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. 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 current private secretary position is held by Sir Clive Alderton.
History English monarchs have had secretaries and clerks since at least the late Middle Ages, under various titles such as King's Clerk, King's Secretary, or Principal Secretary. This office turned into the Secretary of State, and eventually became a governmental position. The Scottish monarchy had a similar office, the Secretary of Scotland.
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 that 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 in effect 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 last 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 was an Australian).
Private secretaries to the sovereign are always knighted, typically in the Order of the Bath or the Royal Victorian Order, or both. The same is often 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.
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. The private secretary is, with the Cabinet Secretary and the Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister, part of the "golden triangle" of officials responsible for supporting the sovereign to appoint a prime minister in the event of a hung parliament, when it is not immediately clear who can command a majority in the House of Commons. This is important for ensuring that the sensitive process runs smoothly and that the sovereign is not implicated in political debate or manoeuvres.
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. The post was first held by Brigadier Jeffrey Cook, who was in office from 2004 to 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 ColonelHerbert Taylor 1805 1811 George III ColonelSir John McMahon, 1st Baronet 1811 1817Received a Baronetage. McMahon baronets of Ashley Manor The Prince Regent, later George IV Lieutenant-GeneralSir Benjamin Bloomfield 1817 1822 Baron Bloomfield Sir William Knighton 1822 1830 Lieutenant-GeneralSir Herbert Taylor 1830 1837 William IV William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne (informally, while Prime Minister) 1837 1840 Victoria Prince Albert (informally) 1840 1861 ColonelSir Charles Beaumont Phipps 1861 1866 GeneralCharles Grey 1861 1870 Major-GeneralSir Henry Ponsonby 1870 1895 Lieutenant-ColonelSir Arthur Bigge 1895 1901 Baron StamfordhamFrancis Knolyss, 1st Baron Knollys 1901 1910Viscount Knollys Edward VII1910 1913 George V Lieutenant-ColonelArthur Bigge, 1st Baron Stamfordham 1931 ColonelClive Wigram, 1st Baron Wigram 1931 1936 MajorSir Alec Hardinge 1936 1936Baron Hardinge of Penshurst Edward VIII 1936 1943 George VICaptainSir Alan "Tommy" Lascelles 1943 1952Refused a Peerage. He did, however, accept appointment as a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, which, he said, "rated much higher than a peerage" 1952 1953 Elizabeth II Lieutenant-ColonelSir Michael Adeane 1954 1972 Baron Adeane (for life) Lieutenant-ColonelSir Martin Charteris 1972 1977 Baron Charteris of Amisfield (for life) Sir Philip Moore 1977 1986 Baron Moore of Wolvercote (for life) Sir William Heseltine 1986 1990 Sir Robert Fellowes 1990 1999 Baron Fellowes (for life) LieutenantSir Robin Janvrin 1999 2007 Baron Janvrin (for life) Sir Christopher Geidt 2007 2017 Baron Geidt (for life)Sir Edward Young 2017 2022 Baron Young of Old Windsor (for life)2022 2023 Charles III Sir Clive Alderton present
Deputy private secretaries to the sovereign since 1972 Deputy Private SecretaryFromToSir Philip Moore19721977Sir William Heseltine19771986Sir Robert Fellowes19861990Sir Kenneth Scott19901996Sir Robin Janvrin19961999Mary FrancisFebruary 1999June 1999Christopher Geidt20052007Edward Young20072017David Hogan-Hern 20222022John Sorabji2023Matthew Magee2024Chris Fitzgerald2024Theo Rycroft2024present
Assistant private secretaries to the sovereign since 1878 Assistant Private SecretaryFromToLieutenant-Colonel Sir Fleetwood Edwards18781895Colonel Sir Arthur Bigge18801895Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Frederick Ponsonby18951914Colonel Sir Arthur Davidson19011910Colonel Sir Clive Wigram19101931Rowland Baring, 2nd Earl of Cromer19161920Major Sir Alexander Hardinge19201936Sir Frank Herbert Mitchell19311937Sir Alan Lascelles19351943Sir Godfrey Thomas19361936Major Sir Michael Adeane19361953Sir Eric Mieville19371945Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Edward Ford19461967Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Martin Charteris19521972Philip Moore19661972William Heseltine19721977Robert Fellowes19771985Sir Kenneth Scott19851990Robin Janvrin19901995Mary Francis19961999Tim Hitchens19992002Kay BrockStuart Shilson20012004Christopher Geidt20022005Edward Young20042007Douglas King20072012Samantha Cohen20102018Tom Laing-Baker20182022Matthew MageeJennifer Jordan-Saifi20222023Dr Nathan Ross20232025Muna Shamsuddin2023present
See also Canadian Secretary to the King Private secretary
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