Multimedia Mania/abacus-multimedia-mania.iso/dp/0054/00540.txt

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$Unique_ID{bob00540}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{United Kingdom
The Royal Household}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Embassy of the United Kingdom, Washington DC}
$Affiliation{Embassy of the United Kingdom, Washington DC}
$Subject{royal
household
lord
state
sovereign
king
queen
queen's
arms
ceremonial
see
pictures
see
figures
}
$Date{1990}
$Log{See Conwy Castle in Gwynedd*0054001.scf
}
Title:       United Kingdom
Book:        The Monarchy in Britain
Author:      Embassy of the United Kingdom, Washington DC
Affiliation: Embassy of the United Kingdom, Washington DC
Date:        1990

The Royal Household

[See Conwy Castle in Gwynedd: One of the Castles built by Edward I; which is
listed as a world heritage site. Courtesy Embassy of the United Kingdom, New
York.]

Great Officers of State

     The Royal Household was originally the centre of the system of
government. The leading dignitaries of the palace - the Sovereign's closest
advisers - were, by the nature of the executive power directly exercised by
the monarch, also the principal administrators of the State. With the
development of ministerial responsibility for executive acts, many leading
members of the original Royal Household of England - the Lord Chancellor, the
Lord President of the Council, the Lord Privy Seal and the Secretary of State
(an office now divided between a number of ministers) - became members of the
political administration and entirely divorced from household duties. The
ancient office of Lord High Treasurer has been put in commission, while two
other offices - those of the Lord High Steward and Lord High Constable - are
now granted only for the single day of a coronation. While no Great Officer of
State retains Household functions, two (the Lord Great Chamberlain and the
Earl Marshal) retain duties in connection with royal ceremonial.

The Lord Great Chamberlain

     The office of Lord Great Chamberlain dates back to the reign of King
Henry I (1100-35). The office belongs for life to one of the heads of three
families - those of the Marquess of Cholmondeley, Lord Carrington and the
late Earl of Ancaster - who decide among themselves on who shall hold it.

     The Lord Great Chamberlain was originally head of the Sovereign's
personal household and all royal palaces. Few of these duties are nowadays
attached to the office, but the holder is responsible for the arrangements
when the Sovereign attends Parliament (see p 9), and at the coronation
ceremony, when he stands on the left of the Sovereign in Westminster Abbey,
fastens the clasp of the Imperial Mantle after investiture, and arrays the
Sovereign in purple robes before the procession out of the Abbey.

     Since each Lord Great Chamberlain enters upon his duties immediately a
new reign begins, he has to arrange, in conjunction with the Department of the
Environment, for the Lying-in-State of the dead monarch at Westminster Hall.

The Earl Marshall

     The office of Earl Marshal of England also originated in the reign of
King Henry I. It has been hereditary in the family of the Duke of Norfolk
since 1672.

     The Earl Marshal is head of the College of Arms and is also responsible
for the arrangement of coronations, royal funerals and other State functions.

Officers of the Royal Household

     Certain offices have become obsolete with the passage of time, and a few
have been created comparatively recently to meet modern requirements. A
number, however, have been retained since Plantagenet and Tudor times,
although the duties attached to them are now very different.

     Although the ministerial holders of Great Offices of State are no longer
members of the Household, certain officers have governmental, as well as
Household, duties to perform. The Treasurer, Comptroller and Vice-Chamberlain
of the Household all act as Government Whips in the House of Commons, and the
Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms, the Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard and
three of the five non-permanent Lords-in-Waiting act as Government Whips in
the House of Lords. Although the Lord Chamberlain, Lord Steward, Master of the
Horse and the non-political Lords-in-Waiting have, since 1924, been appointed
by the personal choice of the Sovereign, they are appointed on condition that
they do not vote against the Government of the day in the House of Lords (of
which they are all members).

     Broadly speaking, the Royal Household consists of a number of
departments and offices, each under a principal household officer.

