The private secretary to the sovereign is the senior operational member of the Royal Household of the sovereign of the United Kingdom (as distinct from the great officers of the Household, whose duties are largely ceremonial). The private secretary is the principal channel of communication between the monarch and the governments in most of the Commonwealth realms.[note 1] They also have responsibility for the official programme and correspondence of the sovereign. Through these roles the position wields considerable influence. This is one of the most senior positions within the Royal Household.
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.
Colonel Herbert Taylor, who was appointed in 1805, is acknowledged as the first Private Secretary to the Sovereign. However, the office was not formally established until 1867. Constitutionally there was some opposition on the part of ministers to the creation of an office which might grow to have considerable influence upon the sovereign. However, it was soon realised that the sovereign was in need of secretarial support, since his or her ministers had ceased to provide daily advice and support with the growth of ministerial government. Queen Victoria did not have a Private Secretary until she appointed General Charles Grey to the office in 1861; her husband Prince Albert had effectively been her secretary until his death.
Functionsedit
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 Royal Train, 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 permanent secretary of a government department. The incumbent is always made a Privy Counsellor on appointment, and has customarily received a peerage upon retirement (a life peerage since 1972, although a small number have been given hereditary titles). Until 1965, peerages granted to Private Secretaries were hereditary baronies, with the exception of Lord Knollys, who was created a viscount in 1911. All Private Secretaries since the time of Lord Stamfordham have been created peers, with the exceptions of Sir Alexander Hardinge (inherited his father's barony in 1944), Sir Alan Lascelles (declined as he felt titles to be a show of self-importance) and Sir William Heseltine (who is an Australian).
Private Secretaries to the Sovereign are always appointed Knights Bachelor, or knights of one of the orders of chivalry, typically the Order of The Bath or the Royal Victorian Order. The same is true for Principal Private Secretaries to other members of the Royal Household, such as the Prince of Wales.
The Private Secretary is head of only one of the several operational divisions of the Royal Household. However, he or she is involved in co-ordination between various parts of the Household, and has direct control over the Press Office, the Royal Archives, and the office of the Defence Services Secretary.
There are 57 people employed in the office of the monarch's private secretary.[1]
^The principal channel of communication between the monarch and the governments in Canada is the Canadian Secretary to the King.
Referencesedit
^"'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).
January 01, 1970
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The private secretary to the sovereign is the senior operational member of the Royal Household of the sovereign of the United Kingdom as distinct from the great officers of the Household whose duties are largely ceremonial The private secretary is the principal channel of communication between the monarch and the governments in most of the Commonwealth realms note 1 They also have responsibility for the official programme and correspondence of the sovereign Through these roles the position wields considerable influence This is one of the most senior positions within the Royal Household Private Secretary to the SovereignRoyal Coat of ArmsIncumbentSir Clive Aldertonsince 8 September 2022Royal Households of the United KingdomStyleThe Right Honourable UK and the Commonwealth Member ofPrivy CouncilReports toThe SovereignSeatBuckingham PalaceAppointerThe SovereignTerm lengthAt His Majesty s pleasureFormation1805First holderHerbert TaylorDeputyDeputy Private Secretary to the Sovereign 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 Contents 1 History 2 Functions 2 1 Liaison with the government 2 2 Security 3 List of Private Secretaries to the Sovereign since 1805 3 1 Deputy Private Secretaries to the Sovereign since 1972 3 2 Assistant Private Secretaries to the Sovereign since 1878 4 See also 5 Notes 6 ReferencesHistory editColonel Herbert Taylor who was appointed in 1805 is acknowledged as the first Private Secretary to the Sovereign However the office was not formally established until 1867 Constitutionally there was some opposition on the part of ministers to the creation of an office which might grow to have considerable influence upon the sovereign However it was soon realised that the sovereign was in need of secretarial support since his or her ministers had ceased to provide daily advice and support with the growth of ministerial government Queen Victoria did not have a Private Secretary until she appointed General Charles Grey to the office in 1861 her husband Prince Albert had effectively been her secretary until his death Functions editThe 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 Royal Train 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 permanent secretary of a government department The incumbent is always made a Privy Counsellor on appointment and has customarily received a peerage upon retirement a life peerage since 1972 although a small number have been given hereditary titles Until 1965 peerages granted to Private