Lord Great Chamberlain

Lord Great Chamberlain of England
Incumbent
Rupert Carington, 7th Baron Carrington
since 8 September 2022
Joint hereditary officeholders
StyleThe Right Honourable
TypeGreat Officer of State
AppointerThe Monarch
Term lengthAt His Majesty's pleasure
Formationc. 1126
First holderRobert Malet
Superseded byLord High Treasurer (in monetary affairs)
SuccessionHereditary
SalaryUnpaid

The Lord Great Chamberlain of England is the sixth of the Great Officers of State, ranking beneath the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal and above the Lord High Constable. The Lord Great Chamberlain has charge over the Palace of Westminster (though since the 1960s his personal authority has been limited to the royal apartments and Westminster Hall).

The Lord Great Chamberlain also has a major part to play in royal coronations, having the right to dress the monarch on coronation day and to serve the monarch water before and after the coronation banquet, and also being involved in investing the monarch with the insignia of rule.

On formal state occasions, he wears a distinctive scarlet court uniform and bears a gold key and a white staff as the insignia of his office.

Officeholders

The position is a hereditary one, held since 1780 in gross. At any one time, a single person actually exercises the office of Lord Great Chamberlain. The various individuals who hold fractions of the office are properly each Joint Hereditary Lord Great Chamberlain. They choose one individual of the rank of a knight or higher to be the Deputy Lord Great Chamberlain. Under an agreement made in 1912, the right to exercise the office for a given reign rotates among three families (of the then three joint office holders) in proportion to the fraction of the office held. For instance, the Marquesses of Cholmondeley hold one-half of the office, and may therefore exercise the office or appoint a deputy every alternate reign. Whenever one of the three shares of the 1912 agreement is split further, the joint heirs of this share have to agree among each other, who should be their deputy or any mechanism to determine who of them has the right to choose a deputy.

The office of Lord Great Chamberlain is distinct from the non-hereditary office of Lord Chamberlain of the Household, a position in the monarch's household. This office arose in the 14th century as a deputy of the Lord Great Chamberlain to fulfil the latter's duties in the Royal Household, but now they are quite distinct.

The House of Lords Act 1999 removed the automatic right of hereditary peers to sit in the House of Lords, but the Act provided that a hereditary peer exercising the office of Lord Great Chamberlain (as well as the Earl Marshal) be exempt from such a rule, in order to perform ceremonial functions.

History of the office

The Lord Great Chamberlain, the 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley (left), holding his white staff of office; the Lord Speaker, Baroness Hayman; and the Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, showing US President Barack Obama around Members' Lobby during a tour of the Palace in May 2011.

The office was originally held by Robert Malet, a son of one of the leading companions of William the Conqueror. In 1133, however, King Henry I declared Malet's estates and titles forfeit, and awarded the office of Lord Great Chamberlain to Aubrey de Vere, whose son was created Earl of Oxford. Thereafter, the Earls of Oxford held the title almost continuously until 1526, with a few intermissions due to the forfeiture of some Earls for treason. In 1526, however, the fourteenth Earl of Oxford died, leaving his aunts as his heirs. The earldom was inherited by a more distant heir-male, his second cousin. The Sovereign (at that time Henry VIII) then decreed that the office belonged to the Crown, and was not transmitted along with the earldom. The Sovereign appointed the fifteenth Earl to the office, but the appointment was deemed for life and was not hereditary. The family's association with the office was interrupted in 1540, when the fifteenth earl died and Thomas Cromwell, the King's chief adviser, was appointed Lord Great Chamberlain. After Cromwell's attainder and execution later the same year, the office passed through a few more court figures, until 1553, when it was passed back to the De Vere family, the sixteenth Earl of Oxford, again as an uninheritable life appointment. Later, Queen Mary I ruled that the Earls of Oxford were indeed entitled to the office of Lord Great Chamberlain on an hereditary basis.

