Royal Households of the United Kingdom
The Royal Households of the United Kingdom are the collective departments that support members of the British royal family. Many members of the royal family who undertake public duties have separate households. They vary considerably in size, from the large household that supports the sovereign to the household of the Prince and Princess of Wales, with fewer members.
In addition to the royal officials and support staff, the sovereign's own household incorporates representatives of other estates of the realm, including the government, the military, and the church. Government whips, defence chiefs, several clerics, scientists, musicians, poets, and artists hold honorary positions within the Royal Household. In this way, the Royal Household may be seen as having a symbolic, as well as a practical, function: exemplifying the monarchy's close relationship with other parts of the constitution and of national life.
History[edit]
Anglo-Saxon period (871–1066)[edit]
The royal household has roots in the comitatus that provided military support to early Anglo-Saxon kings.[1] In addition to the royal family, the household would have included a large staff of domestic servants, military personnel, priests, and clerks.[2] Household members included noble thegns for whom such service could lead to promotion to higher office. The highest ranking officers were:[3]
The Royal Household in Scotland includes offices of personal, honorary and state appointments. Many appointments are vacant having fallen into abeyance; been abolished or returned to The Crown; merged with other positions both before and after the Union of the Crown with England; or due to lack of a clear office holder.
The Great Officers of the Royal Household (not to be confused with the Great Officers of State of Scotland which are political and judicial appointments, or the Great Officers of the Crown of Scotland though some officers are shared) are:[39]
Ecclesiastical officers of the Ecclesiastical Household of Scotland:
Officers of Administration and Legal Officers:
Governors, Captains and Keepers of Palaces and Castles:
Heraldic Officers and Keepers of the Regalia:
Officers of the Order of the Thistle:
The Household Division, Sovereign's Body Guard, King's Guard, and ceremonial military posts and bodies:
Other hereditary and non-hereditary offices and Court appointments: