Robin Berry Janvrin, Baron Janvrin, (born 20 September 1946) is a British naval officer, diplomat, and courtier who was private secretary to

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

from February 1999 to September 2007.

Early life

Born in

Cheltenham Cheltenham () is a historic spa town and borough adjacent to the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the mo ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

, Robin Berry Janvrin is the son of Vice Admiral Sir Richard Janvrin and Nancy Fielding. He was educated at

Marlborough College Marlborough College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English private boarding school) for pupils aged 13 to 18 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. It was founded as Marlborough School in 1843 by the Dean of Manchester, George ...

Britannia Royal Naval College Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth, also known as Dartmouth, is the naval academy of the United Kingdom and the initial officer training establishment of the Royal Navy. It is located on a hill overlooking the port of Dartmouth, Devon, En ...

, Dartmouth, and

Brasenose College, Oxford Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The l ...

, from which he received a first class

bachelor's A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ( ...

degree in

philosophy, politics and economics Philosophy, politics and economics, or politics, philosophy and economics (PPE), is an interdisciplinary undergraduate or postgraduate academic degree, degree which combines study from three disciplines. The first institution to offer degrees in P ...

in 1969, and of which he was made an Honorary Fellow in 1999. In 1962, he was selected to attend Camp Rising Sun in upstate New York.

Career

Janvrin entered the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

in 1964, was commissioned as an acting sub-lieutenant on 1 September 1966, promoted

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

on 4 March 1971, and served until 2 July 1975. He subsequently became a member of the

Castaways' Club The Castaways' Club is a dining club for retired Officer Corps of the Royal Navy, warfare officers (previously known as executive or seaman officers) of the Royal Navy who left the service while still junior officers, typically with the rank of Li ...

. On leaving the navy, Janvrin joined the

Foreign and Commonwealth Office The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is the ministry of foreign affairs and a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the government of the United Kingdom. The office was created on 2 ...

. He was a

Second Secretary Diplomatic rank is a system of professional and social rank used in the world of diplomacy and international relations. A diplomat's rank determines many ceremonial details, such as the order of precedence at official processions, table seating ...

in 1975 and was appointed First Secretary at the mission to

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

in 1976. He was officially appointed an Officer of the Diplomatic Service on 7 February 1979. Janvrin was First Secretary in

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

from 1981 to 1984, during which time he was made a member of the 4th Class of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the m ...

for services during the Queen's

state visit A state visit is a formal visit by the head of state, head of a sovereign state, sovereign country (or Governor-general, representative of the head of a sovereign country) to another sovereign country, at the invitation of the head of state (or ...

to India. Janvrin was then counsellor and deputy head of the Department for the Personnel Department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office from 1985 to 1987. On 1 June 1987 Janvrin was recruited as press secretary to the Queen, though it was initially thought that he would be appointed assistant press secretary. In 1990, he was awarded the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal. On 19 October 1990 he became assistant private secretary to the Queen, and in 1996 the deputy private secretary. He was promoted a commander of the Royal Victorian Order in the

1994 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1994 were appointments by most of the sixteen Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and honorary ones to citizens of other ...

, a

companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregi ...

in the 1997 New Year Honours, and a knight commander of the Royal Victorian Order in the 1998 New Year Honours,. In February 1999 he succeeded Sir Robert Fellowes (later Lord Fellowes) as private secretary to the sovereign. He was promoted to

knight commander of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

in the 2003 New Year Honours. Janvrin was also a trustee of the Queen's 80th Birthday Trust, and was the chairman of trustees of The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry from 29 September 2009 to 1 April 2016. Janvrin retired in September 2007, and was succeeded as private secretary by Christopher Geidt. He was promoted to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in the 2007 Birthday Honours and, on 24 July, it was announced that Janvrin would be made a

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...