Thus, the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth Earls of Oxford held the position on a hereditary basis until 1626, when the eighteenth Earl died, again leaving a distant relative as heir male, but a closer one as a female heir. The House of Lords eventually ruled that the office belonged to the heir general, Robert Bertie, 14th Baron Willoughby de Eresby, who later became Earl of Lindsey. The office remained vested in the Earls of Lindsey, who later became Dukes of Ancaster and Kesteven.

In 1779, however, the fourth Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven died, leaving two sisters as female heirs, and an uncle as an heir male. The uncle became the fifth and last Duke, but the House of Lords ruled that the two sisters were jointly Lord Great Chamberlain and could appoint a Deputy to fulfil the functions of the office. The barony of Willoughby de Eresby went into abeyance between the two sisters, but the Sovereign terminated the abeyance and granted the title to the elder sister, Priscilla Bertie, 21st Baroness Willoughby de Eresby. The office of Lord Great Chamberlain, however, was divided between Priscilla and her younger sister Georgiana. Priscilla's share was eventually split between two of her granddaughters, and has been split several more times since then. By contrast, Georgiana's share has been inherited by a single male heir each time; that individual has in each case been the Marquess of Cholmondeley, a title created for Georgiana's husband.

20th and 21st centuries

6 May 2023: Lord Carrington (Lord Great Chamberlain since 2022) on his way to the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla (with Baroness Manningham-Buller, LG).

In 1902 it was ruled by the House of Lords that the then joint office holders (the 1st Earl of Ancaster, the 4th Marquess of Cholmondeley, and the Earl Carrington, later Marquess of Lincolnshire) had to agree on a deputy to exercise the office, subject to the approval of the Sovereign. Should there be no such agreement, the Sovereign should appoint a deputy until an agreement be reached.

In 1912 an agreement was reached. The office, or right to appoint the person to exercise the office, would thereafter rotate among the three joint office holders and their heirs after them, changing at the start of each successive reign. Cholmondeley and his heirs would serve in every other reign; Ancaster and Carrington would each serve once in four reigns.

As the Cholmondeley share and the Ancaster share (held since 1983 by the Baroness Willoughby de Eresby) are not further split, each of these holders decides in his or her turn to act as Lord Great Chamberlain or to name a person who will act as Lord Great Chamberlain. The Carrington share was divided at his death among his five daughters and their heirs, and has since been further divided, with 11 people holding shares as of September 2022. At accession of Charles III the turn fell to the Carrington heirs who named their cousin Rupert Carington, 7th Baron Carrington to act as Lord Great Chamberlain. Being descended from the Earl's younger brother he himself has no share of the office.

On 6 May 2023 the Lord Great Chamberlain presented spurs to King Charles III as part of his coronation. The spurs were included among the first English coronation ornaments in 1189 and were used during the coronation of Richard I.

Lord Great Chamberlains, 1130–1779

Portrait Name Term of office Monarch
(reign)
Robert Malet 1130 1133 Henry I
(1100–1135)
Aubrey de Vere II 1133 1141
Stephen
(1135–1154)
Aubrey de Vere
1st Earl of Oxford
1141 1194
Henry II
(1154–1189)
Richard I
(1189–1199)
Aubrey de Vere
2nd Earl of Oxford
1194 1214
John
(1199–1216)
Robert de Vere
3rd Earl of Oxford
1214 1221
Henry III

(1216–1272)
Hugh de Vere
4th Earl of Oxford
1221 1263
Robert de Vere
5th Earl of Oxford
1263 1265
unclear, perhaps vacant 1265 1267
unclear, perhaps again
Robert de Vere
5th Earl of Oxford
1267 1296
Edward I
(1272–1307)
Robert de Vere
6th Earl of Oxford
1296 1331
Edward II
(1307–1327)
Edward III

(1327–1377)
John de Vere
7th Earl of Oxford
1331 1360
Thomas de Vere
8th Earl of Oxford
1360 1371
Robert de Vere
Duke of Ireland

