| Lord Chamberlain of the Household | |
|---|---|
.svg) Royal Coat of Arms of theUnited Kingdom | |
 | |
| Lord Chamberlain's Office Royal Households of the United Kingdom | |
| Member of | Royal Household of the United Kingdom |
| Appointer | His Majesty The King |
| Term length | At His Majesty's Pleasure |
| Inaugural holder | Sir Thomas Erpingham |
| Formation | c. 1399 |
| Website | Official Website |
TheLord Chamberlain of the Household is the most senior officer of theRoyal Household of the United Kingdom, supervising the departments which support and provide advice to theSovereign of the United Kingdom while also acting as the main channel of communication between the Sovereign and theHouse of Lords. The office organises all ceremonial activity such as garden parties,state visits,royal weddings, and theState Opening of Parliament. They also oversee theRoyal Mews and royal travel, as well as the ceremony around the awarding of honours.
From 1737 to 1968, the Lord Chamberlain had the power to decide whichplays would be granted a licence for performance; this meant that he had the capacity to censor theatre at his pleasure.[1]
The Lord Chamberlain is always sworn of thePrivy Council, is usually apeer and before 1782 the post was ofCabinet rank. The position was a political one until 1924. The office dates from theMiddle Ages when theKing's Chamberlain often acted as the King's spokesman inCouncil andParliament.[2]
The current Lord Chamberlain isRichard Benyon, Baron Benyon, who has been in office since 4 November 2024.
During theearly modern period, the Lord Chamberlain was one of the three principal officers of the Royal Household, the others being theLord Steward and theMaster of the Horse. The Lord Chamberlain was responsible for the "chamber" or the household "above stairs": that is, the series of rooms used by the Sovereign to receive increasingly select visitors, terminating in the royal bedchamber (although the bedchamber itself came to operate semi-autonomously under theGroom of the Stool/Stole). His department not only furnished the servants and other personnel (such as physicians and bodyguards, theYeomen of the Guard andGentlemen Pensioners) in intimate attendance on the Sovereign but also arranged and staffed ceremonies and entertainments for the court. He also had (secular) authority over theChapel Royal. Under the terms of theCivil List and Secret Service Money Act 1782 (22 Geo. 3. c. 82), the Lord Chamberlain took on direct responsibility for items kept and maintained by theGreat Wardrobe and theJewel House (whereby these formerly semi-independent sub-departments were abolished).[3]
As other responsibilities of government were devolved to ministers, the ordering of the Royal Household was largely left to the personal taste of the Sovereign. To ensure that the chamber reflected the royal tastes, the Lord Chamberlain received commands directly from the sovereign to be transmitted to the heads of subordinate departments.[3]
In 1594, the Lord Chamberlain,Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon, founded theLord Chamberlain's Men, for whichWilliam Shakespeare was a part (and later a shareholder in the company) and for whom he wrote most of his plays during his career. Carey served underElizabeth I at the time and was in charge of all court entertainment, a duty traditionally given to theMaster of the Revels, a deputy of the Lord Chamberlain. Later, in 1603,James I, elevated the Chamberlain's Men to royal patronage and changed the name to theKing's Men.[4]
In 1737, SirRobert Walpole officially introduced statutory censorship with theLicensing Act 1737 by appointing the Lord Chamberlain to act as the theatrical censor. The Licensing Act 1737 gave the Lord Chamberlain the statutory authority to veto the performance of any new plays: he could prevent any new play, or any modification to an existing play, from being performed for any reason, and theatre owners could be prosecuted for staging a play (or part of a play) that had not received prior approval.
