Household of Elizabeth II

The Royal Households of the United Kingdom consist of royal officials and the supporting staff of the British royal family, as well as the Royal Household which supports the Sovereign. Each member of the Royal Family who undertakes public duties has their own separate household.

When Elizabeth II was still a Princess she married Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh on 20 November 1947. After that marriage they shared the Household of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.

When she succeeded her father George VI as sovereign of the United Kingdom, she appointed a new household, known as the Household of the Sovereign 1952–2022.

The Duke of Edinburgh then received a separate household upon his wife's accession, the Household of the Duke of Edinburgh until his death in 2021.

With the passing of the Queen on 8 September 2022 the Household of the Sovereign passed to her son, King Charles III.

Great officers of the Household

Lord Chamberlain

The Lord Chamberlain of the Household is the highest-ranking official of the Royal Household of the United Kingdom, overseeing the departments that support and provide advice to the Sovereign of the United Kingdom, while also acting as the main channel of communication between the Sovereign and the House of Lords.

Vice Chamberlain

The Vice-Chamberlain of the Household is usually a junior government whip in the British House of Commons and is the Deputy to the Lord Chamberlain. The Vice Chamberlain's main duties are to compile a daily private report for the Sovereign on the proceedings in the House of Commons and to transmit addresses from the Commons to the Sovereign and vice versa.

Lord Steward

The Lord Steward of the Household manages the Treasurer of the Household and Comptroller of the Household, who rank next to him. The appointee is always a peer, and is the first dignitary of the court.

Treasurer of the Household

The Treasurer of the Household is usually held by one of the government deputy Chief Whips in the House of Commons. The Treasurer is automatically a member of the privy council.

Comptroller of the Household

The Comptroller of the Household is nominally the second-ranking member of the Lord Steward's department after the Treasurer of the Household. In recent times, a senior government whip has invariably occupied the office. On state occasions the Comptroller, in common with certain other senior officers of the Household, carries a white staff of office, as often seen in portraits.

Master of the Horse

The Master of the Horse is the third dignitary of the court. It is a primarily ceremonial office, and rarely appears except on state occasions, and especially when the Sovereign is mounted. There are still several pages of honour who are nominally in the master of the horse's department. They are youths aged from twelve to sixteen, selected by the sovereign in person, to attend on him at state ceremonies.

Private Secretary's Office

Private Secretary to the Sovereign

5 August 1952: Sir Alan Lascelles

Assistant Private Secretaries

• 5 August 1952: Major Sir Michael Adeane
• 5 August 1952: Major Edward Ford
• 5 August 1952: Lieutenant-Colonel the Honourable Martin Charteris

Press Secretary

5 August 1952: Commander (S) Richard Colville

Privy Purse and Treasurer's Office

Keeper of the Privy Purse and Treasurer to The Queen

5 August 1952: Sir James Ulick Alexander

Deputy Treasurer to The Queen and Secretary of the Privy Purse

5 August 1952: Commander (S) Sir Dudley Colles

Assistant Keeper of the Privy Purse

5 August 1952: Brigadier Charles George Vivian, Baron Tryon

Almonry

High Almoner

5 August 1952: Edward Sydney Woods, Bishop of Lichfield

Sub-Almoner

5 August 1952: The Reverend Maurice Foxell

Pages of Honour

• 5 August 1952: Henry Charles Seymour
• 5 August 1952: Michael Anson
• 5 August 1952: Jonathan Sidney Peel
• 5 August 1952: Henry Crichton, 6th Earl Erne

Lord Chamberlain's Office

Comptroller, Lord Chamberlain's Office

5 August 1952: Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Terence Nugent

Assistant Comptroller, Lord Chamberlain's Office

5 August 1952: Brigadier Sir Norman Gwatkin

Royal Mews Department

Crown Equerry

5 August 1952: Colonel Sir Dermot McMorrough Kavanagh

Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps

5 August 1952: Major-General Guy Salisbury-Jones

Vice-Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps

5 August 1952: Marcus Cheke

Assistant Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps

5 August 1952: Captain Sir John Lindsay Dashwood, 10th Baronet

The Master of the Household's Department

Master of the Household

• 5 August 1952: Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Piers Legh

Lords in Waiting

• 5 August 1952: Colonel Clive Wigram, 1st Baron Wigram (Permanent)
• 5 August 1952: Rowland Baring, 2nd Earl of Cromer (Permanent)
• 5 August 1952: John Scott, 4th Earl of Eldon
• 5 August 1952: Wentworth Beaumont, 2nd Viscount Allendale
• 5 August 1952: Frederick Smith, 2nd Earl of Birkenhead.
• 5 August 1952: George Douglas-Hamilton, 10th Earl of Selkirk
• 5 August 1952: Alexander Lloyd, 2nd Baron Lloyd

