely offered for sale or rent, until reforms were enacted in the 13th century.

Brief flourishing of the Wardrobe

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. 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, 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 of Treasurer of the Chamber; the latter had custody of the King's Privy Seal, which always travelled with the monarch, including overseas.
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 were re-designated 'of the Household'; together with the Lord Steward, they later constituted the Board of Green Cloth.
The office of Cofferer of the Household was suppressed in 1782; but those of Treasurer of the Household and Comptroller of the Household continue to be held as sinecure positions by members of HM Government.

The Chamber's authority reasserted

The demise of the Wardrobe led to the re-emergence of the Chamber as an office of influence. While the Wardrobe held sway, the Chamber had continued to operate at a domestic level: providing the place for the king to sleep, eat his meals and meet with visitors. The Chamber was scarcely mentioned in the 1311 Ordinances, 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.
By 1389 a vice-chamberlain was in place as deputy to the Lord Chamberlain. 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, while the Esquires fulfilled particular tasks in direct relation to the King and some of them were designated Gentleman Ushers of the Court. Guard duties were performed by the Serjeants at Arms.
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 began to be used by the King, administered by a clerk in his Household who later came to be called the King's Secretary.
KingYearCostInflation adjusted
Henry III1236–37£4,000£ today
Edward IN/A£7,000–£14,000 per year£–£ today
Edward II1324–25£4,500£ today
Edward IIIN/A£10,000–£12,000 per year£–£ today
Edward IIIafter 1340£20,000 per year£ today

Great Hall and Great Chamber

Down to the reign of King Edward II, the Great Hall 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. 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 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.
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. Another small adjoining room, the privy closet, functioned as a small private chapel.

The Stables

In the early 1300s the royal studs, stables and horses were under the office of the marshalsea, overseen at that time by the keeper of the wardrobe. Overseeing care and management of the horses from day to day were two officials called harbingers: one responsible for the royal palfreys and destriers, the other for pack and cart horses. The former had three serjeant-marshals working under him, the first being responsible for 'the stable of the king', the second for great horses kept outside the household, the third for the royal studs. In the 1360s, however, the network of studs and of horses 'outside the household' was disestablished and their associated serjeant-marshal posts were abolished. By the mid-1390s, the responsibilities of the remaining serjeant-marshal had been amalgamated with those of the keeper of the king's great horses under a new title: Master of the Horse.

The Black Book of the Household

In the Liber Niger Domus Regis Angliae, the domain of the Hall is termed the Domus Providencie and that of the Chamber the Domus Regie Magnificencie. The Domus Providencie was overseen by the Steward, the Domus Magnificencie by the Chamberlain.
Also within the domain of the Steward was the Board of Green Cloth, here called the Domus Compotis, Consilii et Judicii. 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". 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".
Domus Providencie Domus Magnificencie
Steward of the HouseholdKing's Chamberlain
The Great Hall The Great Chamber

  • Marshals of the Hall
  • Ushers of the Hall
  • Sewers of the Hall
  • 4 Knights of the Chamber
  • 12 Knights of the Household
  • 40 Squires of the Household
  • The King's Secretary
  • 4 Chaplains
  • 4 Esquires of the Body
  • The King's Sewar
  • 4 Gentleman Ushers of the Chamber
  • 24 Yeomen of the Crown
  • 4 Yeomen of the Chamber
  • 10 Grooms of the Chamber
  • 4 Pages of the Chamber
    • Also listed are:
    The Chapel:
    Other offices:
    • The Jewel House
    • The Wardrobe of Robes
    • The Wardrobe of Beds
    Offices concerned with the provision of food, drinks and other items :
  • Office of the Bakehouse
  • Office of the Pantry
  • Office of the Cellar
  • Office of the Confectionary
  • Office of the Chandlery
  • Office of the Ewery and Napery
    • Overseen by a Chief Master Clerk:
    Overseen by a Chief Butler
    • Office of the Butler of England
  • 4 Knights of the Chamber
  • 12 Knights of the Household
  • 40 Squires of the Household
  • The King's Secretary
  • 4 Chaplains
  • 4 Esquires of the Body
  • The King's Sewar
  • 4 Gentleman Ushers of the Chamber
  • 24 Yeomen of the Crown
  • 4 Yeomen of the Chamber
  • 10 Grooms of the Chamber
  • 4 Pages of the Chamber
    • Also listed are:
    The Chapel:
    Other offices:
    • The Jewel House
    • The Wardrobe of Robes
    • The Wardrobe of Beds
    Domus Compotis, Consilii et Judicii
  • Steward of the Household
  • Treasurer of the Household
  • Comptroller of the Household
  • Cofferer of the Household
  • Two Clerks of the Green Cloth
  • A Clerk of Controlment
    • Office of the Counting House
    Also listed are:
    The Chapel:
    Other offices:
    • The Jewel House
    • The Wardrobe of Robes
    • The Wardrobe of Beds
    The Liber Niger appears to be unfinished: a number of 'below stairs' departments are omitted and other offices, though referred to in passing, are missing from the main listing.

