Lord Steward

The Lord Steward or Lord Steward of the Household is one of the three Great Officers of the Household of the British monarch.^[1] He is, by tradition, the first great officer of the Court^[2] and he takes precedence of all other officers of the household.^[1]

Historically the Lord Steward oversaw over the Household 'below stairs'. He also presided at the Board of Green Cloth, which in early centuries had a financial, administrative and judicial role; (latterly it retained a vestigial legal remit, until it was finally abolished in a 2004 reform of local government licensing).^[3]. Prior to 1924 the Lord Steward was always a member of the Government,^[4] and up until 1782 the office had been one of considerable political importance and carried Cabinet rank.

Over time the domestic responsibilities of the office came increasingly to be carried out by a subordinate officer, the Master of the Household.^[5] In the Royal Household reforms of the 1920s, the Lord Steward's Department was renamed the Master of the Household's Department. At the same time, Lord Steward ceased to be a political appointment and instead became a largely titular office. Nevertheless, a Lord Steward continues to be appointed and is in regular attendance on State and other ceremonial occasions (including State visits, State banquets, the State Opening of Parliament, State Funerals and Coronations).^[5]

Holders of the office are always peers, usually of or above the degree of an Earl.^[6] Each Lord Steward receives his appointment from the Sovereign in person and bears a white staff as the emblem and warrant of his authority. The incumbent Lord Steward (appointed in 2023) is the Earl of Rosslyn.^[7]