Historically, the Lord Chamberlain had been exercising a commanding authority on London's theatre companies under theroyal prerogative for many decades already. But by the 1730s the theatre was not controlled by royal patronage anymore. Instead it had become more of a commercial business. Therefore, the fact the Lord Chamberlain still retained censorship authority for the next 200 years gave him uniquely repressive authority during a period where Britain was experiencing "growing political enfranchisement and liberalization".[5]
Even further confusion rested in the fact that Members of Parliament could not present changes to the censorship laws because although the Lord Chamberlain exercised his authority under statute law, he was still an official whose authority was derived from the royal prerogative.[5]
By the 1830s, it started to become clear that the theatre licensing system in England needed an upgrade. Playwrights, instead of representatives of minor theatres, actually initiated the final push for reform as they felt that their livelihoods were being negatively affected by the monopoly the larger theatres had on the industry, backed by the laws in the Licensing Act 1737.[5]
A select committee was formed in 1832 with the purpose of examining the laws that affected dramatic literature. Their main complaints were the lack of copyright protection for their work and more importantly that only twopatent theatres in London could legitimately perform new plays. After more pressure from playwrights and theatre managers, the findings of the committee were finally presented to Parliament.[5]
It was the proposals of this committee that Parliament implemented in theTheatres Act 1843. The act still confirmed the absolute powers of censorship enjoyed by the Lord Chamberlain but still slightly restricted his powers so that he could only prohibit the performance of plays where he was of the opinion that "it is fitting for the preservation of good manners, decorum or of the public peace so to do". The Act, however, did abolish the monopoly that the patent houses had in London, providing a minor win for playwrights and theatre managers wishing to produce new work.[5][1]
In 1909, a Joint Select Committee on Stage Plays (Censorship) was established and recommended that the Lord Chamberlain should continue to act as censor but that it could be lawful to perform plays without a licence from the Lord Chamberlain.[1] However, KingEdward VII refused to accept these recommendations. The outbreak of both World Wars put an end to any parliamentary initiatives to change the laws regarding theatre censorship for many years. In 1948, the first British Theatre Conference recommended the termination of theatre censorship with the plan to pursue parliamentary action to ratify this.[1][5]
In the 1960s the debate to abolish theatre censorship rose again as a new generation of young playwrights came on the scene. They gained popularity with their new plays in local establishments, but since many were refused a licence by the Lord Chamberlain, they could not transfer to theWest End. In the case ofJohn Osborne's playA Patriot for Me, the Lord Chamberlain at the time,Cameron Cobbold, 1st Baron Cobbold, was irritated that the play was so widely publicized even though he had banned it and therefore pursued legal action. In the end, the play was allowed to continue as it was. At this point, several widely regarded authors had all been censored by the Lord Chamberlain at one time or another, including playwrightsHenrik Ibsen andGeorge Bernard Shaw. Sometimes censorship was self-serving. A comedy written for theEdinburgh Festival Fringe in the early 1960s had, as its plot, a jocular scheme to steal thecrown jewels. The Lord Chamberlain issued a one-line letter requiring the excision of that plot element. AsMichael Palin, one of its authors and performers notes, that meant banning the entire production.[6] Another joint select committee was founded to further debate on the issue and present a solution. This time the argument largely centred on this issue on the portrayal of living and recently dead individuals, particularly in reference to the monarchy as well as politicians.[1][5]
After much debate, theTheatres Act 1968 was finally passed; it officially abolished the censorship of the stage and repealed the Lord Chamberlain's power to refuse a licence to a play of any kind.[1] The first London performance of the musicalHair was actually delayed until the act was passed after a licence had been refused.[7]
The battle regarding the abolition of censorship was largely a political one, fought on principle. Those who opposed the termination of this particular duty of the Lord Chamberlain were mostly concerned about how to protect the reputation of the royal family and the government instead of controlling obscenity andblasphemy on stage. However, this concern has largely been unfounded. Since the termination of censorship, British drama has flourished and produced several prominent playwrights and new works since. The abolition of censorship opened a floodgate of theatrical creativity.[5]
The long standing role of the Lord Chamberlain as theatrical censor resulted in an extensive archive of both licensed and unlicensed play scripts being preserved.[8] The collection held at theBritish Library also includes correspondence and administrative documents related to the censorship process.[9]
The Lord Chamberlain is the most senior official of the Royal Household and oversees its business, including liaising with the other senior officers of the Household, chairing Heads of Department meetings, and advising in the appointment of senior Household officials.[2][10] The Lord Chamberlain also undertakes ceremonial duties and serves as the channel of communication between the Sovereign and theHouse of Lords.[2]
UnderDavid Ogilvy, 13th Earl of Airlie, the Lord Chamberlain’s ceremonial and non-executive role was altered to that of chief executive.[11] Airlie initiated changes in the early 1990s under the auspices of "The Way Ahead Group".[12] Under these plans, QueenElizabeth II agreed to pay tax, greater transparency for the public subsidy of the monarchy began, and a greater emphasis on public relations started.[13] In 1986, he produced a 1,393-page report recommending 188 changes for smoother operations of the Royal Household.[14]
TheLord Chamberlain's Office is a department of the Royal Household and its day-to-day work is headed by theComptroller. It is responsible for organizing ceremonial activities including state visits, investitures, garden parties, the State Opening of Parliament, weddings and funerals.[2]
On State and ceremonial occasions, the Lord Chamberlain carries specific symbols that represent his office: awhite staff and a key (which is worn at the hip pocket). These insignia are returned to the monarch when the Lord Chamberlain retires from office;[15] but if the monarch dies, the white staff is symbolically broken by the Lord Chamberlain and placed on the coffin of the deceased Sovereign at the end of theState Funeral service. This was last done byAndrew Parker, Baron Parker of Minsmere, who broke his staff over the coffin of Elizabeth II in 2022.[2][10]
The Lord Chamberlain isex-officio theChancellor of theRoyal Victorian Order, having possession of a Badge corresponding to that office.[16] As such, they are often appointed to the said Order either upon appointment as Lord Chamberlain, or later in their career. The Lord Chamberlain also regulates the design and the wearing ofcourt uniform and dress and how insignia are worn.