    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. 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 and the Privy Chamber. 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. 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. In this role, the Gentlemen came to control access to the king's private rooms. This created difficulties for the more established courtiers. Powerful individuals on the outside did their best to infiltrate the chamber and its entourage.
    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. 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.
    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. In addition to the Gentlemen, the Privy Chamber had its own select staff, who operated under the Groom of the Stool : 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. 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 ; but otherwise, once he was within the palace, the king was seldom to be seen outside the Privy Chamber.
    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 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. Elizabeth did likewise, appointing Kat Ashley to serve as Chief Gentlewoman of the Privy Chamber.

    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 of the Elizabethan English court. Within this structure, however, he created the office of Gentleman of the Bedchamber to which he appointed members of his Scottish entourage. 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.
    After the Restoration, Charles II reconstituted the Royal Household without seeking to reduce its size. From as early as 1662 efforts were made to reduce the number of extraneous offices in the household. 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'. 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. 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..

    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.
    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.
    The household of Elizabeth II included 1,200 employees. This was roughly the same size as Charles II's household but larger than Victoria's, whose staff numbered 921.

    The King and Queen

    Start of the new reign

    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 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 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 that "hat the King's resolution is yet for his own and his father's servants, he hath not declared ; 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".
    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. 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. The Queen's companions are the Marchioness of Lansdowne, Jane von Westenholz, The Hon. Lady Brooke, Sarah Troughton, Lady Sarah Keswick and Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen. Major Ollie Plunket serves as the Queen's equerry. Queen Elizabeth II's ladies-in-waiting were given new roles as "ladies of the household".

    Present arrangements

    , the household is configured largely according to the arrangements inherited from Elizabeth II. The role of Official Harpist to the Prince of Wales continues as King's Harpist, and is currently held by Mared Pugh Evans.

    Great Officers

    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 the other two continue to have a ceremonial role, and are seen particularly on State occasions.

    Lord Chamberlain

    The Royal Household is coordinated by the part-time Lord Chamberlain.

    Heads of departments

    The Private Secretary to the Sovereign, 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 Master of the Household, since 2013, has been Vice Admiral Sir Tony Johnstone-Burt 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 is Tim Knox.

    Other units

    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 the King in his official duties from day to day.
    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 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 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 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 the King.
    If the monarch is female she has ladies-in-waiting, 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 a number of honorary military appointments: the aides-de-camp to the King, the two Gold Sticks and the Vice Admiral and Rear Admiral of the United Kingdom. In addition, the two corps of royal bodyguards are part of the Household.
    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.
    The royal residences in current use are cared for and maintained by 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 are run by the Historic Royal Palaces Agency, which is self-funding.

    The Scottish Royal Household

    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 Great Officers of the Royal Household 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 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:

    Household of the Prince and Princess of Wales

    A part-time Private Secretary to Prince William and Prince Harry 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, 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.
    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 was announced that the Duke, Duchess and Prince Harry, along with Elizabeth II and the Prince of Wales 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. Until the moves were complete, their Household remained based at St James's Palace and continued to be shared.
    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. 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. 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-Pinkerton Irish Guards 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.
    ;Private Secretary to the Duke of Cambridge
    • 2013–2018: Miguel Head
    • 2018–2020: Simon Case
    • 2020–2021: Christian Jones
    ;Private Secretary to the Prince of Wales
    ;Private Secretary to the Duchess of Cambridge
    • 2013–2017: Rebecca Deacon
    • 2017–2019: Catherine Quinn
    • 2020–2022: Hannah Cockburn-Logie
    ;Private Secretary to the Princess of Wales
    • 2024–present: Tom White
    ;Assistant Private Secretary to the Duke of Cambridge
    • 2018–2022: Zoë Ware
    ;Assistant Private Secretary to the Princess of Wales
    • 2017–: Natalie Barrows
    ;Advisor to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
    ;Advisor to the Prince and Princess of Wales
    • 2019–present: Jason Knauf
    ;Head of the Press to the Prince and Princess of Wales
    • 2026–: Liza Ravenscroft
    ;Communication Secretary to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
    • 2014–2019: Jason Knauf
    • 2019–2020: Christian Jones
    ;Communication Secretary to the Prince and Princess of Wales
    • 2022–present: Lee Thompson
    ; Deputy Communication Secretary to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry
    • –2016: Nick Loughran
    ;Digital and Social Lead to the Prince and Princess of Wales
    • 2020–present: David Watkins
    ;Senior Private Executive Assistant to the Prince and Princess of Wales
    • 2024–2025: Natasha Archer
    ;Official Spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry

    Household of the Princess Royal

    The Household of the Princess Royal provides the administrative support to Anne, Princess Royal, the only sister of the King. The Princess Royal's private residence is Gatcombe Park; her office, headed by the Private Secretary, is based at Buckingham Palace while her official London residence is located at St James's Palace.

