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Order of precedence in Scotland

The order of precedence in Scotland was fixed by Royal Warrant in 1905. Amendments were made by further Warrants in 1912, 1952, 1958, 1999 (to coincide with the establishment of the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government) and most recently in 2012.

The relative precedence of peers of Scotland is determined by the Act of Union 1707.

Gentlemen

Royalty, high officials, et al.

Royal family

Precedence is accorded to spouses, children and grandchildren of the reigning sovereign, as well as children and grandchildren of former sovereigns.

High Officers of State, et al.

Nobility, et al.

Dukes, et al.

Marquesses, et al.

Earls, et al.

Judiciary, et al.

  1. Lord Justice General (Paul Cullen, Lord Pentland)
  2. Lord Clerk Register (office held by a woman)
  3. Lord Advocate (office held by a woman)
  4. Advocate General for Scotland (office held by a woman)
  5. Lord Justice Clerk (John Beckett, Lord Beckett)
  1. Viscounts
  2. Eldest sons of earls
  3. Lord Frederick Windsor (only son of Prince Michael of Kent)
  4. Younger sons of marquesses

Viscounts, et al.

Barons, et al.

  1. Barons and Lords of Parliament
  2. Eldest sons of viscounts
  3. Younger sons of earls
  4. Eldest sons of barons

Knights and below

  1. Knights Companion of the Order of the Garter
  2. Knights of the Order of the Thistle
  3. Privy Counsellors
  4. Senators of the College of Justice and the Chairman of the Scottish Land Court
  5. Younger sons of viscounts
  6. Younger sons of barons
  7. Sons of law life peers
  8. Baronets
  9. <del>Knights of the Order of St Patrick</del>
  10. Knights Grand Cross/Commander (KGCs)
  11. Order of the Bath
  12. <del>Order of the Star of India</del>
  13. Order of St Michael and St George
  14. <del>Order of the Indian Empire</del>
  15. Royal Victorian Order
  16. Order of the British Empire
  17. Knights Commander of such orders
  18. Solicitor General for Scotland (Ruth Charteris – see Order of Precedence for Ladies below)
  19. Lord Lyon King of Arms (The Revd Canon Joseph Morrow)
  20. Sheriffs-Principal
  21. Knights Bachelor
  22. Sheriffs as amended by
  23. Companions
  24. Order of the Bath
  25. <del>Order of the Star of India</del>
  26. Order of St Michael and St George
  27. <del>Order of the Indian Empire</del>
  28. Commanders
  29. Royal Victorian Order
  30. Order of the British Empire
  31. Lieutenants of the Royal Victorian Order
  32. Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
  33. Officers of the Order of the British Empire
  34. Companions of the Imperial Service Order
  35. Eldest sons of younger sons of peers
  36. Eldest sons of baronets
  37. Eldest sons of knights, ordered by their father
  38. Members of the Royal Victorian Order
  39. Members of the Order of the British Empire
  40. Younger sons of baronets
  41. Younger sons of knights, ordered by their father
  42. King's Counsel as amended by
  43. Esquires
  44. Gentlemen

Ladies

Royal Family

The order of precedence accorded to women of the royal family:

High Officers or their wives

  1. Lord-Lieutenants (see list below)
  2. Sheriffs-Principal (during term of office and with bounds of Sheriffdom)
  3. Commonwealth Prime Ministers, while visiting the UK, in order of appointment
  4. Ambassadors of foreign countries and High Commissioners of Commonwealth countries according to date of arrival

Peers

  1. Duchesses
  2. Claire Booth, Countess of Ulster
  3. Sylvana Tomaselli, Countess of St Andrews, wife of Earl of St Andrews
  4. Lady Davina Windsor, elder daughter of the Duke of Gloucester
  5. Lady Rose Gilman, younger daughter of the Duke of Gloucester
  6. Lady Helen Taylor, only daughter of the Duke of Kent
  7. Marchionesses
  8. Wives of dukes' eldest sons
  9. Daughters of dukes not married to peers
  10. Countesses
  11. Lady Nicholas Windsor, wife of Lord Nicholas Windsor
  12. Wives of marquesses' eldest sons
  13. Lady Gabriella Kingston, only daughter of Prince Michael of Kent
  14. Marquesses' daughters not married to peers
  15. Wives of dukes' younger sons
  16. Viscountesses
  17. Wives of earls' eldest sons
  18. Sophie Winkleman, wife of Lord Frederick Windsor
  19. Wives of marquesses' younger sons
  20. Earls' daughters not married to peers
  21. Baronesses, wives of Lords and Ladies of Parliament
  22. Wives of viscounts' eldest sons
  23. Viscounts' daughters not married to peers
  24. Wives of earls' younger sons
  25. Wives of barons' eldest sons
  26. Barons' Daughters

