The Director of the Royal Collection is head of the
Royal Collection Department, a department of the
Royal Household of the
Sovereign of the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
. The department is responsible for the day-to-day management and upkeep of the art collection of the
British Royal Family; held in trust for the nation and successive monarchs, it is one of the largest and most important art collections in the world. It contains over 7,000 paintings, 40,000
watercolour
Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to t ...
s and
drawings, about 150,000
old master prints, as well as historical photographs, tapestries, furniture, ceramics, books, and the
Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom
The Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom, originally the Crown Jewels of England, are a collection of royal ceremonial objects kept in the Tower of London which include the coronation regalia and vestments worn by British monarchs.
Symbols of ov ...
. The Director of the Royal Collection is also an
ex-officio
An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term '' ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by right ...
trustee
Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to ...
of
Historic Royal Palaces
Historic Royal Palaces is an independent charity that manages some of the United Kingdom's unoccupied royal palaces.
These are:
* Tower of London
* Hampton Court Palace
* Kensington Palace (State Apartments and Orangery)
* The Banqueting Hous ...
.
Although containing items acquired centuries earlier, the post is relatively new, having been established only in 1987. The inaugural office holder was
Sir Oliver Millar.
List of directors of the Royal Collection
*
Sir Oliver Millar, 1987-1988
*
Sir Geoffrey de Bellaigue, 1988-1996
*
Sir Hugh Roberts, 1996-2010
*
Sir Jonathan Marsden, 2010–2017
*
Tim Knox, 2018-Present
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Director Of The Royal Collection
British arts administrators