    Private Secretaries to the Princess Royal

    • 1974–1976: Major Benjamin Herman
    • 1976–1982: Major Nicholas Lawson
    • 1982–1997: Lieutenant Colonel Sir Peter Gibbs
    • 1997–1999: Rupert McGuigan
    • 1999–2002: Colonel Timothy Earl
    • 2002–2019: Captain Sir Nick Wright
    • 2019–2024: Charles Davies
    • 2024–present: Colonel John Boyd

    Assistant Private Secretary

    • 2010–present: Commander Anne Sullivan LVO RN

    Office Secretary

    • ?–: Mrs Isabella Ward
    • ?–: Mrs Anne King

    Extra Equerry to the Princess Royal

    Ladies in Waiting to the Princess Royal

    Extra Ladies-in-Waiting to the Princess Royal

    • 2023–present: Mrs Susanna Cross
    • 2024–present: Lady McFarlane
    • 2024–present: Lady Elizabeth Leeming
    • 2024–present: Mrs John Armstrong
    • 2024–present: Mrs Dolly Maude
    • 2024–present: Mrs Simon Rhodes, LVO

    Household of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh

    The Household of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh provides administrative support to the Duke of Edinburgh, youngest brother of the King, and to his wife, the Duchess of Edinburgh. While their private residence is Bagshot Park, their office, headed by the private secretary, is based at Buckingham Palace.
    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

    Private Secretary to the Duke of Edinburgh

    • 2019–2023: Captain Andrew Aspden
    • 2023–present: Brigadier Alexander Potts

    Private Secretary to the Duchess of Edinburgh

    • 2019–present: Captain Alexander Stonor

    Lesser households

    Household of the Duke">Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester">Duke and Duchess of Gloucester">Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester">Duchess of Gloucester

    Household of Prince">Prince Michael of Kent">Prince and [Princess Michael of Kent]

    Former households

    Household of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother

    This is an incomplete list of those who served Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.

    Comptroller

    Equerries

    Ladies-in-Waiting

    • 1923–1926: Lady Katharine Meade
    • 1926–1932: Lady Helen Graham
    • 1932–1936: Lettice Bowlby
    • 1985–1990: Jane Walker-Okeover
    • 1990–2002: Lady Margaret Colville
    • 1991–2002: Margaret Rhodes
    • 1993–2002: Jennifer Gordon-Lennox
      Extra Ladies-in-Waiting
    • 1929–?: Lady Annaly

    Ladies of the Bedchamber

    Lord Chamberlain

    Mistress of the Robes

    Pages of Honour

    Press secretary

    • 1956–2001: Sir John Griffin

    Private secretaries

    Treasurers

    • 1937–1946: Sir Basil Brooke
    • 1946–1960: Sir Arthur Penn
    • 1961–1998: Sir Ralph Anstruther 7th Baronet
    • 1998–2002: Nicholas Assheton

    Women of the Bedchamber

    • 1937–1939: Lady Helen Graham
    • 1937–1960: Lady Katharine Seymour
    • 1937–1961: Marion Hyde, Lady Hyde
    • 1937–1944: Lettice Bowlby
    • 1939–?: Lady Adelaide Peel
    • 1944–1947: Lady Mary Herbert
    • 1947–2001: Lady Jean Rankin
    • 1951–1961: Olivia Mulholland
    • 1960–1993: Lady Ruth Burke Roche, Baroness Fermoy
    • 1961–1963: Lady Mary Harvey
    • 1965–2002: Dame Frances Campbell-Preston
    • 1981–2002: Lady Angela Oswald
      Extra Women of the Bedchamber
    • 1937–1994: Lady Victoria Wemyss
    • 1939–?: Lady Helen Graham
    • 1944–1988: Lettice Bowlby
    • 1947–?: Lady Mary Herbert
    • 1947: Lady Jean Rankin
    • 1947–?: Alexandra Pelham, Lady Worsley
    • 1948–1951: Pamela Hore-Ruthven (later Cooper), Viscountess Ruthven of Canberra
    • 1956–1960: Dowager Lady Fermoy
    • 1959–1981: Lady Elizabeth Basset
    • 1960–?: Lady Katherine Seymour
      Temporary Women of the Bedchamber
    • 1963–1965: Lady Caroline Douglas-Home