The Lord Steward

     For centuries the Lord Steward was responsible for the Palace below
stairs, and managed the catering arrangements for State banquets, Courts
and all other forms of royal entertaining, together with appointing and
superintending numerous people in the service of the Sovereign, and the
payment of all Household expenses. Nowadays, these functions are carried
out by the department of the Master of the Household, who is a permanent
officer. The Lord Steward, appointed by the Sovereign, still retains the
titular authority and, on ceremonial occasions, bears a white staff as an
emblem of his position. The Coroner of the Household, who exercises
jurisdiction in the royal palaces and in any other place where the Sovereign
may be staying, is appointed by the Lord Steward.

The Treasurer and the Comptroller

     The offices of Treasurer of the Household and Comptroller of the
Household are now political appointments and change with a change of
government.

The Lord Chamberlain

     The Lord Chamberlain was originally a deputy of the Lord Great
Chamberlain, but later became independent and took over all ceremonial
duties relating to the Household as such. He is the senior member of the
Household, and carries a white staff and wears a golden key on ceremonial
occasions as a symbol of his office.

     The Lord Chamberlain is responsible for overseeing the conduct of
business of the Household and for co-ordinating those matters which have
implications for the Household as a whole. He chairs meetings of the heads
of department (the Lord Chamberlain's Committee), is available for
consultation with the heads of department to discuss Household matters,
oversees where necessary the implementation of common procedures and policies,
and involves himself with all senior appointments to the Household. He also
undertakes ceremonial duties required of his office, is Chancellor of the
Royal Victorian Order and the Queen's emissary to the House of Lords.

     The Vice-Chamberlain's appointment is now a political one and he takes
no part in the work of the Lord Chamberlain's office. During parliamentary
sessions the Vice-Chamberlain sends the Queen a daily confidential report on
parliamentary proceedings.

     The Comptroller is in charge of the Lord Chamberlain's Office, which
is responsible for the administration of State visits to the Queen in the
United Kingdom, the Queen's ceremonial engagements such as investitures and
the presentation of credentials, garden parties, and the ceremonial on major
State occasions such as royal weddings and royal funerals. The office
co-ordinates arrangements for the Queen to be represented at funerals and
memorial services. It advises on matters of precedence, styles and titles,
dress, flying of flags, gun salutes, mourning and other ceremonial questions.
The Lord Chamberlain's office is also responsible for supervising the
applications for Royal Warrants of Appointment to tradesmen, and the
commercial use of royal photographs and royal emblems. The Comptroller is
assisted by the Assistant Comptroller.

     The Comptroller also has responsibility for the Household duties of the
Ecclesiastical Household, the Medical Household, the Body Guards and certain
ceremonial appointments such as Gentlemen Ushers and Pages of Honour. He is
also responsible for the Lords in Waiting, the Queen's Bargemaster and
Watermen, the Crown Jewels and the Queen's Swans.

     Under the aegis of the Lord Chamberlain's Office come the Marshal of
the Diplomatic Corps, who has responsibility for the relationship between the
diplomatic Heads of Mission in London and Buckingham Palace over ceremonial,
formal and social matters, and the Secretary of the Central Chancery of the
Orders of Knighthood, who administers the Orders of Chivalry and their
records, makes arrangements for the recipients at investitures and the
distribution of insignia, and ensures the proper public notification of
awards through the London Gazette.

     The Ecclesiastical Household consists of the Clerk of the Closet,
usually a bishop, whose traditional duty it was `to attend at the right hand
of the Sovereign in the Royal Closet during Divine Service to resolve such
doubts as may arise concerning spiritual matters'; the Deputy Clerk to the
Closet; the Dean and Sub-Dean of the Chapels Royal and domestic chaplains
and chaplains-in-ordinary. The chaplains-in-ordinary are not concerned solely
with the Court; they have a rota of attendance to conduct divine service and
preach at royal chapels.

The Master of the Horse

     The Master of the Horse is the third dignitary at Court. Formerly the
holder of a powerful office, he is now in charge of the Sovereign's stables,
and responsible for providing the horses, carriages and motor cars required
for processions and for the daily needs of the royal family. His day-to-day
duties are carried out by his deputy-the Chief or Crown Equerry. The Master
of the Horse rides immediately behind the Sovereign in State processions.

     Most equerries of the Household - regular, extra or honorary - are
officers of the armed services. There are usually two equerries, one of whom
is always in waiting upon the Sovereign.