Equerries

Equerries

• 5 August 1952: Captain Sir Harold Campbell
• 5 August 1952: Major Sir Michael Adeane
• 1952-1954: Captain Edward Spencer, Viscount Althorp

Temporary Equerries

• 5 August 1952: Group Captain Peter Townsend
• 5 August 1952: Captain Edward Spencer, Viscount Althorp
• 5 August 1952: Captain the Right Honourable Patrick Plunket, 7th Baron Plunket

Extra Equerries

• 5 August 1952: Colonel Sir John Renton Aird, 3rd Baronet
• 5 August 1952: Sir James Ulick Alexander
• 5 August 1952: Commander Peter Ashmore
• 5 August 1952: Admiral Sir Hubert Brand
• 5 August 1952: Commander Colin Buist
• 5 August 1952: Admiral Sir Henry Buller
• 5 August 1952: Brigadier-General Sir Smith Child, 2nd Baronet
• 5 August 1952: Lieutenant-General Sir Sidney Clive
• 5 August 1952: Rowland Baring, 2nd Earl of Cromer
• 5 August 1952: Colonel Sir Arthur Erskine
• 5 August 1952: Admiral Sir Herbert Meade-Fetherstonhaugh
• 5 August 1952: Air Commodore Sir Edward Fielden
• 5 August 1952: Brigadier Walter Greenacre
• 5 August 1952: Brigadier Sir Norman Gwatkin
• 5 August 1952: Alexander Hardinge, 2nd Baron Hardinge of Penshurst
• 5 August 1952: Vice-Admiral Charles Lambe
• 5 August 1952: Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Piers Legh
• 5 August 1952: Major Thomas Coke, 5th Earl of Leicester
• 5 August 1952: Lieutenant-Colonel Douglas William Mackenzie
• 5 August 1952: Captain Charles Joseph Moore
• 5 August 1952: Lieutenant-Colonel Ririd Myddelton
• 5 August 1952: Admiral Sir Dudley North
• 5 August 1952: Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Terence Nugent
• 5 August 1952: Sir Arthur Horace Penn
• 5 August 1952: Sir George Ponsonby
• 5 August 1952: Rear-Admiral Conolly Abel Smith
• 5 August 1952: Colonel Clive Wigram, 1st Baron Wigram
• 29 March 1955: Brigadier-General Sir Harvey Kearsley

Gentleman Ushers

• 5 August 1952: Captain Humphrey Lloyd
• 5 August 1952: Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Bache de Satge
• 5 August 1952: Rear-Admiral Sir Arthur Bromley
• 5 August 1952: Colonel Geoffrey Codrington
• 5 August 1952: Captain William Phipps
• 5 August 1952: Captain (S) Sir Frank Spickernell
• 5 August 1952: Captain Philip Neville
• 5 August 1952: Brigadier Guy Rasch
• 5 August 1952: Air Vice-Marshal Sir George Reid

Extra Gentlemen Ushers

• 5 August 1952: Major Gerald Ellis
• 5 August 1952: Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Arthur D'Arcy
• 5 August 1952: Sir Arthur Bannerman, 12th Baronet
• 5 August 1952: Group Captain Sir Louis Greig
• 5 August 1952: Major John Spencer Coke
• 5 August 1952: Captain Charles Irvine
• 5 August 1952: Sir John Hanbury-Williams
• 5 August 1952: Sir John Monck
• 5 August 1952: Sir Algar Henry Stafford Howard
• 5 August 1952: Captain Andrew Yates
• 5 August 1952: Major Thomas Harvey
• 5 August 1952: Lieutenant-Colonel Frederick Packe

