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 .
20-497: The parliamentary under-secretary of state (or just parliamentary secretary , particularly in departments not led by a Secretary of State ) is the lowest of three tiers of government minister in the UK government , immediately junior to a Minister of State , which is itself junior to a Secretary of State. The Ministerial and Other Salaries Act 1975 provides that at any one time there can be no more than 83 paid ministers (not counting
40-534: A recommendation of the Security Commission in 2004. The post was first held by Brigadier Jeffrey Cook , OBE MC , who was in office 2004-2008. 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
60-454: 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 which 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
80-439: 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
100-580: Is 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
120-681: The Defence Services Secretary . There are 57 people employed in the office of the monarch's private secretary. 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: Reporting to the private secretary is the role of director for security liaison which was established following
140-592: The Lord Chancellor , up to 3 law officers, and up to 22 whips). Of these, no more than 50 ministers can be paid the salary of a minister senior to a Parliamentary Secretary. Thus, if 50 senior ministers are appointed, the maximum number of paid Parliamentary Secretaries is 33. The limit on the number of unpaid Parliamentary Secretaries is given by the House of Commons Disqualification Act 1975 , ensuring that no more than 95 government ministers of any kind can sit in
160-503: The Monarch exercising royal prerogative on the advice of the government. By convention secretaries of state must be a member of either the House of Commons or the House of Lords , but the prime minister can advise the monarch to confer a peerage to satisfy this requirement. Most secretaries of state are incorporated as a " corporation sole ". This gives the minister a separate legal personality, allowing continuity in areas such as
180-696: The Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom . Secretaries of state head most major government departments and make up the majority of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom . Legislation in the United Kingdom is often written like this example section of a hypothetical Silly Walks Act 1970 : 1. Grant powers On the appointed day, the Secretary of State shall be empowered to grant money towards
200-819: The House of Commons at any one time; there is no upper bound to the number of unpaid ministers sitting in the House of Lords. The position should not be confused with the Permanent Secretary , which is the most senior civil servant in a government department (also known as the Permanent Under-Secretary of State), nor with a Parliamentary Private Secretary (an MP serving as an assistant to a minister entitled to directly relevant expenses but no further pay). Of his tenure as an under-secretary in Macmillan's 1957–1963 Conservative government from
220-501: The Lords, the Duke of Devonshire noted: "No one who hasn't been a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State has any conception of how unimportant a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State is". The current Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State are: Secretary of State (United Kingdom) His Majesty's principal secretaries of state , or secretaries of state , are senior ministers of
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#1732773254125240-469: The Sovereign The office of private secretary was first established in 1805. As of 2024 the position has been held exclusively by men. One woman has served as both deputy and assistant private secretary and an additional two women have served as assistant private secretaries. The current private secretary position is held by Sir Clive Alderton . Colonel Herbert Taylor , who was appointed in 1805,
260-526: The development of fatuous ambulations as seen fit. In legislation, the term "Secretary of State", thus capitalised, is interpreted under the Interpretation Act 1978 as referring to any one of the secretaries of state in use; in practice, such secretaries of state are each allocated a portfolio by the prime minister, and only exercise the powers in that portfolio. In this example, a "Secretary of State for Silly Walks" would be appointed to exercise
280-510: The embryonic offices of foreign secretary and home secretary . Over time, the number of secretaries of states grew, so that there were five in 1900 and 14 by 1996. There are currently 16 secretaries of state. The secretaries of state that have been used for the matters of health, education, work, business, energy, environment, transport and the regions are shown in the graphic below. It shows how portfolios of responsibilities have been broadly passed down from one secretary of state position to
300-534: 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 is an Australian). Private secretaries to the sovereign are always appointed Knights Bachelor, or knights of one of the orders of chivalry, typically the Order of The Bath or the Royal Victorian Order . The same
320-621: The form of the offices of the secretary of state for the Northern Department and the secretary of state for the Southern Department , was made in 1689, though the office had been first divided into the Northern and Southern Department purviews in 1660. In 1782, the responsibilities of these offices were changed, so that one would be responsible for foreign affairs and one for domestic affairs, thus establishing
340-419: 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 effectively been her secretary until his death. The principal functions of the office are: The position of private secretary is regarded as equivalent to that of the permanent secretary of a government department. The incumbent
360-522: The ownership of property between office-holder changes. The origin of the office lies in the office of the king's private secretary . However, by the Tudor period , the office's purview had become more onerous. In 1539 or 1540, Henry VIII appointed two people to the office. After the Stuart Restoration , the practice of appointing two secretaries of state resumed. A formal division, in
380-669: The position(s) directly below it. However, it is impossible for such a graphic to be completely accurate; it cannot show smaller changes, or gains or losses of responsibilities within a position due to changes of responsibilities for the UK Government (for example, due to devolution or Brexit ). It is not to scale. In the gaps, and before the first of these secretaries of state, relevant responsibilities were taken on by ministers not titled 'Secretary of State'. Key: The Secretaries of state that have been used for culture, heritage and sport are as follows: Private Secretary to
400-584: The provisions of the Act, but could theoretically exercise the powers of, for example, the Secretary of State for Scotland at any time. There are exceptions, in that legislation sometimes refers to particular secretaries of state. Under the Ministerial and other Salaries Act 1975 , a maximum of 21 secretaries of state can receive a salary. Secretaries of state and other government ministers are appointed by
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