The Private Secretary

     Each Sovereign appoints his or her own Private Secretary. The Private
Secretary, helped by a Deputy and an Assistant Private Secretary, deals with
all the correspondence between the Queen and her ministers, whether of the
British or other Commonwealth Governments. Government appointments for which
the Queen's approval is required go to the Queen through her Private
Secretary. The Private Secretary is also concerned with the Queen's speeches,
messages and private papers, and is responsible for her engagements, both in
the United Kingdom and overseas, for the office of the Press Secretary and for
the royal archives.

The Keeper of the Privy Purse and Treasurer to the Sovereign

     The Keeper of the Privy Purse and Treasurer to the Sovereign deals with
payments made from the Sovereign's private resources as well as official
expenditure and the payment of salaries and wages to the Sovereign's
officers and servants. He is assisted by a Deputy Keeper of the Privy Purse
and Deputy Treasurer and his department consists of the Privy Purse Office,
the Treasurer's Office and the Royal Almonry, at the head of which is the
High Almoner - an ecclesiastical appointment usually held by a bishop - who
in former times was responsible for the almsgiving of the Sovereign.

The Royal Collection Department

     The Director of the Royal Collection is responsible for co-ordinating
the work of the Surveyor of The Queen's Pictures, the Surveyor of The Queen's
Works of Art and the Librarian of the Royal Library. The Director is
appointed to hold this post concurrently with one of these three subordinate
positions. The Director of the Royal Collection is Chairman of The Queen's
Gallery Committee supervising the activities of the Queen's Gallery.

     The Surveyor of The Queen's Pictures is responsible for the royal
collection of pictures and miniatures; including supervising the conservation,
cleaning and restoration of the pictures and their hanging and security,
initiating and assisting research into the history of the royal collection,
and making as large a part as possible of the collection accessible to the
public either by display in the State apartments of palaces open to the
public, and in The Queen's Gallery, or by loans to exhibitions. The Surveyor
is also responsible for providing advice to members of the royal family on
their private collections. The Surveyor of The Queen's Works of Art has
similar responsibilities but relating to works of art. The Librarian of the
Royal Library is responsible for the maintenance of all the items held
within the Royal Library, including the watercolours, prints and drawings in
the Print Room at Windsor Castle. He is responsible for ensuring that the
Print Room is accessible to the public through effective cataloguing, loans to
exhibitions, and the provision of facilities for researchers and academics.

Ladies-in-Waiting

     The Mistress of the Robes is the senior lady of the Queen's Household,
and usually a Duchess. She is responsible for arranging the rota for the
Ladies-in-Waiting and is in attendance on the Queen on State occasions,
sometimes accompanying her on other important visits. At one time the Mistress
of the Robes was an important person in national politics, but nowadays the
appointment has no political significance, and the Queen names whom she
pleases.

     There are two Ladies of the Bedchamber who attend the Queen on important
public occasions, but do not go into waiting regularly. There are four Women
of the Bedchamber, who, in turn for a fortnight at a time, attend the Queen
on all public and semi-private engagements, make her personal arrangements,
do shopping and make enquiries about people who are ill. They also deal with
some of the Queen's correspondence - mainly answering all the letters written
to her by children. There are five extra Women of the Bedchamber who are in
waiting occasionally.

Other Appointments

     Others associated with the Royal Household are the Sovereign's
Aides-de-Camp, who are appointed from the naval, military and air forces,
and Her Majesty's Representative at Ascot, who has a duty in respect of Royal
Ascot, including the supervision of the issue of tickets for the Royal
Enclosure.

Kings, Heralds and Pursuivants of Arms

     The College of Arms in England and Wales is a corporation of 13
members - three Kings of Arms; six Heralds; and four Pursuivants. All are
members of the Royal Household, appointed by the Queen, on the nomination of
the Earl Marshal. The history of the heralds as members of the household goes
back to the thirteenth century, but they were not constituted into a
corporation until 1484, and the present corporation dates from 1555.

     The Kings of Arms are Garter, Clarenceux, and Norroy and Ulster. Garter
was created in 1415 by King Henry V. He is both King of Arms of the Most
Noble Order of the Garter and Principal King of Arms. He is responsible to the
Earl Marshal for the conduct of the ceremonial introduction of a peer in the
House of Lords. Clarenceux and Norroy were constituted by the time of King
Edward III (1327-77), the province of the former comprising all land to the
south, and of the latter all land to the north, of the River Trent. The Kings
of Arms grant arms by Letters Patent.

