Keeper of the Privy Purse explained

The Keeper of the Privy Purse and Treasurer to the King/Queen (or Financial Secretary to the King/Queen) is responsible for the financial management of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. The officeholder is assisted by the Deputy Treasurer to the King/Queen for the management of the Sovereign Grant, currently Sally O'Neill (formerly Chief Operating Officer of the Royal Opera House).

The officeholder is also assisted by the Deputy Keeper of the Privy Purse for semi-private concerns, such as racing stables, the Royal Philatelic Collection, Royal Ascot, the Chapel Royal, the Page of Honour, Military Knights of Windsor, Royal Maundy, the Royal Victorian Order, grace and favour apartments, and the Duchy of Lancaster. These are funded from the Privy Purse, which is drawn largely from the Duchy of Lancaster and the Duchy of Cornwall.

The Keeper of the Privy Purse meets the Sovereign at least weekly. Among the duties is the allocation of grace and favour apartments at the royal palaces.^[1] The current Keeper of the Privy Purse and Treasurer to the King is Sir Michael Stevens.

At coronations in recent centuries, the holders of this office have invariably carried a ceremonial purse, embroidered with the royal coat of arms.^[2]

List of Keepers of the Privy Purse

Henry VIII

• Henry Norris by 1526–?1536 (executed 1536)
• Anthony Denny c. 1536^[3]

Edward VI

• Peter Osborne 1551–1552

Elizabeth I

• John Tamworth, 1559–1569^[4]
• Henry Seckford 1559–1603^[4]

James I

• Sir Richard Molyneux, 1st Baronet, 1607–?
• George Home, 1st Earl of Dunbar, c. 1610–1611^[5]
• John Murray, 1st Earl of Annandale 1611–1616^[5]

Charles I

• Richard Molyneux, 1st Viscount Molyneux, PC 1616?–1636
• Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Ancram, PC 1636?–1639

Charles II

• Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington, KG, PC (1661–1662)
• Charles Berkeley, 1st Earl of Falmouth, PC 1662–1665
• Baptist May 1665–1685

James II

• James Graham, 1685–1689

William III

• William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland, KG, PC 1689–1700
• Caspar Frederick Henning, 1700–1702

Anne

• Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough 1702–1711
• Abigail Masham, Baroness Masham 1711–1714

George I

• Caspar Frederick Henning, 1714–1727

George II

• Augustus Schutz, 1727–1757
• The Honourable Edward Finch, 1757–1760

George III

• John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute, KG, PC 1760–1763
• William Breton, 1763–1773
• James Brudenell, 5th Earl of Cardigan, PC 1773–1811
• The Right Honourable Colonel Sir John McMahon, 1st Baronet, 1812–1817
• Lieutenant-General Benjamin Bloomfield, 1st Baron Bloomfield, GCB GCH PC 1817–1822

George IV

• The Right Honourable Sir William Knighton, 1st Baronet, GCH 1821–1830

William IV

• Major-General Sir Henry Wheatley, 1st Baronet, GCH, CB 1830–1846

Victoria

• George Edward Anson 1847–1849
• Colonel The Honourable Sir Charles Beaumont Phipps KCB 1849–1866
• General The Honourable Sir Charles Grey 1866–1867 (jointly)
• Colonel Thomas Myddleton-Biddulph KCB 1866–1878 (jointly to 1867)
• Major-General Sir Henry Ponsonby GCB 1878–1895
• The Right Honourable Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Fleetwood Edwards GCVO, KCB, ISO 1895–1901

Edward VII

• The Right Honourable General Sir Dighton Probyn, VC, GCB, GCSI, GCVO, ISO 1901–1910

George V

• The Right Honourable Lieutenant-Colonel Sir William Carington GCVO KCB JP 1910–1914
• Lieutenant-Colonel Frederick Ponsonby, 1st Baron Sysonby GCB GCVO PC 1914–1935
• Colonel Clive Wigram, 1st Baron Wigram GCB GCVO CSI PC 1935–1936

George VI

• Major Sir Ulick Alexander 19361952

Elizabeth II

• Brigadier The Right Honourable Charles Tryon, 2nd Baron Tryon, GCVO, KCB, DSO, DL, OStJ 1952–1971
• Major Sir Rennie Maudslay, GCVO KCB MBE 1971–1981
• Sir Peter Miles, KCVO 1981–1987
• Major Sir Shane Blewitt, GCVO 1988–1996
• Sir Michael Peat, GCVO 1996–2002^[6]
• Sir Alan Reid, GCVO 2002–2017
• Sir Michael Stevens KCVO 2018–2022^[7]

Charles III

• Sir Michael Stevens KCVO 2022–present^[8]

Deputies

Deputy Keepers

This list is not complete.

• 1922–1925: Paymaster Rear-Admiral Sir John Henry George Chapple, KCB, CVO, RN
• 1985–1988: Major Sir Shane Gabriel Basil Blewitt, GCVO
• 1988–2002: Sir John Christopher Parsons, KCVO, FCA, FIC
• 2002–?: Harold Smith
• ?–2011: Ian Donald McGregor, CVO
• 2011–2017: Sir Michael John Stevens, KCVO
• 2017–present: Sally O'Neill

Deputy Treasurers

• 1923–1935: Sir Ralph Endersby Harwood, KCB, KCVO, CBE
• 1941–1958: Commander Sir Dudley Colles, KCB, KCVO, OBE, RN
• 1958–1968: Commander Sir Philip John Row, KCVO, OBE, RN
• 1969–1985: Sir Russell Dillon Wood, KCVO, VRD
• 1988–2002: Sir John Christopher Parsons, KCVO, FCA, FIC
• 2003–2007: Stephen Ingleby Cawley, CVO, FCA
• 2007–2017: Sir Michael John Stevens, KCVO
• 2017–present: Sally O'Neill

See also

• Treasurer of the Household

References

• Web site: The Privy Purse and Treasurer's Office . Monarchy Today . https://web.archive.org/web/20080416151406/http://www.royalinsight.org.uk/OutPut/Page4983.asp . 16 April 2008.
• Book: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=43763 . Keeper of the Privy Purse 1660–1837 . Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 11 (Revised), Court Officers, 1660-1837 . University of London . London . 2006 . British History Online.
• Web site: The Civil List . BBC News Online.

Notes and References

1. “Window on my Heart”, Olave Baden-Powell, 1973, p. 201
2. http://www.colinburns.com/di/www.royal.gov.uk/today/ppurse.htm The British Monarchy: The Privy Purse
3. Book: Emerson, Kate. Secrets of the Tudor Court: Between Two Queens.
4. Book: Kinney. Titled Elizabethans: A Directory of Elizabethan Court, State, and Church.
5. Book: Lemon, Robert. Calendar of State Papers, Domestic Series, of the Reigns of Edward VI., Mary ....
6. News: Sir Michael Peat to step down . . London . 24 January 2011.
7. Web site: Sir Alan Reid, the Queen's money man, to hand over Royal purse strings next year.
8. Web site: Sir Alan Reid, the Queen's money man, to hand over Royal purse strings next year.