Order of precedence in England and Wales explained

The following is the order of precedence in England and Wales as of . Separate orders exist for men and women.

Names in italics indicate that these people rank elsewhere—either higher in that table of precedence or in the table for the other sex. Titles in italics indicate the same thing for their holders, or that they are vacant.

Peers and their families make up a large part of these tables. It is possible for a peer to hold more than one title of nobility, and these may belong to different ranks and peerages. A peer derives his precedence from his highest-ranking title; peeresses derive their precedence in the same way, whether they hold their highest-ranking title in their own right or by marriage. The ranks in the tables refer to peers rather than titles: if exceptions are named for a rank, these do not include peers of a higher rank (or any peers at all, in the case of baronets). No exceptions are named for most categories, owing to their large size.

Gentlemen

Royalty, archbishops, et al.

Royal family

Precedence is accorded to spouses, children and grandchildren of the reigning sovereign, as well as children and grandchildren of former sovereigns.

Position	Holder	Ref
The sovereign (regardless of gender)	HM The King
Sons of the sovereign	HRH The Prince of Wales	^[1]
	The Duke of Sussex
Grandsons of the sovereign	HRH Prince George of Wales
	HRH Prince Louis of Wales
	Prince Archie of Sussex
Brothers of the sovereign	The Duke of York	^[2]
	HRH The Duke of Edinburgh
Uncles of the sovereign	None at present
Nephews of the sovereign	Earl of Wessex
	Mr Peter Phillips
Grandsons of former sovereigns who are dukes	HRH The Duke of Gloucester
	HRH The Duke of Kent
Grandsons of former sovereigns who are not dukes	The Rt Hon. The Earl of Snowdon
	HRH Prince Michael of Kent

Archbishops, High Officers of State, et al.

Title	Holder				Ref
The Archbishop of Canterbury		The Most Revd and Rt Hon. Justin Welby			^[3]
The Lord High Steward	None; ceremonial and only appointed for coronations
The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain		The Rt Hon. Shabana Mahmood		Office held by a woman	^[4]
The Archbishop of York		The Most Revd and Rt Hon. Stephen Cottrell
The Prime Minister		The Rt Hon. Sir Keir Starmer
The Lord High Treasurer	None; vacant since 1714
The Lord President of the Council		The Rt Hon. Lucy Powell, MP		Office held by a woman
The Speaker of the House of Commons		The Rt Hon. Sir Lindsay Hoyle
The Lord Speaker of the House of Lords		The Rt Hon. The Lord McFall of Alcluith
The President of the Supreme Court		The Rt Hon. The Lord Reed of Allermuir
The Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales		The Rt Hon. The Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill		Office held by a woman	^[5]
The Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal		The Rt Hon. The Baroness Smith of Basildon		Office held by a woman
The Ambassadors and High Commissioners to the United Kingdom in order of arrival
The Lord Great Chamberlain	The Rt Hon. The Lord Carrington
The Lord High Constable	None; ceremonial and only appointed for coronations
The Earl Marshal	HG The Duke of Norfolk
The Lord High Admiral	HM The King
The Lord Steward of the Household	The Rt Hon. The Earl of Rosslyn
The Lord Chamberlain of the Household		The Rt Hon. The Lord Parker of Minsmere
The Master of the Horse		The Rt Hon. The Lord Ashton of Hyde

Nobility, bishops, et al.

Dukes, et al.

	Note	Ref
Royal dukes not grandsons of former sovereigns	None at present	^[6]
	Ordered according to date of creation
Scotland	Ordered according to date of creation
Great Britain	Ordered according to date of creation
	HG The Duke of Leinster
United Kingdom	Ordered according to date of creation
Eldest sons of royal dukes who are not already ranked higher	Earl of Ulster (son of the Duke of Gloucester)
	Earl of St Andrews (son of the Duke of Kent)
Ministers, envoys, and other very important visitors from foreign countries

Marquesses, et al.