     The six Heralds are Windsor, Chester, Lancaster, York, Richmond and
Somerset, who take precedence according to seniority in office. The four
Pursuivants are Rouge Croix, Bluemantle, Rouge Dragon and Portcullis.
Occasionally Heralds Extraordinary and Pursuivants Extraordinary are
appointed.

     In addition to verifying and recording arms and genealogies, the Kings
of Arms, Heralds and Pursuivants attend upon the Sovereign on ceremonial
occasions such as coronations, State funerals, State openings of Parliament
and ceremonies connected with the Order of the Garter.

     In Scotland, similar functions are performed by Lord Lyon King of Arms,
who has under him three Heralds - Marchmont, Rothesay and Albany - and four
Pursuivants - Kintyre, Carrick, Unicorn and Falkland (Pursuivant
Extraordinary). The Officers of Arms of Scotland are not under the
jurisdiction of the Earl Marshal. Since 1867 they have been appointed by
the Government.

Royal Bodyguards and Household Troops

     The practice of maintaining bodyguards round the Sovereign is said to
have been introduced into England by King Canute (1016-35). Royal bodyguards
are now divided into two groups. The first includes the non-combatant personal
bodyguards: the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms; the Yeomen of the
Guard; and, in Scotland, the Royal Company of Archers. The second includes
those regiments of the Regular Army which have the special duty of guarding
the Sovereign and the metropolis of London: the Household Cavalry and the
Foot Guards.

The Gentlemen-at-Arms

     The Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms is termed the `nearest
guard' since it is the guard in the closest personal attendance upon the
Sovereigns of England. It was created in 1509, but did not acquire its present
designation until the reign of King William IV (1830-37). In its early days
the guard fought in a number of battles and distinguished itself, notably
at the Battle of Spurs (1513). Its principal function, however, was to
attend the Sovereign on all occasions of State ceremonial, and it has
continued to do so ever since. Today, the Corps is under the administrative
control of the Lord Chamberlain; it attends the Sovereign on all State
occasions, and is present at many palace functions.

     The Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms now numbers 28 Gentlemen (one,
the Harbinger, in the old days sent in advance to secure lodging), and four
officers. The Gentlemen have all been distinguished officers of the Army
or Royal Marines. The officers of the Corps consist of a Clerk of the Cheque
and Adjutant, a Standard Bearer, a Lieutenant and a Captain, the last of whom
must be a peer and a member of the Government in power.

     All appointments to the Honourable Corps are made by the Sovereign, from
whom officers receive their sticks, the Captain's appointment being on
ministerial advice, the rest by the Sovereign's prerogative. The headquarters
and orderly room are in Engine Court, St James's Palace, London.

The Yeomen of the Guard

     The Yeomen of the Guard form a permanent military corps which has been
in attendance on the Sovereign for more than 450 years. Some remnants of an
even older corps exist in the persons of the Serjeants-at-Arms - Royal
Household officials on duty in the Houses of Parliament, and on ceremonial
occasions in attendance on the Sovereign.

     The original duties of the corps were very wide. As the Sovereign's
personal servants its members were responsible for attending upon the
Sovereign day and night, at home and abroad; and for his safety on journeys,
on the battlefield and within the palace walls. At one time their duties
extended to making and examining the Sovereign's bed, and these duties are
perpetuated in the ranks of Yeoman Bed Goer and Yeoman Bed Hanger. They also
cooked the Sovereign's food and carried the dishes to his table - a service
now symbolised by the Exon-in-Waiting standing behind the Sovereign's chair
at State banquets.

     Most of the guard's present duties are purely ceremonial. They include
attendance on guard at the reception of foreign dignitaries and heads of
State;0 at State banquets; at State balls and gala operas; at the ceremony
of the distribution of Maundy money on Maundy Thursday (a ceremony first
attended by the Yeomen of the Guard in 1486); at the Epiphany offerings of
gold, frankincense and myrrh in the Chapel Royal, St James's Palace; at
Westminster Hall during a royal Lying-in-State; and at the searching of the
vaults of the Houses of Parliament at the opening of each session - a duty
dating from the Gunpowder Plot of 1605.