Gentleman Usher to the Sword of State

5 August 1952: Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Barratt

Ecclesiastical Household

College of Chaplains

Clerk of the Closet

5 August 1952: Percy Herbert, Bishop of Norwich.

Deputy Clerk of the Closet

5 August 1952: Maurice Foxell

Chaplains

• 5 August 1952: Canon Travers Guy Rogers
• 5 August 1952: Canon Charles Earle Raven
• 5 August 1952: Arthur Rowland Harry Grant
• 5 August 1952: Canon William Phythian-Adams
• 5 August 1952: Tubby Clayton
• 5 August 1952: Canon Leonard Martin Andrews
• 5 August 1952: Canon Henry Spencer Stephenson
• 5 August 1952: Canon Frank Gillingham
• 5 August 1952: Thomas Layng
• 5 August 1952: Henry FitzHerbert
• 5 August 1952: Canon Sidney Swann
• 5 August 1952: Reginald French
• 5 August 1952: Canon Ellis Partington
• 5 August 1952: Frederick Boreham
• 5 August 1952: Canon John Campbell
• 5 August 1952: Albert Baillie
• 5 August 1952: Canon Stretton Reeve
• 5 August 1952: Robert Reginald Churchill
• 5 August 1952: Humphrey Barclay
• 5 August 1952: Ralph Creed Meredith
• 5 August 1952: Charles Ritchie
• 5 August 1952: Prebendary Walter Arrowsmith
• 5 August 1952: Prebendary Hubert Treacher
• 5 August 1952: Canon Ian White-Thomson
• 5 August 1952: Prebendary George Saywell
• 5 August 1952: Canon Eric Abbott
• 5 August 1952: Canon Wallace Elliott
• 5 August 1952: Canon Ralph Whytehead
• 5 August 1952: Peter Gillingham
• 5 August 1952: Mervyn Charles-Edwards
• 5 August 1952: Canon Leslie Mannering
• 5 August 1952: Selwyn Bean
• 5 August 1952: Canon John Richardson
• 5 August 1952: Canon Robert Stopford

Chapels Royal

Dean

5 August 1952: William Wand, Bishop of London.

Sub-Dean

5 August 1952: Maurice Foxell

Priests

• 5 August 1952: Cyril Armitage
• 5 August 1952: Erik Donne
• 5 August 1952: George Sage

Deputy-Priests

• 5 August 1952: Michael Ridley
• 5 August 1952: Canon Anthony Lewis Elliott Williams
• 5 August 1952: Cyril Dams

Honorary Priest

5 August 1952: Trevitt Hine-Haycock

Organist, Choirmaster and Composer at Her Majesty's Chapels Royal

5 August 1952: Edgar Roper, Esquire

Domestic Chaplains

• 5 August 1952: Maurice Foxell (Buckingham Palace)
• 5 August 1952: Eric Hamilton, Dean of Windsor (Windsor Castle)
• 5 August 1952: Hector Anderson (Sandringham)

Chaplain, Royal Chapel, Windsor Great Park

5 August 1952: Peter Gillingham

Chaplain, Hampton Court Palace

5 August 1952: Prebendary Herbert Harris

Organist, Hampton Court Palace

5 August 1952: William James Phillips

Chaplains in Scotland

• 5 August 1952: Charles Warr
• 5 August 1952: James Cockburn
• 5 August 1952: Andrew Nevile Davidson
• 5 August 1952: John Baillie
• 5 August 1952: William Anderson
• 5 August 1952: Thomas Thomson
• 5 August 1952: James Pitt Watson
• 5 August 1952: James Stuart Stewart
• 5 August 1952: John Fraser

Domestic Chaplain

5 August 1952: John Lamb (Balmoral).

Medical Household

Physicians

• 5 August 1952: Horace Evans, 1st Baron Evans (died 26 October 1963).
• 5 August 1952: Sir John Weir (retired 31 December 1968).
• 5 August 1952: Sir Ronald Scott (until 1973).
• 17 March 1964: William Mann (succeeding Lord Evans; resigned 20 March 1970).
• 31 December 1968: Margery Blackie (retired 31 October 1980).
• 20 March 1970: Richard Bayliss (until 1982).
• December 1974: Sir John Batten (until 1989).
• 31 October 1980: Charles Elliott (retired 20 March 1986).
• 2 January 1982: Anthony Dawson (until 1993).
• 20 March 1986: Ronald Davey (until 2001).
• 1993: Richard Thompson (until 2005).
• 2001: Peter Fisher (died 15 August 2018).
• 2005: Professor John Cunningham (until 2014).
• 2014: Sir Huw Thomas.