KG
1371 1388
Richard II

(1377–1399)
John Holland
1st Duke of Exeter
1398 1399
Aubrey de Vere
10th Earl of Oxford
1399 1400 Henry IV
(1399–1413)
Richard de Vere
11th Earl of Oxford
1400 1417
Henry V
(1413–1422)
John de Vere
12th Earl of Oxford
1417 1462
Henry VI
(1422–1461)
Edward IV
(1461–1470)
John de Vere
13th Earl of Oxford

KG KB
1462 1464
Richard Neville
16th Earl of Warwick

KG
1464 1471
Henry VI
(1470–1471)
unclear 1471 1475 Edward IV

(1471–1483)
Henry Percy
4th Earl of Northumberland
1475 1485
Edward V
(1483)
Richard III
(1483–1485)
John de Vere
13th Earl of Oxford

KG KB
1485 1513 Henry VII
(1485–1509)
Henry VIII

(1509–1547)
John de Vere
14th Earl of Oxford
1513 1526
John de Vere
15th Earl of Oxford

KG PC
1526 1540
Thomas Cromwell
1st Earl of Essex

KG PC
1540 1540
Robert Radcliffe
1st Earl of Sussex

KG KB PC
1540 1542
Edward Seymour
1st Duke of Somerset

KG
1543 1547
John Dudley
1st Duke of Northumberland

KG
1547 1549 Edward VI

(1547–1553)
William Parr
1st Marquess of Northampton

KG
1549 1553
John de Vere
16th Earl of Oxford
1553 1562 Mary I
(1553–1558)
Elizabeth I
(1558–1603)
Edward de Vere
17th Earl of Oxford
1562 1604
James I

(1603–1625)
Henry de Vere
18th Earl of Oxford
1604 1625
Robert Bertie
1st Earl of Lindsay
1625 1642 Charles I

(1625–1649)
Montagu Bertie
2nd Earl of Lindsay

KG PC
1642 1666
Interregnum
(1649–1660)
Charles II
(1660–1685)
Robert Bertie
3rd Earl of Lindsay

PC FRS
1666 1701
James II
(1685–1688)
Mary II
(1689–1694)
William III
(1689–1702)
Robert Bertie
1st Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven

PC
1701 1723
Anne
(1702–1714)
George I
(1714–1727)
Peregrine Bertie
2nd Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven

PC
1723 1742
George II
(1727–1760)
Peregrine Bertie
3rd Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven

PC
1742 1778
George III

(1760–1820)
Robert Bertie
4th Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven

PC
1778 1779

Joint hereditary Lord Great Chamberlains, 1780–present

The fractions show the holder's share in the office, and the date they held it. The current (as of 2022) holders of the office are shown in bold face.