     All officers of the Yeomen of the Guard (except the Captain) and all
non-commissioned officers and yeomen must have served in the Regular Army,
Royal Marines or Royal Air Force. They are selected for distinguished conduct
and their pay is looked upon as a pension. Officers must have held the rank
of captain or above, and yeomen that of sergeant or warrant officer. The corps
has a permanent orderly room in St James's Palace, London, where the routine
is carried on by the Clerk of the Cheque and Adjutant.

     The Yeomen Warders of the Tower of London are not Yeomen of the Guard.
They derive from the 12 yeomen King Henry VIII left behind in the Tower on
giving it up as a permanent residence. When the Tower finally ceased to be
a royal palace, these yeomen became warders. Nowadays they are a distinct
body, though termed in an honorary sense `Extraordinary of the Guard'. They
do not carry out any State functions, and are under the command of the
Constable of the Tower alone. They are all retired soldiers. (The nickname
`Beef-eaters', which is sometimes associated with the Yeomen Warders, had
its origin in 1669, when Cosimo, Grand Duke of Tuscany, was in England and,
writing of `this magnificent body of men', said: `they are great eaters of
beef, of which a very large ration is given them daily at the Court, and they
might be called beef-eaters'.)

The Royal Company of Archers

     The earliest written records of the Royal Company of Archers date from
1676. In 1704 a charter was granted to the Company by Queen Anne and the
Royal Company still exists under that charter. During the royal visit to
Edinburgh of King George IV in 1822, the Royal Company was made the King's
Body Guard for Scotland.

     The Royal Company's ceremonial duties include attendance on the Sovereign
at Holyroodhouse. The Archers, in green uniforms and feathered bonnets and
carrying bows, form a throne guard.

The Household Cavalry

     The Household Cavalry comprises the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals
(the latter regiment was created in 1969 by the amalgamation of the Royal
Horse Guards [the Blues] and the Royal Dragoons). It provides a tank regiment
and an armoured car regiment, with one mounted squadron from each regiment for
State duties in London.

     The Life Guards were created in 1660 just before the restoration of King
Charles II when a mounted bodyguard was formed in Holland from royalists who
had gone into exile with the King. The Royal Horse Guards had their origins
in 1650 when Parliament ordered the raising of a horse regiment prior to
Oliver Cromwell's second invasion of Scotland. The Royal Dragoons originated
as a troop of horse raised by proclamation of King Charles II in 1661.

     Normally one regiment is stationed overseas while the other is usually
stationed at Windsor. Their State duties - the daily mounting of the Queen's
Life Guard at Horse Guards, Whitehall, and escorts for the Queen on ceremonial
occasions - are carried out by the two mounted squadrons stationed at Hyde
Park Barracks. These squadrons are part of (and known as) the Household
Cavalry Regiment (Mounted).

     On occasions of State ceremonial the Colonels of both the Life Guards
and the Blues and Royals carry out the office of Goldstick, created in 1678
because of public concern for the safety of King Charles II. It was ordered
that one of the King's captains should attend on foot near him carrying an
ebony staff or truncheon with a gold head engraved with the royal cypher and
crown, and that another principal officer carrying an ebony staff with a
silver head should wait near the captain and relieve him when necessary.
Nowadays on ceremonial occasions the latter office, known as Silverstick, is
performed by the Lieutenant-Colonel commanding the Household Cavalry.

The Foot Guards

     The Foot Guards, like the Household Cavalry, are Household Troops and
consist of five regiments: the Grenadier Guards, raised in 1656 from officers
and men who had remained loyal to the royalist cause; the Coldstream Guards,
originally formed by Cromwell from companies of the New Model Army, but later
taking up arms in the service of the royalist cause and helping to restore
the monarchy; the Scots Guards, re-formed in 1660 from a regiment raised in
1642 by the Marquess of Argyll; the Irish Guards, raised in 1900 at the
instigation of Queen Victoria; and the Welsh Guards, raised by order of
King George V in 1915.

     The Foot Guards retain special duties at Court, regiments taking part in
ceremonial events, but also play a full part in active service overseas.