Physicians to the Household

• 17 March 1964: Richard Bayliss (promoted 20 March 1970).
• 20 March 1970: John Batten (promoted December 1974).
• December 1974: Anthony Dawson (promoted 2 January 1982).
• 2 January 1982: Richard Thompson (promoted 1993).

Physician-Paediatrician

• 5 August 1952: Wilfrid Percy Henry Sheldon (1 January 1972).
• 1 January 1972: Philip Evans (until 1976).

Extra Physicians

• 5 August 1952: Thomas Horder, 1st Baron Horder
• 5 August 1952: Sir Henry Tidy
• 5 August 1952: Sir Daniel Davies

Sergeant-Surgeon

• 5 August 1952: Sir Arthur Porritt
• 1 September 1967: Sir Ralph Marnham
• 1 January 1972: Sir Edward Muir
• 20 March 1973: Sir Edward Tuckwell
• 12 May 1975: Sir Hugh Evelyn Lockhart-Mummery
• 29 April 1983: William Slack
• 23 February 1990: John Leonard Dawson
• 22 February 1991: Barry Jackson (retired 2001).
• 3 December 2001: Adam Lewis (retired 1 November 2006).
• 4 January 2007: Roger Vickers (until 2010).
• 25 July 2010: Sir George Hamilton.
• 10 August 2016: Satya Bhattacharya

Surgeons

• 5 August 1952: Sir James Ross (retired 17 March 1964).
• 5 August 1952: Ralph Marnham (promoted 1 September 1967).
• 17 March 1964: Edward Muir (promoted 1 January 1972).
• January 1969: Edward Tuckwell (promoted 20 March 1973).
• December 1974: Hugh Lockhart-Mummery (also Surgeon to Her Majesty's Household; promoted 12 May 1975)
• 12 May 1975: William Slack (promoted 29 April 1983).
• 29 April 1983: John Dawson (promoted 23 February 1990).
• Roger Vickers (promoted 4 January 2007).
• 4 January 2007: George Hamilton (promoted 25 July 2010).

Surgeon to Her Majesty's Household

• 17 March 1964: Edward Tuckwell
• January 1969: Hugh Lockhart-Mummery
• 12 May 1975: John Dawson
• 29 April 1983: Barry Jackson
• 22 February 1991: Adam Lewis
• George Hamilton (promoted 4 January 2007).
• 4 January 2007: Satyajit Bhattacharya
• 10 August 2016: Ian Jenkins

Surgeon-Gynaecologist/Surgeon-Gynaecologist to the Queen

• 5 August 1952: Sir William Gilliatt
• 11 July 1961: Sir John Peel (retired March 1973).
• March 1973: Sir George Pinker (retired 30 March 1990).
• 30 March 1990: Marcus Setchell (until 2014).
• 30 June 2014: Alan Farthing (incumbent).

Surgeon-Gynaecologist to the Household

• 18 November 2008: Alan Farthing (promoted 30 June 2014).
• 30 June 2008: Guy Thorpe-Beeston (incumbent).

Extra Surgeons

• 5 August 1952: Sir Thomas Peel Dunhill
• 5 August 1952: Sir James Walton
• 5 August 1952: Sir Lancelot Barrington-Ward

Extra Manipulative Surgeon

• 5 August 1952: Sir Morton Smart

Extra Surgeon-Apothecary

• 5 August 1952: Sir Frederick Hewett

Surgeon-Oculist/Surgeon-Oculist to the Queen

• 5 August 1952: Sir Stewart Duke-Elder (resigned 30 April 1965).
• 30 April 1965: Allen Goldsmith (retired 27 November 1974).
• 27 November 1974: Stephen Miller (retired 21 July 1980).
• 21 July 1980: Sir Patrick Sellors (retired 3 February 1999).
• 3 February 1999: Timothy ffytche (retired 7 March 2002).
• 7 March 2002: Jonathan Jagger (incumbent).

