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Private Secretary to the Sovereign
Leading position in the UK Royal Household
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 2024[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.
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, Royal Communications, 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 royal communications, 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
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.[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
| Private Secretary
|
Term of office
|
Peerage
|
Monarch
(Reign)
|
|
Colonel
Herbert Taylor
|
1805
|
1811
|
|
George III
(1760–1820; under regency from 1811)
|
|
Colonel
Sir John McMahon
Bt
|
1811
|
1817
|
[3]
|
The Prince Regent, later George IV
(1820–1830)
|
|
Lieutenant-General
Sir Benjamin Bloomfield
GCB, GCH
|
1817
|
1822
|
Baron Bloomfield
|
|
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
|
[4]
|
6 February
1952
|
1953
|
Elizabeth II
(1952–2022)
|
|
|
Lieutenant-Colonel
Sir Michael Adeane
GCB, GCVO
|
1 January
1954
|
1 April
1972
|
Baron Adeane (for life)
|
|
|
Lieutenant-Colonel
Sir Martin Charteris
GCB, GCVO, OBE
|
1 April
1972
|
12 November
1977
|
Baron Charteris of Amisfield (for life)
|
|
|
Sir Philip Moore
GCB, GCVO, CMG
|
12 November
1977
|
1 April
1986
|
Baron Moore of Wolvercote (for life)
|
|
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 (for life)
|
|
Lieutenant
Sir Robin Janvrin
GCB, GCVO
|
4 February
1999
|
8 September
2007
|
Baron Janvrin (for life)
|
|
Sir Christopher Geidt
GCB, GCVO, OBE
|
8 September
2007
|
17 October
2017
|
Baron Geidt (for life)
|
|
Sir Edward Young
GCB, GCVO
|
17 October
2017
|
8 September
2022
|
Baron Young of Old Windsor (for life)
|
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
|
2023
|
| David Hogan-Hern
|
2022
|
present
|
| Matthew Magee, LVO
|
2022
|
2024[5]
|
| Theo Rycroft, CMG, LVO
|
2024
|
present[6]
|
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
|
| Jennifer Jordan-Saifi
|
2022
|
2023
|
See also
Notes
References
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