    Apothecaries

    Physicians

    • 1936–?: George Frederick Still
    • 1936–?: Sir John Weir
    • 1936–?: Henry Letheby Tidy
    • 1936–?: Daniel Thomas Davies

    Surgeons

    Surgeon-Apothecary

    • 1956–?: Richard May

    Honorific positions

    Household of the Duke of Edinburgh

    The Household of the Duke of Edinburgh provided administrative support to Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. It was based at Buckingham Palace, and was headed by his Private Secretary—the Treasurer was formerly the senior officer. An equerry, and three temporary equerries were part of the household.

    Treasurers

    Private Secretaries

    Household of the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall

    The Household of the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall was the organised office and support system for Charles, Prince of Wales, and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. At the time of their 2009 annual review the Office of the Prince of Wales had the full-time equivalent of 121 staff. The head of the Household was the Principal Private Secretary, Clive Alderton. Senior officials included the Deputy Private Secretary, a senior diplomat seconded from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office to advise The Prince on Foreign and Commonwealth affairs, Scott Furssedonn-Wood; Master of the Household, Earl of Rosslyn; the Treasurer, Andrew Wright; Communications Secretary, Julian Payne; and the Equerry, Commander Iain Kearsley RN.
    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.
    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. 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".

    Principal Private Secretaries

    Private Secretaries

    Masters of the Household

    Deputy Masters of the Household

    • 2006–2009: Andrew Farquharson

    Treasurers

    • –2005: Kevin Knott
    • 2005–2012: Leslie Ferrar
    • 2012–: Andrew Wright

    Deputy Private Secretaries

    Assistant Private Secretaries

    • 1994–1998: Manon Williams
    • 2000–2003: Nigel Baker
    • 2002–2005: Paul Kefford
    • 2003–2005: James Kidner
    • 2003–2005: Mark Leishman
    • 2004–2005: Manon Williams
    • 2005–: Joy Camm & Amanda MacManus
    • 2005–2007: Katy Golding
    • 2006–: Jonathan Hellewell
    • 2006–2008: Anita Kumar
    • 2008–: Sophie Densham
    • 2008: Shilpa Sinha
    • ?–2011: Sarah Kennedy-Good
    • 2011–2013: Joshua Puls
    • 2013–2015: Craig Kowalik
    • ?–*: Emily Cherrington
    • 2015–2017: Melissa Hayden-Clarke
    • 2017–2019: Bernadette Smith
    • 2019–2022: Jennifer Jordan-Saifi
    • 2020–2022: Claire Saunders

    Equerries

    Assistant Masters of the Household

    • 2007–: Virginia Carington
    • *as "Special Assistant" until 2007
    • *''as "Assistant Master of the Household" since 2007''

    Communications Secretary

    • 2016–2021: Julian Payne
    • 2021–2022: Simon Enright
    • 2022: Tobyn Andreae

    Household of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex

    In 2013, it was announced that Prince Harry had appointed former Household Cavalry captain, Edward Lane Fox, as his private secretary effective July 2013.
    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. Following the decision to step back from royal duties, it was announced in February 2020 that they would close their office at Buckingham Palace.

    List of Household staff

    ;Private Secretary to the Duke of Sussex
    • 2013–2018: Edward Lane Fox
    ;Private Secretary to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex
    • 2018–2019: Samantha Cohen
    • 2019–2020: Fiona Mcilwham
    ;Deputy Private Secretary to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex
    • 2019–2020: Heather Wong
    ;Assistant Private Secretary to the Duke of Sussex
    • 2019–2020: Robert Reader
    ;Assistant Private Secretary to the Duchess of Sussex
    • 2018–2019: Amy Pickerill
    ;Personal Assistant to the Duchess of Sussex
    • 2018: Melissa Touabti
    ;Communication Secretary to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex
    • 2019–2020: Sara Latham
    ;Assistant Communication Secretary to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex
    • 2018: Katrina McKeever
    • Marnie Gaffney
    ;Projects Manager to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex
    • 2018–2020: Clara Madden
    ;Digital Communications Lead to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex
    • 2019–2020: David Watkins

    Household of the Duke of York

    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, 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 Broke Royal 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 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.

    Private Secretaries to the Duke of York

    Assistant Private Secretaries to the Duke of York

    • ?–present: James Upsher

    Equerry to the Duke of York

    • 2014-2017: Lieutenant Jack Cooper, RN
    • 2017–2019: Captain Edward Monckton
    • 2019–: Lieutenant Commander Alex Davies, RN