The Royal Arms, the Royal Standard and the Regalia

The Royal Arms

     The first authentic English Royal Arms were borne by the Plantagenet
kings in the twelfth century. The Queen's Arms (of which a simplified form is
illustrated in this pamphlet) are in heraldic terms: quarterly, first and
fourth gules, three lions passant guardant in pale, or (England); second, or,
a lion rampant within a double tressure flory counterflory gules (Scotland);
and third, azure, a harp or, stringed argent (Ireland); the whole encircled
with the Garter.

     Crown. A circle of gold issuing therefrom four crosses pat*ee and four
fleurs-de-lis arranged alternately; from the crosses pat*ee arise two golden
arches ornamented with pearls, crossing at the top under a mound, surmounted
by a cross pat*ee, also gold, the whole enriched with precious stones. The cap
is of crimson velvet, turned up ermine.

     Crest. Upon the Royal helmet the crown proper, thereon statant guardant,
or, a lion royally crowned also proper.

     Supporters. On the dexter, a lion rampant guardant, or, crowned as the
crest; and on the sinister, a unicorn argent-armed, crined, and unguled, or,
gorged with a coronet composed of crosses pat*ee and fleurs-de-lis, a chain
affixed thereto passing between the forelegs and reflexed over the back of
the last.

     Motto. Dieu et mon Droit.

The Royal Arms in Scotland

     On the shield, the Arms of Scotland occupy the first and fourth quarters
with those of England in the second quarter and Ireland in the third. The
crest is a Scottish lion seated upon a throne and holding a sword and sceptre
and the supporters are a unicorn on the right side and a lion on the left.
The motto of Scotland - In Defens - is placed above the crest and the Garter
is omitted.

The Royal Standard and the Union Flag

     The Royal Standard or Royal Flag is the personal flag of the Sovereign
and may be flown only when the Sovereign is actually present.

     The British Union Flag, commonly known as the Union Jack, is the
country's national flag. It is composed of the English cross of St George
(a red cross on a white field), the Scottish cross of St Andrew (a diagonal
white cross on a blue field) and the Irish cross of St Patrick (a diagonal
red cross on a white field).

The Regalia

     The regalia, or crown jewels, are the emblems of royalty and have held
the same significance for the Kings and Queens of England for a thousand
years. They symbolise the sense of continuity which the monarchy provides for
the nation, and still have an important and valued place in the British
heritage.

     Since the coronation of King Charles II the regalia have been kept in
the Tower of London under the guardianship of the Keeper of the Jewel House
except when they are required for the coronation ceremony, in which they have
a deep ritual significance. Most of the crown jewels on display at the Tower
were made after the restoration of King Charles II in 1660, the previous
regalia having been broken up and sold during the Republic of 1649-60. Two
items which survived are the gilded silver Anointing Spoon and the gold
Ampulla in the shape of an eagle, which holds the oil. In addition to the
Imperial State Crown, with its thousands of precious stones, and to St
Edward's Crown, with which the Sovereign is crowned, the other principal
items of the regalia include the Jewelled State Sword and the Golden Spurs
symbolising knightly chivalry, the Coronation Ring, the Golden Bracelets,
the Golden Orb, surmounted by a jewelled cross signifying the Sovereign's
obedience to the Christian faith, and the two sceptres; the Royal Sceptre
with the Cross, which contains at the end of the golden bar the Star of
Africa, the largest cut diamond in the world, and the Sceptre with the
Dove - the first is a symbol of kingly power and justice, the second is one of
equity and mercy.

The Scottish Regalia

     The symbols of sovereignty in use when Scotland was a separate kingdom
consist of the Crown, the Sceptre and the Sword of State, known as the Honours
of Scotland. Associated with them are the Lord High Treasurer's mace and
certain jewels bequeathed to King George III by Henry, Cardinal Duke of York.
Unlike the royal ornaments of England, the Scottish regalia escaped
destruction during the seventeenth century and are of great antiquity. The
Crown dates from the sixteenth century or before - it was remodelled by order
of King James V in 1540; the Sword of State was presented by Pope Julius II to
King James IV in 1507; and the Sceptre was presented by Pope Alexander VI to
King James IV in 1494. The Honours of Scotland, which are kept in the Crown
Room at Edinburgh Castle, were carried to St Giles Cathedral on the occasion
of the service held during the Queen's Coronation visit to Edinburgh in June
1953.

