Private Secretary to the Sovereign
Private Secretary to the Sovereign | |
---|---|
Privy Council | |
Reports to | The Sovereign |
Seat | Buckingham Palace |
Appointer | The Sovereign |
Term length | At His Majesty's pleasure |
Formation | 1805 |
First holder | Herbert Taylor |
Deputy | Deputy Private Secretary to the Sovereign |
The private secretary to the sovereign is the senior operational member of the
The office of private secretary was first established in 1805. As of 2023[update] the position has been held exclusively by men. One woman has served as both deputy and assistant private secretary and an additional two women have served as assistant private secretaries. The current private secretary position is held by Sir Clive Alderton.
History
Colonel
Functions
The principal functions of the office are:
- to act as a channel of communication between the sovereign and his or her governments, and to advise the sovereign on constitutional, political or governmental questions;
- to organise the official programme of the sovereign, and to ensure its acceptability to both the sovereign and the government; these duties including drafting speeches, maintaining connection with other households, the The King's Helicopter, No. 32 (The Royal) Squadron RAF, and the armed forces — the latter through the Defence Services Secretary; and
- to deal with the sovereign's official correspondence (including congratulatory messages), from members of the public, the Press Office, and the Court Circular; and also to deal with the sovereign's private papers, the Royal Archives, and the monarchy's official website.
The position of Private Secretary is regarded as equivalent to that of the
Private Secretaries to the Sovereign are always appointed Knights Bachelor, or knights of one of the orders of chivalry, typically the
The Private Secretary is head of only one of the several operational divisions of the
There are 57 people employed in the office of the monarch's private secretary.[1]
Liaison with the government
The Private Secretary is responsible for liaising with the Cabinet Secretary, the Privy Council Office (PCO), and the Ministry of Justice's Crown Office in relation to:
- appointments that are formally made by the sovereign;
- the scheduling of the meetings of the Privy Council; and
- the transmission of official documents that need to be signed by the sovereign.
Security
Reporting to the Private Secretary is the role of
List of Private Secretaries to the Sovereign since 1805
Private Secretary | Term of office | Peerage | Monarch (Reign) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colonel Herbert Taylor |
1805 | 1811 | George III (1760–1820) | ||
Colonel Sir John McMahon Bt |
1811 | 1817 | |||
Lieutenant-General GCH
|
1817 | 1820 | Baron Bloomfield | ||
1820 | 1822 | George IV (1820–1830) | |||
GCH
|
1822 | 1830 | |||
Lieutenant-General GCH
|
1830 | 1837 | William IV (1830–1837) | ||
PC (informally, while Prime Minister) |
1837 | 1840 | Victoria (1837–1901) | ||
GCMG (informally) |
1840 | 1861 | |||
Colonel KCB
|
1861 | 1866 | |||
General Charles Grey |
1861 | 1870 | |||
Major-General GCB
|
1870 | 1895 | |||
Lieutenant-Colonel KCB
|
1895 | 1901 | Baron Stamfordham
| ||
PC
|
1901 | 1910 | Viscount Knollys | Edward VII (1901–1910) | |
1910 | 1913 | George V (1910–1936) | |||
Lieutenant-Colonel PC
|
1931 | ||||
Colonel PC
|
1931 | 1936 | |||
Major GCVO, MC
|
1936 |
1936 |
Baron Hardinge of Penshurst | Edward VIII (1936) | |
1936 |
1943 |
George VI (1936–1952) | |||
Captain CMG, MC
|
1943 |
6 February 1952 |
|||
6 February 1952 |
1953 |
Elizabeth II (1952–2022) | |||
Lieutenant-Colonel GCVO
|
1 January 1954 |
1 April 1972 |
Baron Adeane | ||
Lieutenant-Colonel OBE
|
1 April 1972 |
12 November 1977 |
Baron Charteris of Amisfield | ||
CMG
|
12 November 1977 |
1 April 1986 |
Baron Moore of Wolvercote | ||
QSO
|
1 April 1986 |
19 October 1990 |
|||
QSO
|
19 October 1990 |
4 February 1999 |
Baron Fellowes | ||
Lieutenant GCVO
|
4 February 1999 |
8 September 2007 |
Baron Janvrin | ||
OBE
|
8 September 2007 |
17 October 2017 |
Baron Geidt | ||
GCVO
|
17 October 2017 |
8 September 2022 |
Baron Young of Old Windsor | ||
8 September 2022 |
15 May 2023 |
Charles III (2022–present) | |||
KCVO
|
Present |
Deputy Private Secretaries to the Sovereign since 1972
Deputy Private Secretary | From | To |
---|---|---|
CMG
|
1972 | 1977 |
Sir CB
|
1977 | 1986 |
Sir CB
|
1986 | 1990 |
Sir CMG
|
1990 | 1996 |
Sir CB
|
1996 | 1999 |
LVO
|
February 1999 | June 1999 |
OBE
|
2005 | 2007 |
CVO
|
2007 | 2017 |
John Sorabji | 2022 | 2023 |
David Hogan-Hern | 2022 | Present |
Matthew Magee, LVO
|
2022 | Present |
Assistant Private Secretaries to the Sovereign since 1878
Assistant Private Secretary | From | To |
---|---|---|
KCB
|
1878 | 1895 |
KCB
|
1880 | 1895 |
Lieutenant-Colonel Sir KCVO
|
1895 | 1914 |
Colonel Sir KCVO
|
1901 | 1910 |
Colonel CSI
|
1910 | 1931 |
The Earl of Cromer | 1916 | 1920 |
CVO, MC
|
1920 | 1936 |
CBE
|
1931 | 1937 |
Sir CMG
|
1935 | 1943 |
Sir CSI
|
1936 | 1936 |
Major Sir CB
|
1936 | 1953 |
Sir CMG
|
1937 | 1945 |
Lieutenant-Colonel Sir DL
|
1946 | 1967 |
Lieutenant-Colonel Sir OBE
|
1952 | 1972 |
CMG
|
1966 | 1972 |
CVO
|
1972 | 1977 |
LVO
|
1977 | 1985 |
Sir CMG
|
1985 | 1990 |
Robin Janvrin, CVO
|
1990 | 1995 |
Mary Francis | 1996 | 1999 |
LVO
|
1999 | 2002 |
LVO
|
1999 | 2002 |
LVO
|
2001 | 2004 |
OBE
|
2002 | 2005 |
Edward Young | 2004 | 2007 |
Douglas King | 2007 | 2012 |
Samantha Cohen | 2010 | 2018 |
Tom Laing-Baker | 2018 | 2022 |
Matthew Magee | 2018 | 2022 |
Jennifer Jordan-Saifi | 2022 | 2023 |
See also
Notes
- ^ The principal channel of communication between the monarch and the governments in Canada is the Canadian Secretary to the King.
References
- ^ "'The firm': Royal org chart shows 1,133 people who work for the Queen". www.insider.com. Retrieved 2024-01-02.
- ^ "Report of the Security Commission - May 2004" (PDF).