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The Royal Households of the United Kingdom are the collective departments that support members of the British royal family. Many members of the royal family who undertake public duties have separate households.
- Overview
- The Royal Household in the modern era
The history of the Royal Household in the United Kingdom from the mid-19th century has been mainly one of reorganization in order to achieve increased efficiency. Formerly there was much overlapping and confusion in the duties of the various departments. The prince consort undertook a thorough reorganization of the household in 1844, thereby effecting great economies and abolishing various sinecures and other abuses. Further changes were made by King Edward VII and by subsequent monarchs.
In its main outlines, the household in the 20th century was essentially the same as it was in earlier times. The great officers were still the lord chamberlain, the lord steward, and the master of the horse. Until 1924 these three officials were appointed by the prime minister. Since then, in practice, they have been appointed by the sovereign, subject to the proviso that they do not vote against the existing government. The treasurer, comptroller, and vice-chamberlain of the household are always members of the House of Commons. Together with the lords in waiting, the captains of the Corps of Gentlemen at Arms, and the Yeomen of the Guard, these positions are political in nature and change with the government. All other appointments in the household are made by the sovereign.
Perhaps the most notable feature of the modern period has been the increase in importance of the sovereign’s private secretary and assistants. The office is an ancient one, but after the death of Albert, Prince Consort (1861), who had virtually constituted himself the queen’s private secretary, Queen Victoria and successive sovereigns have come more and more to rely on it. The help and impartial advice of their secretaries is invaluable, not only in dealing with their immense correspondence on home and Commonwealth affairs but in arranging and organizing royal programs. The private secretary is supported by assistant secretaries and a press secretary (first appointed by King George VI).
The head of the household is the lord chamberlain, who has an office in St. James’s Palace under a comptroller and deals with all matters ceremonial. The lord chamberlain also oversees other departments, such as the ecclesiastical and medical households. Until 1968 this office was also responsible for stage censorship, a survival from the time when the lord chamberlain directed court entertainment.
The administrative duties of the lord steward are now carried out by the master of the household. This was an office created by the prince consort, and it took over and coordinated the somewhat miscellaneous duties of the old Board of Green Cloth. The master of the household is responsible for the staffing and administration of all the royal residences.
The whole of the financial side of the Royal Household is controlled by the keeper of the privy purse and personal treasurer to the sovereign. The treasurer also deals with the sovereign’s charitable donations and subscriptions and administers the grant made to the royal almonry. The ceremonial side of the latter, the annual distribution of the Royal Maundy, is carried out either by the sovereign in person or by the high almoner (an office dating from the 12th century and always held by a high ecclesiastic).
The history of the Royal Household in the United Kingdom from the mid-19th century has been mainly one of reorganization in order to achieve increased efficiency. Formerly there was much overlapping and confusion in the duties of the various departments. The prince consort undertook a thorough reorganization of the household in 1844, thereby effecting great economies and abolishing various sinecures and other abuses. Further changes were made by King Edward VII and by subsequent monarchs.
In its main outlines, the household in the 20th century was essentially the same as it was in earlier times. The great officers were still the lord chamberlain, the lord steward, and the master of the horse. Until 1924 these three officials were appointed by the prime minister. Since then, in practice, they have been appointed by the sovereign, subject to the proviso that they do not vote against the existing government. The treasurer, comptroller, and vice-chamberlain of the household are always members of the House of Commons. Together with the lords in waiting, the captains of the Corps of Gentlemen at Arms, and the Yeomen of the Guard, these positions are political in nature and change with the government. All other appointments in the household are made by the sovereign.
Perhaps the most notable feature of the modern period has been the increase in importance of the sovereign’s private secretary and assistants. The office is an ancient one, but after the death of Albert, Prince Consort (1861), who had virtually constituted himself the queen’s private secretary, Queen Victoria and successive sovereigns have come more and more to rely on it. The help and impartial advice of their secretaries is invaluable, not only in dealing with their immense correspondence on home and Commonwealth affairs but in arranging and organizing royal programs. The private secretary is supported by assistant secretaries and a press secretary (first appointed by King George VI).
The head of the household is the lord chamberlain, who has an office in St. James’s Palace under a comptroller and deals with all matters ceremonial. The lord chamberlain also oversees other departments, such as the ecclesiastical and medical households. Until 1968 this office was also responsible for stage censorship, a survival from the time when the lord chamberlain directed court entertainment.
The administrative duties of the lord steward are now carried out by the master of the household. This was an office created by the prince consort, and it took over and coordinated the somewhat miscellaneous duties of the old Board of Green Cloth. The master of the household is responsible for the staffing and administration of all the royal residences.
The whole of the financial side of the Royal Household is controlled by the keeper of the privy purse and personal treasurer to the sovereign. The treasurer also deals with the sovereign’s charitable donations and subscriptions and administers the grant made to the royal almonry. The ceremonial side of the latter, the annual distribution of the Royal Maundy, is carried out either by the sovereign in person or by the high almoner (an office dating from the 12th century and always held by a high ecclesiastic).
Royal family. The King or Queen of the United Kingdom, as the sovereign, is always first in the order of precedence. A king is followed by his queen consort, the first in the order of precedence for women. The reverse, however, is not always true for queens regnant.
Jun 1, 2024 · Recently we had an interesting discussion on Twitter about the royal ancestry of our royals. How royal is their background? The biggest question is: what is royalty? Most genealogists would settle on (non-)reigning royal families.
The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy, in which the monarch shares power with a constitutionally organized government. The reigning king or queen is the country’s head of state. All political power rests with the prime minister (the head of government) and the cabinet, and the monarch.
NameDynasty Or HouseReignSaxon802–839Aethelwulf (Ethelwulf)Saxon839–856/858Aethelbald (Ethelbald)Saxon855/856–860Aethelberht (Ethelbert)Saxon860–865/866- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the form of government used by the United Kingdom by which a hereditary monarch reigns as the head of state, with their powers regulated by the British Constitution.
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Oct 15, 2021 · Kings and rulers -- Genealogy, Royal households -- Great Britain, Families of royal descent -- Great Britain, Great Britain -- Kings and rulers -- Genealogy Publisher London : Pimlico Collection internetarchivebooks; printdisabled; inlibrary Contributor Internet Archive Language English