	Note	Ref
	The Most Hon. The Marquess of Winchester
Scotland	Ordered according to date of creation
Great Britain	Ordered according to date of creation
	Ordered according to date of creation
United Kingdom	Ordered according to date of creation
Eldest sons of dukes according to the precedence of the peerage holders

Earls, et al.

	Note	Ref
	Ordered according to date of creation
Scotland	Ordered according to the Decreet of Ranking of 1606 according to date of creation
Great Britain	Ordered according to date of creation
	Ordered according to date of creation
United Kingdom	Ordered according to date of creation
Younger sons of royal dukes who are not already ranked higher	Lord Nicholas Windsor (second son of the Duke of Kent)
Eldest sons of marquesses according to the precedence of the peerage holders
Eldest sons of eldest sons of dukes according to the precedence of the peerage holders
Younger sons of dukes according to the precedence of the peerage holders
Younger sons of eldest sons of dukes according to the precedence of the peerage holders

Viscounts, et al.

	Note	Ref
	The Rt Hon. The Viscount Hereford
Scotland	Ordered according to date of creation
Great Britain	Ordered according to date of creation
	Ordered according to date of creation
United Kingdom	Ordered according to date of creation
Eldest sons of earls according to the precedence of the peerage holders
Lord Frederick Windsor (only son of Prince Michael of Kent)
Eldest sons of eldest sons of marquesses ordered according to the precedence of the peerage holders
Younger sons of marquesses ordered according to the precedence of the peerage holders
Younger sons of eldest sons of marquesses ordered according to the precedence of the peerage holders

Bishops

	Title	Holder			Ref
Diocesan bishops with seats in the House of Lords – ex officio	The Bishop of London		The Rt Revd and Rt Hon. Dame Sarah Mullally	Office held by a woman
	The Bishop of Durham	Vacant
	The Bishop of Winchester	The Rt Revd Philip Mounstephen
Other diocesan bishops with seats in the House of Lords ordered according to seniority of confirmation of election
Other diocesan bishops ordered according to seniority of confirmation of election<						-- This number is stable because women diocesan bishops will always enter the Lords until 2025 -->
Suffragan bishops ordered according to seniority of consecration
Retired Church of England diocesan archbishops and bishops ordered according to original date of confirmation of election

Barons/Lords of Parliament

	Order of precedence	Notes
Secretaries of State Being of the degree of a baron
	Ordered according to date of creation
Scotland	Ordered according to date of creation
Great Britain	Ordered according to date of creation
	Ordered according to date of creation
United Kingdom	Ordered according to date of creation

Gentry, et al.

Master of the Rolls and Supreme Court Justices

Title	Holder				Ref
The Master of the Rolls		The Rt Hon. Sir Geoffrey Vos
The Deputy President of the Supreme Court		The Rt Hon. Lord Hodge
Justices of the Supreme Court		The Rt Hon. Lord Lloyd-Jones
		The Rt Hon. Lord Briggs of Westbourne
		The Rt Hon. Lord Sales
		The Rt Hon. Lord Hamblen of Kersey
		The Rt Hon. Lord Leggatt
		The Rt Hon. Lord Burrows
		The Rt Hon. Lord Stephens of Creevyloughgare
		The Rt Hon. Lady Rose of Colmworth		Office held by a woman
		The Rt Hon. Lord Richards of Camberwell
		The Rt Hon. Lady Simler		Office held by a woman

Royal Household officials

Title	Holder				Ref
The Lords Commissioners of the Great Seal	None; last appointed in 1850
The Treasurer of the Household		The Rt Hon. Mark Tami
The Comptroller of the Household	Chris Elmore
The Vice-Chamberlain of the Household	Samantha Dixon			Office held by a woman

Cabinet, et al.