Extra Orthopaedic Surgeon

• 5 August 1952: Sir Reginald Watson-Jones

Aurist

• 5 August 1952: John McLaggan
• 11 July 1961: James Hogg

Surgeon-Dentist

• 5 August 1952: Sir Alan McLeod (retired 1 September 1975).
• 1 September 1975: Nicholas Sturridge (retired 19 July 2007).

Extra Physician to the Household

• 5 August 1952: Sir Arnold Stott

Surgeon-Oculist to the Household

• 5 August 1952: Allen Goldsmith (promoted 30 April 1965).
• 30 April 1965: Stephen Miller (promoted 27 November 1974).
• 27 November 1974: Patrick Sellors (promoted 21 July 1980).
• 21 July 1980: Timothy ffytche (promoted 3 February 1999).
• 3 February 1999: Jonathan Jagger (promoted 7 March 2002).
• 1 January 2002: Veronica Ferguson (incumbent).

Extra Surgeon-Oculist to the Household

• 5 August 1952: Frank Juler
• 30 April 1965: Sir Stewart Duke-Elder.

Apothecary to the Household

• 5 August 1952: Sir John Nigel Loring (retired 1 October 1964).
• 1 October 1964: Sir Ralph Southward (retired 1 January 1975).
• 1 January 1975: Nigel Southward (retired 7 February 2003).
• 7 February 2003: Timothy Evans (incumbent).

Surgeon-Apothecary to the Household at Windsor

• 5 August 1952: Richard May (resigned 9 March 1965).
• 9 March 1965: John Clayton (retired 13 July 1986).
• 13 July 1986: John Briscoe (retired 29 June 1997).
• 29 June 1997: Jonathan Holliday.

Extra Surgeon-Apothecary to the Household at Windsor

• 5 August 1952: Edmund Maiden

Surgeon-Apothecary to the Household at Sandringham

• 5 August 1952: James Ansell (resigned 1 November 1965).
• 1 November 1965: Hugh Ford (retired 22 February 1992).
• 22 February 1992: Ian Campbell.

Medical Household in Scotland

Physicians

• 5 August 1952: Greig Anderson
• 5 August 1952: Sir John McNee
• 5 August 1952: Stanley Davidson

Surgeons

• 5 August 1952: Sir James Learmonth
• 5 August 1952: George Bruce

Surgeon-Oculist

• 5 August 1952: John Marshall

Surgeon-Dentist

• 5 August 1952: Robert Dow

Surgeon-Apothecary to the Household at Balmoral

• 5 August 1952: George Middleton

Surgeon-Apothecary to the Household at the Palace of Holyroodhouse

Surgeon-Apothecaries/Apothecaries to HM Household at the Palace of Holyroodhouse

• 1908 – 1922: W.B. Alexander (1844 – 1922)
• 1923 – 1929: D.J. Graham (1871 – 1929
• 1930: W.M. Taylor (1872 – 1930
• 1931 – 1951: N.J. Carmichael (1883 – 1951
• 1952 – 1970: G. Brewster (1899 – 1991
• 1970 – 1986: D.G. Illingworth (1921 – 2010)
• 1987 – 1990: H.H. Gebbie (b. 1930)
• 1991 – 2001: J.J.C. Cormack (1934 – 2002)
• 2001—: J.R. Robertson (b. 1951)
• 2016—: Robin Balfour (b. 1961)

Military establishment

Gentlemen-at-Arms

Captain

5 August 1952: Colonel Hugh Fortescue, 5th Earl Fortescue

Lieutenant

5 August 1952: Brigadier-General Sir Harvey Kearsley

Clerk of the Cheque and Adjutant

• 5 August 1952: Lieutenant-Colonel Osbert Vesey
• 2016: Christopher Mackenzie-Beevor

