The 7th Earl of Rosslyn has been appointed Lord Steward and personal secretary to the King and Queen. The courtier, a former Metropolitan policeman, 64, now holds the highest office in the Royal Household.
The Court Circular reports that: The Earl of Dalhousie was received by The King this afternoon, delivered up his Wand of Office and took leave upon relinquishing his appointment as Lord Steward.
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.
On her accession in 1952 Queen Elizabeth II retained the Duke of Hamilton as Lord Steward, who had been appointed by her father in 1940.
The Lord Steward or Lord Steward of the Household is an official of the Royal Household in England. He is always a peer of the realm. Until 1924, he was always a member of the Government.Until 1782, the office was one of considerable political importance and carried Cabinet rank. The Lord Steward receives his appointment from the Sovereign in person and bears a white staff as the emblem and warrant of his authority. He is the first dignitary of the court. In the House of Lords Precedence Act 1539, an Act of Parliament for placing of the lords, he is described as the grand master or lord steward of the king's most honourable household.
Peter St Clair-Erskine, Earl of Rosslyn, Baron Loughborough, and a baronet, was born 31 March, 1958, and succeeded to the Earldom (cr Peerage of the UK, 1801) on his father's death, 22 Nov, 1977.
Lord Rosslyn was an officer in the Metropolitan Police 1981-94; with Thames Valley Police 1994-2003; elected to the House of Lords (Cross Bench) 1999; and was appointed Head of Royal Protection Squad in 2003, when he first met the future King.
Peter Rosslyn succeeds the 17th Earl of Dalhousie (born 17 Jan, 1948), Lord Seward since 2009.
Lord Rosslyn, as Lord Steward, represented the King and Queen at the memorial service for Dame Frances Campbell-Preston, DCVO, Lady in Waiting to the Queen Mother, which was held at the Chapel of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, yesterday.
Lord Stewards in the late Queen's reign numbered seven:-
The Duke of Hamilton & Brandon 1952-64
The Duke of Westminster 1964-67
Viscount Cobham 1967-72
The Duke of Northumberland 1973-88
Viscount Ridley 1989-2001
The Duke of Abercorn 2001-2009
The Earl of Dalhousie 2009-2023
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