Title
Secretaries of State Under the degree of a Baron
Eldest sons of viscounts according to the precedence of the peerage holders
Eldest sons of eldest sons of earls according to the precedence of the peerage holders
Younger sons of earls according to the precedence of the peerage holders
Younger sons of eldest sons of earls according to the precedence of the peerage holders
Eldest sons of barons according to the precedence of the peerage holders

The Prime Minister determines the order of precedence for Secretaries of State as part of the ministerial ranking (also known as the order of precedence in Cabinet).

Knights Companion of the Order of the Garter and Knights of the Order of the Thistle

Order	Post-nominal letters	Holder	Ref
Knights Companion of the Order of the Garter	KG	The Rt Hon. Sir John Major
		Sir Thomas Dunne
		The Rt Hon. Sir Tony Blair
Knights of the Order of the Thistle	KT	Sir Ian Wood
		The Rt Hon. Sir George Reid
		Sir Geoff Palmer
Knights of the Order of St Patrick	KP	None; order dormant

Privy Counsellors, et al.

Privy Counsellors	Holder				Ref
Privy Counsellors (PC)		Ordered according to date of oath-taking
The Chancellor of the Order of the Garter	The Rt Hon. The Baroness Manningham-Buller			Office held by a woman
The Chancellor of the Exchequer		The Rt Hon. Rachel Reeves		Office held by a woman
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster		The Rt Hon. Pat McFadden

Senior judges, et al.

		Holder				Ref
The Senior Judges	The President of the King's Bench Division		The Rt Hon. Dame Victoria Sharp		Office held by a woman	^[7]
	The President of the Family Division		The Rt Hon. Sir Andrew McFarlane
	The Chancellor of the High Court		The Rt Hon. Sir Julian Flaux
The Lords Justices of Appeal		Ordered according to seniority of appointment
The Judges of the High Court		Ordered according to seniority of appointment
Eldest sons of eldest sons of viscounts according to the precedence of the peerage holders
Younger sons of viscounts according to the precedence of the peerage holders
Younger sons of eldest sons of viscounts according to the precedence of the peerage holders
Eldest sons of eldest sons of barons according to the precedence of the peerage holders
Younger sons of barons according to the precedence of the peerage holders
Younger sons of eldest sons of barons according to the precedence of the peerage holders
All sons of life peers according to the precedence of the peerage holders

Knights

Level	Order	Post-nominal letters	Ref
Knights Grand Cross	Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath	GCB
	Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India	GCSI
	Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George	GCMG
	Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire	GCIE
	Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order	GCVO
	Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire	GBE
Knights Commander	Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath	KCB
	Knights Commander of the Order of the Star of India	KCSI
	Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George	KCMG
	Knights Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire	KCIE
	Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order	KCVO
	Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire	KBE
Knights Bachelor		(None)	^[8]

Lower level judges, et al.

Title	Holder	Ref
The Vice-Chancellor of the County Palatine of Lancaster	The Hon. Timothy Fancourt
The Recorder of London	Mark Lucraft
The Recorders of Liverpool and Manchester
The Recorder of Liverpool	HH Andrew Menary	^[9]
The Recorder of Manchester	HH Nicholas Dean	^[10]
The Common Serjeant of London	HH Richard Marks	^[11]
The Circuit Judges

Other lower ranks, including esquires and gentlemen

Companions, commanders, lieutenants and officers of various orders

Order	Post-nominal letters	Ref
Companions of the Order of the Bath	CB
Companions of the Order of the Star of India	CSI
	CMG
Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire	CIE
Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order	CVO
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire	CBE
Companions of the Distinguished Service Order	DSO
Lieutenants of the Royal Victorian Order	LVO
Officers of the Order of the British Empire	OBE
Companions of the Imperial Service Order	ISO

Eldest sons of various grades

	Note	Ref
Eldest sons of younger sons of hereditary peers in their own right	Ordered according to the precedence of the peerage holders
Eldest sons of baronets	Ordered according to the precedence of the baronets
Eldest sons of knights	Ordered according to the precedence of the knights

Members of various orders

Order	Post-nominal letters	Ref
Members of the Royal Victorian Order	MVO
Members of the Order of the British Empire	MBE