Ladies of orders

  1. Ladies Companion of the Order of the Garter
  2. Lady Mary Fagan
  3. Lady Mary Peters
  4. Ladies of the Order of the Thistle (all rank higher)
  5. :Lady Elish Angiolini
  6. Wives of Knights Companion of the Order of the Garter (all rank higher, except)
  7. June, Lady Hillary
  8. Jennifer, Lady Acland
  9. Dame Norma, Lady Major
  10. Cherie, Lady Blair
  11. Wives of Knights of the Order of the Thistle (all rank higher, except)
  12. Lady (Helen) Wood
  13. Lady (Daphne) Reid
  14. Lady (Margaret) Palmer
  15. Wives of Knights of the Order of St Patrick (none, order dormant)
  16. Privy Counsellors
  17. Senators of the College of Justice
  18. Wives of viscounts' younger sons
  19. Wives of barons' younger sons
  20. Baronettes
  21. Dames Grand Cross
  22. Order of the Bath
  23. Order of St Michael and St George
  24. Royal Victorian Order
  25. Order of the British Empire
  26. Wives of Knights Grand Crosses of such orders
  27. Dames Commander of such orders
  28. Solicitor General for Scotland (Ruth Charteris)
  29. Wives of Knights Commander of such orders
  30. Companions of such orders
  31. Wives of Companions of such orders
  32. Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
  33. Wives of DSO Companions
  34. Lieutenantes of the Royal Victorian Order
  35. Officers of the Order of the British Empire
  36. Wives of RVO Lieutenants
  37. Wives of OBE Officers
  38. Senatrices of the College of Justice
  39. Wives of CoJ Senators
  40. Wives of Knights Bachelor
  41. Companions of the Imperial Service Order
  42. Wives of ISO Companions
  43. Wives of the eldest sons of sons of peers
  44. Daughters of sons of peers
  45. Wives of the eldest sons of baronets
  46. Daughters of baronets
  47. Wives of eldest sons of knights/dames
  48. Daughters of knights/dames
  49. Members
  50. Royal Victorian Order
  51. Order of the British Empire
  52. Wives of Members of such orders
  53. Wives of younger sons of baronets
  54. Wives of younger sons of knights/dames
  55. King's Counsel as amended by
  56. Gentlewomen

Local precedence

  1. Lord-Lieutenants of the lieutenancy areas (the Lord Provost is Lord Lieutenant in the four largest cities):
  2. *Lord Provost of Aberdeen (Dr David Cameron)
  3. *Lord Lieutenant of Aberdeenshire (Sandy Manson)
  4. *Lord Lieutenant of Angus (Patricia Ann Sawers)
  5. *Lord Lieutenant of Argyll and Bute (Jane Margaret MacLeod )
  6. *Lord Lieutenant of Ayrshire and Arran (Iona McDonald)
  7. *Lord Lieutenant of Banffshire (Andrew Simpson)
  8. *Lord Lieutenant of Berwickshire (Jeanna Swan)
  9. *Lord Lieutenant of Caithness (John Thurso, 3rd Viscount Thurso)
  10. *Lord Lieutenant of Clackmannanshire (Johnny Stewart)
  11. *Lord Lieutenant of Dumfries (Fiona Armstrong)
  12. *Lord Lieutenant of Dunbartonshire (Jill Williamina Young)
  13. *Lord Provost of Dundee (Bill Campbell)
  14. *Lord Lieutenant of East Lothian (Roderick Urquhart)
  15. *Lord Provost of Edinburgh (Robert Aldridge)
  16. *Lord Lieutenant of Fife (Robert William Balfour)
  17. *Lord Provost of Glasgow (Jacqueline McLaren)
  18. *Lord Lieutenant of Inverness (James Wotherspoon)
  19. *Lord Lieutenant of Kincardineshire (Alastair Macphie)
  20. *Lord Lieutenant of Lanarkshire (Susan Haughey, Baroness Haughey)
  21. *Lord Lieutenant of Midlothian (Sarah Barron)
  22. *Lord Lieutenant of Moray (Air Commodore Alistair Monkman)
  23. *Lord Lieutenant of Nairn (George Russell Asher)
  24. *Lord Lieutenant of Orkney (Elaine Grieve)
  25. *Lord Lieutenant of Perth and Kinross (Stephen Leckie)
  26. *Lord Lieutenant of Renfrewshire (Colonel Peter McCarthy)
  27. *Lord Lieutenant of Ross and Cromarty (Joanie Whiteford)
  28. *Lord Lieutenant of Roxburgh, Ettrick and Lauderdale (Richard Scott, 10th Duke of Buccleuch)
  29. *Lord Lieutenant of Shetland (Lindsay Tulloch)
  30. *Lord Lieutenant of Stirling and Falkirk (Colonel Charles Wallace)
  31. *Lord Lieutenant of Sutherland (Major-General Patrick Marriott)
  32. *Lord Lieutenant of The Stewartry of Kirkcudbright (Lord Sinclair)
  33. *Lord Lieutenant of Tweeddale (Catherine Maxwell Stuart, 21st Lady of Traquair)
  34. *Lord Lieutenant of the Western Isles (Iain Macaulay)
  35. *Lord Lieutenant of West Lothian (Moria Niven)
  36. *Lord Lieutenant of Wigtown (Aileen Brewis)
  37. The Provost
  38. The Deputy Provost
  39. Justices of the peace
  40. The Chief constable

Notes

16. The scales annexed to the royal warrant of 1905, unfortunately, are not exhaustive of all rights of precedence, and appear to have been drawn up without a proper consideration of the Scots law of precedence. Where a person has been omitted from the scales, but has an undoubted precedence by the law of Scotland (such as barons, ambassadors and Irish peers created prior to 1801), the Lord Lyon, in seeing that the warrant is observed and kept, has a duty to give that person an appropriate place in the order of precedence on the appropriate occasion.

References

External links