Private Secretary to the Sovereign

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 Sovereign
Incumbent
Sir Clive Alderton
since 8 September 2022
Royal Households of the United Kingdom
StyleThe Right Honourable
(UK and the Commonwealth)
Member ofPrivy Council
Reports toThe King
SeatBuckingham Palace
AppointerThe King
Term lengthAt His Majesty's pleasure
Formation1805
First holderHerbert Taylor
DeputyDeputy Private Secretary to the Sovereign

The office of private secretary was first established in 1805. As of 2023 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 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

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.

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 Director for Security Liaison which was established following a recommendation of the Security Commission in 2004.[1] 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

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
Sir Benjamin Bloomfield
GCB, GCH
1817 1820 Baron Bloomfield
1820 1822 George IV

(1820–1830)
Sir William Knighton
Bt, GCH
1822 1830
Lieutenant-General
Sir Herbert Taylor
GCB, GCH
1830 1837 William IV

(1830–1837)
The Viscount Melbourne
PC
(informally, while Prime Minister)
1837 1840 Victoria

(1837–1901)
Prince Albert
KG, KT, KP, GCB, KSI, GCMG
(informally)
1840 1861
Colonel
Sir Charles Phipps
KCB
1861 1866
General
Charles Grey
1861 1870
Major-General
Sir Henry Ponsonby
GCB
1870 1895
Lieutenant-Colonel
Sir Arthur Bigge
GCVO, KCB
1895 1901 Baron Stamfordham
The Lord Knollys
GCB, GCVO, KCMG, ISO, PC
1901 1910 Viscount Knollys Edward VII

(1901–1910)
1910 1913 George V

(1910–1936)
Lieutenant-Colonel
The Lord Stamfordham
GCB, GCIE, GCVO, KCSI, KCMG, ISO, PC
1931
Colonel
The Lord Wigram
GCB, GCVO, CSI, PC
1931 1936
Major
Sir Alec Hardinge
GCB, GCVO, MC

1936

1936
Baron Hardinge of Penshurst Edward VIII

(1936)

1936

1943
George VI

(1936–1952)
Captain
Sir Alan Lascelles
GCB, GCVO, CMG, MC

1943
6 February
1952
6 February
1952

1953
Elizabeth II

(1952–2022)
Lieutenant-Colonel
Sir Michael Adeane
GCB, GCVO
1 January
1954
1 April
1972
Baron Adeane
Lieutenant-Colonel
Sir Martin Charteris
GCB, GCVO, OBE
1 April
1972
12 November
1977
Baron Charteris of Amisfield
Sir Philip Moore
GCB, GCVO, CMG
12 November
1977
1 April
1986
Baron Moore of Wolvercote
Sir William Heseltine
GCB, GCVO, AC, QSO
1 April
1986
19 October
1990
Sir Robert Fellowes
GCB, GCVO, QSO
19 October
1990
4 February
1999
Baron Fellowes
Lieutenant
Sir Robin Janvrin
GCB, GCVO
4 February
1999
8 September
2007
Baron Janvrin
Sir Christopher Geidt
GCB, GCVO, OBE
8 September
2007
17 October
2017
Baron Geidt
Sir Edward Young
GCB, GCVO
17 October
2017
8 September
2022
Baron Young of Old Windsor
8 September
2022
15 May
2023
Charles III

(2022–present)
Sir Clive Alderton
KCVO
Present

Deputy Private Secretaries to the Sovereign since 1972

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 Present
David Hogan-Hern 2022 Present
Matthew Magee, LVO 2022 Present

Assistant Private Secretaries to the Sovereign since 1878

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

See also

Notes

  1. The principal channel of communication between the monarch and the governments in Canada is the Canadian Secretary to the King.

References

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