Lords-in-waiting (male) or baronesses-in-waiting (female) are
peers who hold office in the
Royal Household of the
sovereign
''Sovereign'' is a title which can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin , meaning 'above'.
The roles of a sovereign vary from monarch, ruler or ...
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 continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...
.
In the official Court Circular they are styled "Lord in Waiting" or "Baroness in Waiting" (without hyphenation).
There are two kinds of lord-in-waiting: political appointees by the government of the day who serve as junior government
whips in the House of Lords (the senior whips have the positions of
Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms and
Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard); and non-political appointments by the monarch (who, if they have a seat in the House of Lords, sit as
crossbenchers). Lords-in-waiting (whether political or non-political) may be called upon periodically to represent the sovereign; for example, one of their number is regularly called upon to greet visiting heads of state on arrival at an airport at the start of a state or official visit, and they may then play a role in accompanying them for the duration of their stay. (For instance, on 3 June 2019 lord-in-waiting
Viscount Brookeborough
Viscount Brookeborough, of Colebrooke in the County of Fermanagh, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1952 for the Ulster Unionist politician and Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, Captain The Rt. Hon. Sir Bas ...
was in attendance at Stansted Airport to welcome U.S. president
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
and First Lady
Melania Trump on behalf of the Queen; he and Viscountess Brookeborough then remained "specially attached" to the Trumps for the duration of their visit.) They are also occasionally in attendance on other state or royal occasions. "Extra" lords-in-waiting may also be appointed, supernumerary to the regular appointees, who fulfil a similar role; for example, the
Baroness Rawlings, whose appointment as a government whip (and baroness-in-waiting) ceased in 2012, continued to serve as an extra baroness-in-waiting, and represented the Queen on certain occasions (for example on 27 February 2019 she was present at
RAF Northolt
("Ready to carry or to fight")
, pushpin_map = Greater London
, pushpin_label = RAF Northolt
, pushpin_map_caption = Shown within Greater London
, coordinates =
, type = Royal Air Force station
, code =
, site_area =
, height =
, owner ...
to welcome the King and Queen of Jordan, while at the same time another baroness-in-waiting,
Baroness Manzoor, was present at Heathrow Airport to welcome the President of Slovenia).
In addition, the honour of serving as a permanent lord-in-waiting is occasionally bestowed on very senior courtiers following their retirement. A permanent lord-in-waiting may also represent the sovereign, as often happens at funerals or memorial services for former courtiers.
Political appointments
Most baronesses and lords-in-waiting serve as government whips in the House of Lords. Being members of the government, they are appointed by the sovereign on the recommendation of the
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...
and invariably relinquish their position when there is a change of government.
Currently, there are four lords and baronesses-in-waiting who serve as junior whips in the House of Lords:
Non-political appointments
Alongside the political appointees two non-political lords-in-waiting are always appointed,
at the personal discretion of the sovereign (distinguished from their political counterparts by the designation 'Personal Lord in Waiting').
Those currently serving in this capacity are:
Additional appointments
Any additional appointees are termed extra lords or baronesses-in-waiting.
Those currently serving in this capacity are:
Permanent lords-in-waiting
Permanent lords-in-waiting are retired senior officials of the
Royal Household. Those serving in this capacity include:
[Court Circular, Buckingham Palace]
References
{{reflist
Positions within the British Royal Household
*