Lord Steward

Not to be confused with Lord High Steward.
Lord Dalhousie (centre left) carrying his wand of office as Lord Steward in the Procession to the Lying-in-State of Queen Elizabeth II (2022).

The Lord Steward or Lord Steward of the Household is one of the three Great Officers of the Household of the British monarch.[1] He is, by tradition, the first great officer of the Court[2] and he takes precedence over all other officers of the household.[1]

Historically the Lord Steward oversaw over the Household 'below stairs'. He also presided at the Board of Green Cloth, which in early centuries had a financial, administrative and judicial role; (latterly the Board retained a vestigial legal remit, until it was finally abolished in a 2004 reform of local government licensing).[3] Prior to 1924 the Lord Steward was always a member of the Government,[4] and until 1782 the office had been one of considerable political importance and carried Cabinet rank. In the modern period, Lord Stewards (up to and including the Duke of Northumberland in 1973) were invariably made Privy Counsellors on appointment.[5]

Over time the domestic responsibilities of the office came increasingly to be carried out by a subordinate officer: the Master of the Household.[6] In the Royal Household reforms of the 1920s, the Lord Steward's Department was renamed the Master of the Household's Department. At the same time, Lord Steward ceased to be a political appointment and instead became a largely titular office in the gift of the monarch.

The Lord Steward continues to be in regular attendance on State and other ceremonial occasions (including State visits, State banquets, the State Opening of Parliament, State Funerals and Coronations).[6] Holders of the office are always peers, usually of or above the degree of an Earl.[7] Each Lord Steward receives his appointment from the Sovereign in person and bears a white staff as the emblem and warrant of his authority. The incumbent Lord Steward (appointed in 2023) is the Earl of Rosslyn[8] (who additionally serves as Personal Secretary to Their Majesties The King and Queen).[9]

  1. ^ a b Bucholz, R. O., ed. (2006). "The household below stairs: Lord Steward 1660-1837". Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 11 (Revised), Court Officers, 1660-1837. University of London. pp. 397–398. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  2. ^ Haydn, Joseph (1851). The Book of Dignities. London: Longman, Brown, Green and Longmans. pp. 203–204.
  3. ^ Licensing Act 2003 (section 195))
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference FRA1848 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Thoms1841 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b Allison, Ronald; Riddell, Sarah, eds. (1991). The Royal Encyclopedia. London: Macmillan. p. 319.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference BucholzAdmin was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Court Circular, 22 February 2023: 'The Earl of Rosslyn was received by The King, kissed hands upon his appointment as Lord Steward and received from His Majesty his Wand of Office'.
  9. ^ "Register of Interests for The Earl of Rosslyn". UK Parliament. Retrieved 1 August 2024.