The Royal Yacht and the Queen's Flight

The Royal Yacht Britannia

     The Royal Yacht Britannia, named and launched by the Queen at Clydebank
(Scotland) in 1953, serves as an official and private residence for the Queen
and other members of the royal family when they are engaged on visits overseas
or are voyaging in home waters. The Yacht also takes part in some naval
exercises and undertakes routine hydrographic tasks while at sea. Designed to
replace the 50-year-old Victoria and Albert, Britannia could be converted
into a hospital ship in time of war. In January 1986, while sailing to New
Zealand in preparation for a royal visit, the Royal Yacht took part in the
evacuation of British and other nationals from the People's Democratic
Republic of Yemen, when serious fighting broke out in the capital, Aden.

     Her gross tonnage is 5,862 tonnes (5,769 tons) and her continuous
seagoing speed is 21 knots (38.89 kilometres per hour). Refits and docking
usually take place in the Royal Dockyard at Portsmouth. Britannia has recently
undergone a major refit, which will extend her life for 10 to 15 years.

     The royal apartments are aft on the shelter deck and the royal staff
accommodation is on the lower deck. The royal state apartments contain some
of the furniture from the Victoria and Albert. The Queen and the Duke of
Edinburgh took a personal interest in the interior decorations, the choice
of furnishings and the general fitting-out of the Royal Yacht.

     The Yacht is an independent command, administered personally by the Flag
Officer Royal Yachts. He is normally appointed as an extra equerry to the
Queen and, as such, is a member of the Royal Household. Britannia's crew
numbers 22 officers and 254 men when members of the royal family are embarked
or when the vessel undertakes a long ocean voyage. Officers are normally
appointed for two-year periods of duty. Two-thirds of the ratings are
permanent crew members and remain attached to the ship for the rest of their
service careers; the others are attached to the Yacht for two-year periods
only. They are all volunteers from the Royal Navy, but receive no special
benefits in terms of pay, allowances or leave. Traditions of dress aboard the
Royal Yacht include the wearing by seamen of naval uniform with the jumper
inside the top of the trousers, which are finished at the back with a black
silk bow. On all blue uniforms ratings wear white badges instead of the red
which are customary in the Royal Navy. So far as is possible orders on the
upper deck are executed without spoken words or commands, and by long
tradition the customary naval mark of respect of piping the side is normally
paid only to the Queen.

The Queen's Flight

     The Queen's Flight was created in 1936 (as the King's Flight) by King
Edward VIII to provide air transport for the royal family's official duties.
Based at Benson in Oxfordshire, the Flight is equipped with two British
Aerospace 146 jet aircraft, one twin-turboprop Hawker Siddeley Andover CC Mk
2 passenger transport aircraft and two Westland Wessex HCC 4 helicopters.

     Provided by the Royal Air Force, the Flight operates under a general
policy agreed between the Treasury and the Ministry of Defence. The Queen,
the Queen Mother, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales are entitled
to use it on all occasions. At the Queen's discretion it is also made
available to other members of the royal family, but only on official duties.
The Flight may be used for official purposes by the Prime Minister and certain
other people, such as senior ministers or visiting heads of State. The
Ministry of Defence is responsible for all flights and routes of the aircraft
of the Queen's Flight and the main cost of the Flight is met by that
department's funds.

The Royal Warrant

     Royal Warrants of Appointment may be granted by the Queen, the Duke of
Edinburgh, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and the Prince of Wales to
businesses in Britain and overseas which have supplied goods or services to
the Royal Households regularly and satisfactorily for a period of not less
than three years. The Grant of the Royal Warrant is made to an individual
who must be an executive director or partner within the company and it allows
the business to display the Royal Arms and the legend `By Appointment to...'.
The individual is held responsible for the correct display of the Royal Arms
in all its uses. The Royal Warrant is granted initially for a period of ten
years but may be subject to review during this period. There are about 850
Warrant Holders who provide a wide variety of products and services, from
motor cars to marmalade. As holders of the Royal Warrant of Appointment, they
are eligible for membership of the Royal Warrant Holders' Association.