, as one of the ten public servants per Parliament whom the

Prime Minister A prime minister 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. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

may nominate for a peerage upon their retirement. His title was gazetted as ''Baron Janvrin'', of Chalford Hill in the County of Gloucestershire on 10 October, and he sits as a

crossbencher A crossbencher is a minor party or independent member of some legislatures, such as the Parliament of Australia. In the British House of Lords the term refers to members of the parliamentary group of non-political peers. They take their name fr ...

in the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

. On the day of his retirement, 8 September, Janvrin was also promoted to Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order by the Queen. In October, the Queen appointed Lord Janvrin to be a permanent

lord-in-waiting Lords-in-waiting (male) or baronesses-in-waiting (female) are peers who hold office in the Royal Household of the sovereign of the United Kingdom. In the official Court Circular they are styled "Lord in Waiting" or "Baroness in Waiting" (without ...

in the royal household. In the 2008 New Zealand New Year Honours, Lord Janvrin was made a companion of the Queen's Service Order for "services to New Zealand as Private Secretary to The Queen". On 7 January 2008 Janvrin took up his appointment of deputy chairman, HSBC Private Bank (UK). Janvrin is also chairman of The Leadership Council, a research and thought leadership body in the UK. In 2008, he replaced Sir Christopher Mallaby as president of the British Entente Cordiale Scholarship trust.

Marriage

Janvrin married Isabelle de Boissonneaux de Chevigny, daughter of French aristocrat Yann de Boissonneaux de Chevigny, in 1977.

In popular culture

Janvrin was portrayed by Roger Allam in

Stephen Frears Sir Stephen Arthur Frears (born 20 June 1941) is a British director and producer of film and television, often depicting real life stories as well as projects that explore social class through sharply-drawn characters. He has received numerous a ...

' '' The Queen'' (2006) starring

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...

-winner Dame

Helen Mirren Dame Helen Mirren (; born Ilyena Lydia Vasilievna Mironov; 26 July 1945) is an English actor. With a career spanning over six decades of Helen Mirren on screen and stage, screen and stage, List of awards and nominations received by Helen Mirre ...

. The film, which deals with the immediate aftermath of the death of

Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William, ...

, in 1997, inaccurately portrays Janvrin, then deputy private secretary to the Sovereign, as private secretary. In 1997, the position of Private Secretary was occupied by Robert Fellowes - who was also Diana's brother-in-law, being married to her sister Jane. Janvrin was portrayed by

Jamie Parker Jamie Parker (born 14 August 1979) is an English actor and singer. He is best known for his role as Harry Potter in the original cast for the West End play '' Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'', for which he received a Laurence Olivier Award ...

in season 6 of ''

The Crown The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the State (polity), state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive ...

''. In episode 4, "Aftermath", Janvrin is depicted informing the Queen,

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

, and The Duke of Edinburgh of the death of

Honours

On 10 October 2007 Sir Robert was raised to a peerage as Baron Janvrin.

Styles

*Mr Robin Janvrin 1946–1983 *Mr Robin Janvrin 1983–1984 *Mr Robin Janvrin 1984–1994 *Mr Robin Janvrin 1994–1997 *Mr Robin Janvrin 1997–1998 *

The Rt Hon ''The Right Honourable'' (abbreviation: The Rt Hon. or variations) is an honorific style traditionally applied to certain persons and collective bodies in the United Kingdom, the former British Empire, and the Commonwealth of Nations. The term is ...

Sir Robin Janvrin 1998–2003 *The Rt Hon Sir Robin Janvrin 2003 – 16 June 2007 *The Rt Hon Sir Robin Janvrin 16 June 2007 – 8 September 2007 *The Rt Hon Sir Robin Janvrin 8 September 2007 – 10 October 2007 *The Rt Hon The Lord Janvrin 10 October 2007 – 2008 *The Rt Hon The Lord Janvrin 2008–present

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Janvrin, Robin Janvrin, Baron 1946 births Living people Alumni of Brasenose College, Oxford Crossbench life peers Graduates of Britannia Royal Naval College Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom People educated at Marlborough College Permanent Lords-in-Waiting People from Cheltenham Royal Navy officers Companions of the Queen's Service Order Private Secretaries to the Sovereign Deputy Private Secretaries to the Sovereign Assistant Private Secretaries to the Sovereign Life peers created by Elizabeth II