Joint hereditary Lord Great Chamberlains, 1780–present
Peregrine Bertie, 3rd Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven
Priscilla Bertie, 21st Baroness Willoughby de Eresby
12 1780–1828
Georgiana Cholmondeley, Marchioness of Cholmondeley
12 1780–1838
Peter Drummond-Burrell, 22nd Baron Willoughby de Eresby
12 1828–1865
George Cholmondeley, 2nd Marquess of Cholmondeley
12 1838–1870
William Cholmondeley, 3rd Marquess of Cholmondeley
12 1870–1884
Albyric Drummond-Willoughby, 23rd Baron Willoughby de Eresby
12 1865–1870
Clementina Drummond-Willoughby, 24th Baroness Willoughby de Eresby
14 1870–1888
Charlotte Augusta Carrington, Lady Carrington
14 1870–1879
Charles George Cholmondeley
Gilbert Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby, 1st Earl of Ancaster
14 1888–1910
Charles Wynn-Carington, 1st Marquess of Lincolnshire
14 1879–1928
George Cholmondeley, 4th Marquess of Cholmondeley
12 1884–1923
Gilbert Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby, 2nd Earl of Ancaster
14 1910–1951
Marjorie Wilson, Baroness Nunburnholme
120 1928–1968
Lady Alexandra Llewellen Palmer
120 1928–1955
Ruperta Legge, Countess of Dartmouth
120 1928–1963
Judith Keppel, Countess of AlbemarleLady Victoria Weld-Forester
120 1928–1966
George Cholmondeley, 5th Marquess of Cholmondeley
12 1923–1968
James Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby, 3rd Earl of Ancaster
14 1951–1983
Charles Wilson, 3rd Baron Nunburnholme
120 1968–1974
Brig. Anthony Llewellen Palmer
120 1955–1990
Col. Charles Timothy Llewellen PalmerLady Mary Findlay
1100 1963–2003
Lady Elizabeth Basset
1100 1963–2000
Lady Diana Matthews
1100 1963–1970
Lady Barbara Kwiatkowska
1100 1963–2013
Josceline Chichester, Marchioness of Donegall
1100 1963–1995
Derek Keppel, Viscount Bury
120 1928–1968
Sir Henry Legge-Bourke
120 1966–1973
Hugh Cholmondeley, 6th Marquess of Cholmondeley
12 1968–1990
Jane Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby, 28th Baroness Willoughby de Eresby
14 1983–
Ben Wilson, 4th Baron Nunburnholme
120 1974–1998
Julian Llewellen Palmer
120 1990–2002
Cdr Jonathan Findlay
1100 2003–2015
Bryan Basset
1100 2000–2010
Col James Hamilton-Russell
1100 1970–
Jan Witold Kwiatkowski
1100 2013–
Patrick Chichester, 8th Marquess of Donegall
1100 1995–
Rufus Keppel, 10th Earl of Albemarle
120 1968–
William Legge-Bourke
120 1973–2009
David Cholmondeley, 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley
12 1990–
The Hon. Lorraine Wilson
180 1998–2022
160 2022–
The Hon. Tatiana Dent
180 1998–2022
160 2022–
The Hon. Ines Garton
180 1998–2022
160 2022–
The Hon. Ysabel Williams
180 1998–2022
Nicholas Llewellen Palmer
120 2002–
Christopher Findlay
1100 2015–
David Basset
1100 2010
Michael James Basset
1100 2010–
Capt. Harry Legge-Bourke
120 2009–

Persons exercising the office of Lord Great Chamberlain, 1780–present

Portrait Name Term of office Monarch
(reign)
Peter Burrell
1st Baron Gwydyr
1780 1820 George III
(1760–1820)
George IV

(1820–1830)
Peter Drummond-Burrell
22nd Baron Willoughby de Eresby

PC
1821 1830
George Cholmondeley
2nd Marquess of Cholmondeley

PC
1830 1837 William IV

(1830–1837)
Peter Drummond-Burrell
22nd Baron Willoughby de Eresby

PC
1837 1865 Victoria

(1837–1901)
Albyric Drummond-Willoughby
23rd Baron Willoughby de Eresby
1865 1870
Gilbert Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby
25th Baron Willoughby de Eresby

PC
1871 1901
George Cholmondeley
4th Marquess of Cholmondeley

PC DL
1901 1910 Edward VII

(1901–1910)
Charles Wynn-Carington
1st Marquess of Lincolnshire

KG GCMG PC JP DL
1910 1928 George V

(1910–1936)
William Legge
Viscount Lewisham

GCVO TD
1928 1936
George Cholmondeley
5th Marquess of Cholmondeley

GCVO
1936 Edward VIII

(1936)
Gilbert Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby
2nd Earl of Ancaster

GCVO JP DL
1936 1951 George VI

(1936–1952)
James Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby
3rd Earl of Ancaster

TD
1951 1952
George Cholmondeley
5th Marquess of Cholmondeley

GCVO
1952 1966 Elizabeth II

(1952–2022)
Hugh Cholmondeley
6th Marquess of Cholmondeley

GCVO MC DL
1966 1990
David Cholmondeley
7th Marquess of Cholmondeley

GCVO DL
1990 2022
Rupert Carington
7th Baron Carrington

DL
2022 present Charles III

(2022–present)

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