Sir David Vines White KCVO (born 27 October 1961) is a retired officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. He served as Garter Principal King of Arms from 2021 until 30 June 2026.
During his tenure in office, Whit was senior herald and genealogist at the College of Arms in London, as Garter King of Arms, he was responsible for the governance of the law of arms in England and Wales, the succession of peerage and baronet titles, introducing new peers to the House of Lords, and oversight of royal ceremonial duties.The Officers of Arms College of Arms
As Garter, he assisted the Earl Marshal in arranging the Royal Procession at the Coronation of Charles III and Camilla.
Life
Born in Scotland, the younger son of Sheila (née Chatterton) and Peter Vines White (died 1999 at Shilton, Oxfordshire),Notice of death of Sheila White, telegraph.co.uk; accessed 13 April 2015 he was educated at Marlborough College, before going up to Pembroke College, Cambridge, graduating as a Bachelor of Arts (subsequently promoted in the usual course to MA(Cantab)).www.college-of-arms.gov.uk As an undergraduate he was elected President of the Cambridge University Heraldic and Genealogical Society.
He then pursued postgraduate studies in the History of Art at the Courtauld Institute, receiving a second (graduate-level) MA degree from the University of London.
White served as a research assistant to Theobald Mathew, Windsor Herald, and contributor to Burke's Peerage & Baronetage. In 1995, he was appointed Rouge Croix Pursuivant, following in the tradition of eminent genealogists such as Sir Henry Farnham Burke and Sir Anthony Wagner. In 2004, he was advanced Somerset Herald, and from 2014 to 2021 also served as Registrar of the College of Arms.London Gazette profile; accessed 13 April 2015.
On 1 July 2021, White was promoted Garter Principal King of Arms, succeeding Sir Thomas Woodcock upon his retirement. He was also appointed Inspector of Royal Air Force Badges effective from 1 July 2021.The London Gazette (supplement), issue 63659 (5 April 2022), p. 6450. On 1 August 2021, White also became Inspector of Regimental Colours to the British Army.
A member of the Council of the Heraldry Society of London (Chairman 2006–09, now Hon. FHS) and of the British Record Society, White has served as Genealogist of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath since 2021, and as Honorary Genealogist of the Royal Victorian Order since 2010.The College of Arms Newsletter no. 25 , June 2010, pg. 2; accessed 13 April 2015. He was Genealogist of the Most Venerable Order of St John of Jerusalem from 2021 to 2025. He is also a committee member of the Travellers' Club.www.thetravellersclub.org.uk
On 10 September 2022, as Garter King of Arms, White proclaimed the accession of Charles III from the Proclamation Gallery in Friary Court, St James's Palace, Londonwww.thenationalnews.com before a global television audience.www.royal.uk On 19 September 2022 he proclaimed the styles and titles of Elizabeth II over her descending coffin at the end of her committal service in St George's Chapel, Windsor.
White was made a Knight Commander in the Royal Victorian Order in June 2026, and left the office of Garter King of Arms at the end of his term on 30 June 2026.
Honours and decorations 2021: Officer of the Most Venerable Order of St John of Jerusalemwww.thegazette.co.uk 2012: Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal 2022: Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal 2023: King Charles III Coronation Medal 2026: Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Orderhttps://royalcentral.co.uk/uk/mystery-royal-bodyguard-finally-recognised-in-kings-birthday-honours-218106/
Arms
See also Burke's Peerage & Baronetage College of Arms Heraldry
References
External links College of Arms website Debrett's People of Today Burke's Peerage & Baronetage