Secretaries were hereditary baronies with the exception of Lord Knollys who was created a viscount in 1911 All Private Secretaries since the time of Lord Stamfordham have been created peers with the exceptions of Sir Alexander Hardinge inherited his father s barony in 1944 Sir Alan Lascelles declined as he felt titles to be a show of self importance and Sir William Heseltine who is an Australian Private Secretaries to the Sovereign are always appointed Knights Bachelor or knights of one of the orders of chivalry typically the Order of The Bath or the Royal Victorian Order The same is true for Principal Private Secretaries to other members of the Royal Household such as the Prince of Wales The Private Secretary is head of only one of the several operational divisions of the Royal Household However he or she is involved in co ordination between various parts of the Household and has direct control over the Press Office the Royal Archives and the office of the Defence Services Secretary There are 57 people employed in the office of the monarch s private secretary 1 Liaison with the government edit 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 edit Reporting to the Private Secretary is the role of Director for Security Liaison which was established following a recommendation of the Security Commission in 2004 2 The post was first held by Brigadier Jeffrey Cook OBE MC who was in office 2004 2008 The Private Secretary has general oversight of security policy though the Master of the Household is also involved and the Keeper of the Privy Purse has responsibility for the ceremonial bodyguards such as the Gentlemen at Arms and the Yeomen of the Guard List of Private Secretaries to the Sovereign since 1805 editPrivate Secretary Term of office Peerage Monarch Reign nbsp ColonelHerbert Taylor 1805 1811 George III nbsp 1760 1820 nbsp ColonelSir John McMahonBt 1811 1817 nbsp Lieutenant GeneralSir Benjamin BloomfieldGCB GCH 1817 1820 Baron Bloomfield 1820 1822 George IV nbsp 1820 1830 nbsp Sir William KnightonBt GCH 1822 1830 nbsp Lieutenant GeneralSir Herbert TaylorGCB GCH 1830 1837 William IV nbsp 1830 1837 nbsp The Viscount MelbournePC informally while Prime Minister 1837 1840 Victoria nbsp 1837 1901 nbsp Prince AlbertKG KT KP GCB KSI GCMG informally 1840 1861 nbsp ColonelSir Charles PhippsKCB 1861 1866 nbsp GeneralCharles Grey 1861 1870 nbsp Major GeneralSir Henry PonsonbyGCB 1870 1895 nbsp Lieutenant ColonelSir Arthur BiggeGCVO KCB 1895 1901 Baron Stamfordham nbsp The Lord KnollysGCB GCVO KCMG ISO PC 1901 1910 Viscount Knollys Edward VII nbsp 1901 1910 1910 1913 George V nbsp 1910 1936 nbsp Lieutenant ColonelThe Lord StamfordhamGCB GCIE GCVO KCSI KCMG ISO PC 1931 nbsp ColonelThe Lord WigramGCB GCVO CSI PC 1931 1936 nbsp MajorSir Alec HardingeGCB GCVO MC 1936 1936 Baron Hardinge of Penshurst Edward VIII nbsp 1936 1936 1943 George VI nbsp 1936 1952 CaptainSir Alan LascellesGCB GCVO CMG MC 1943 6 February 1952 6 February 1952 1953 Elizabeth II nbsp 1952 2022 Lieutenant ColonelSir Michael AdeaneGCB GCVO 1 January 1954 1 April 1972 Baron Adeane Lieutenant ColonelSir Martin CharterisGCB GCVO OBE 1 April 1972 12 November 1977 Baron Charteris of Amisfield Sir Philip MooreGCB GCVO CMG 12 November 1977 1 April 1986 Baron Moore of Wolvercote nbsp Sir William HeseltineGCB GCVO AC QSO 1 April 1986 19 October 1990 nbsp Sir Robert FellowesGCB GCVO QSO 19 October 1990 4 February 1999 Baron Fellowes nbsp LieutenantSir Robin JanvrinGCB GCVO 4 February 1999 8 September 2007 Baron Janvrin nbsp Sir Christopher GeidtGCB GCVO OBE 8 September 2007 17 October 2017 Baron Geidt nbsp Sir Edward YoungGCB GCVO 17 October 2017 8 September 2022 Baron Young of Old Windsor 8 September 2022 15 May 2023 Charles III nbsp 2022 present nbsp Sir Clive AldertonKCVO Present Deputy Private Secretaries to the Sovereign since 1972 edit Deputy Private Secretary From To Sir Philip Moore KCVO CB CMG 1972 1977 Sir William Heseltine KCVO CB 1977 1986 Sir Robert Fellowes KCVO CB 1986 1990 Sir Kenneth Scott KCVO CMG 1990 1996 Sir Robin Janvrin KCVO CB 1996 1999 Mary Francis CBE LVO February 1999 June 1999 Christopher Geidt CVO OBE 2005 2007 Edward Young 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 edit Assistant Private Secretary From To Lieutenant Colonel Sir Fleetwood Edwards KCB 1878 1895 Colonel Sir Arthur Bigge KCB 1880 1895 Lieutenant Colonel Sir Frederick Ponsonby KCB KCVO 1895 1914 Colonel Sir Arthur Davidson KCB KCVO 1901 1910 Colonel Sir Clive Wigram KCVO CB CSI 1910 1931 The Earl of Cromer 1916 1920 Major Sir Alexander Hardinge CB CVO MC 1920 1936 Sir Frank Mitchell KCVO CBE 1931 1937 Sir Alan Lascelles KCVO CB CMG 1935 1943 Sir Godfrey Thomas Bt KCVO CSI 1936 1936 Major Sir Michael Adeane KCVO CB 1936 1953 Sir Eric Mieville KCIE KCVO CSI CMG 1937 1945 Lieutenant Colonel Sir Edward Ford GCVO KCB ERD DL 1946 1967 Lieutenant Colonel Sir Martin Charteris KCVO CB OBE 1952 1972 Philip Moore CMG 1966 1972 William Heseltine CVO 1972 1977 Robert Fellowes LVO 1977 1985 Sir Kenneth Scott KCVO CMG 1985 1990 Robin Janvrin CVO 1990 1995 Mary Francis 1996 1999 Tim Hitchens LVO 1999 2002 Kay Brock LVO 1999 2002 Stuart Shilson LVO 2001 2004 Christopher Geidt 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 2023See also editCanadian Secretary to the King Private secretaryNotes edit The principal channel of communication between the monarch and the governments in Canada is the Canadian Secretary to the King References edit 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 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Private Secretary to the Sovereign amp oldid 1220775093, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