Gentlemen of the Corps

• 5 August 1952: Colonel Sir Edward Le Breton.
• 5 August 1952: Lieutenant-Colonel Ughtred Carnegy Carnegy
• 5 August 1952: Brigadier Harold Charrington
• 5 August 1952: Major Sir Henry Aubrey-Fletcher
• 5 August 1952: Lieutenant-Colonel William Cuninghame
• 5 August 1952: Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur Butler, 6th Marquess of Ormonde
• 5 August 1952: Colonel Bartle Edwards
• 5 August 1952: Colonel Robert Walsh
• 5 August 1952: Brigadier Lancelot Gibbs
• 5 August 1952: Lieutenant-Colonel Rupert Glynn
• 5 August 1952: Colonel Edward Digby, 11th Baron Digby
• 5 August 1952: Brigadier Henry Walter Houldsworth
• 5 August 1952: Lieutenant-Colonel John Colvin
• 5 August 1952: Lieutenant-Colonel Kenneth Previte
• 5 August 1952: Brigadier Thomas Fairfax-Ross
• 5 August 1952: Major-General William Fox-Pitt
• 5 August 1952: Brigadier John Cheney
• 5 August 1952: Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Fulford.
• 5 August 1952: Brigadier Sir Henry Floyd, 5th Baronet
• 5 August 1952: Colonel Sir Robert Gooch, 11th Baronet
• 5 August 1952: Lieutenant-Colonel William Amory
• 5 August 1952: Colonel Sir John Carew Pole, 12th Baronet
• 5 August 1952: Brigadier Robert Daniell
• 5 August 1952: Brigadier Anthony Pepys
• 5 August 1952: Lieutenant-Colonel Sir William Makins, 3rd Baronet

Yeomen of the Guard

Captain

5 August 1952: William Onslow, 6th Earl of Onslow

Lieutenant

5 August 1952: Major-General Sir Allan Adair, 6th Baronet

Clerk of the Cheque and Adjutant

5 August 1952: Lieutenant-Colonel Ralph Bingham

Ensign

5 August 1952: Lieutenant-Colonel Victor Turner

Exons

5 August 1952: Brigadier William Carr Lieutenant-Colonel Gerald Grosvenor, 4th Duke of Westminster

Other appointments

Groom in Waiting

• 5 August 1952: Sir Arthur Horace Penn

Extra Groom in Waiting

• 5 August 1952: Montague Eliot, 8th Earl of St Germans

Groom of the Robes

5 August 1952: Captain Sir Harold Campbell

Parliament

Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod

5 August 1952: Lieutenant-General Sir Brian Horrocks

Sergeants-at-Arms

• 5 August 1952: George Titman
• 5 August 1952: Lieutenant-Commander (S) Albert Stone
• 5 August 1952: George Frederick Thomas Hopkins, Esquire
• - February 2018: Brian Stanley

Sergeant-at-Arms, House of Lords

5 August 1952: Air Vice-Marshal Sir Paul Maltby

Sergeant-at-Arms, House of Commons

5 August 1952: Brigadier Sir Charles Howard

The Queen's Archives

Keeper

5 August 1952: Sir Alan Lascelles

Librarian

5 August 1952: Sir Owen Morshead

Keeper of the Jewel House, Tower of London

5 August 1952: Major-General Hervey Sitwell

Surveyor of The Queen's Pictures

5 August 1952: Professor Anthony Blunt

Deputy Surveyor of The Queen's Pictures

5 August 1952: Oliver Millar

Surveyor of The Queen's Works of Art

5 August 1952: Sir James Mann 10 July 2019:Caroline de Guitaut. Appointed as deputy Surveyor of the Queen's Works of Art. Appointed Surveyor of the King's Works of Art in 2024. Responsible for over 700,000 works of art, in 13 royal palaces, including the King's official residences: Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Palace of Holyroodhouse. 1st woman to hold the position.

Master of the Queen's Music

5 August 1952: Sir Arnold Bax

Poet Laureate

5 August 1952: John Masefield

Honorary Veterinary Surgeons

• 5 August 1952: Captain Thomas Wright
• 5 August 1952: Edmond Paterson

Coroner of the Household

5 August 1952: Lieutenant-Colonel William Hilgrove Leslie McCarthy

Captain of The Queen's Flight

5 August 1952: Air Commodore Sir Edward Fielden 15 February 1968: Air Commodore Sir Archibald Winskill

Her Majesty's Representative at Ascot

5 August 1952: Bernard Fitzalan-Howard, 16th Duke of Norfolk

References