Younger sons of various grades

	Note	Ref
Younger sons of baronets	Ordered according to the precedence of the baronets
Younger sons of knights	Ordered according to the precedence of the knights

Ladies

Royal Family

The order of precedence accorded to women of the royal family:

Position	Holder
Consort of the sovereign	HM The Queen
Daughters-in-law of the sovereign	HRH The Princess of Wales
Daughters of the sovereign	None at present
Wives of grandsons of the sovereign	None at present
Granddaughters of the sovereign	HRH Princess Charlotte of Wales
	Princess Lilibet of Sussex
Sisters-in-law of the sovereign	HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh
Sisters of the sovereign	HRH The Princess Royal
Wives of uncles of the sovereign	None at present
Aunts of the sovereign	None at present
Wives of nephews of the sovereign	None at present
Nieces of the sovereign	HRH Princess Beatrice, Mrs Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi
	HRH Princess Eugenie, Mrs Jack Brooksbank
	Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor
	Mrs Zara Tindall
Wives of grandsons of former sovereigns who are dukes	HRH The Duchess of Gloucester
	HRH The Duchess of Kent
Wives of grandsons of former sovereigns who are not dukes	The Rt Hon. The Countess of Snowdon
	HRH Princess Michael of Kent
Granddaughters of former sovereigns	Lady Sarah Chatto
	HRH Princess Alexandra, The Hon. Lady Ogilvy

High Officers of State, et al.

Title	Holder		Ref
The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain		The Rt Hon. Shabana Mahmood
The Lord President of the Council		The Rt Hon. Lucy Powell
The Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales		The Rt Hon. The Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill
The Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal		The Rt Hon. The Baroness Smith of Basildon
The Ambassadors and High Commissioners to the United Kingdom in order of arrival

Nobility and bishops

Duchesses, et al.

	Note	Ref
	Ordered according to date of creation
Scotland	Ordered according to date of creation
Great Britain	Ordered according to date of creation
	HG The Duchess of Leinster
United Kingdom	Ordered according to date of creation
Wives of eldest sons of royal dukes	Countess of Ulster (wife of Earl of Ulster)
	Countess of St Andrews (wife of Earl of St Andrews)
Daughters of royal dukes	Lady Davina Windsor (elder daughter of the Duke of Gloucester)
	Lady Rose Gilman (younger daughter of the Duke of Gloucester)
	Lady Helen Taylor (only daughter of the Duke of Kent)
Ministers, envoys, and other very important visitors from foreign countries

Marchionesses, et al.

	Note	Ref
	The Most Hon. The Marchioness of Winchester
Scotland	Ordered according to date of creation
Great Britain	Ordered according to date of creation
	Ordered according to date of creation
United Kingdom	Ordered according to date of creation
Wives of the eldest sons of dukes according to the precedence of the peerage holders
Daughters of dukes not married to peers

Countesses, et al.

	Note	Ref
	Ordered according to date of creation
Scotland	Ordered according to the Decreet of Ranking of 1606 according to date of creation
Great Britain	Ordered according to date of creation
	Ordered according to date of creation
United Kingdom	Ordered according to date of creation
Wives of younger sons of royal dukes who are not already ranked higher	Lady Nicholas Windsor (wife of Lord Nicholas Windsor)
Wives of eldest sons of marquesses according to the precedence of the peerage holders
Lady Gabriella Kingston (only daughter of Prince Michael of Kent)
Daughters of marquesses not married to peers
Wives of younger sons of dukes according to the precedence of the peerage holders

Viscountesses, et al.

	Note	Ref
	The Rt Hon. The Viscountess Hereford
Scotland	Ordered according to date of creation
Great Britain	Ordered according to date of creation
	Ordered according to date of creation
United Kingdom	Ordered according to date of creation
Wives of eldest sons of earls according to the precedence of the peerage holders
Lady Frederick Windsor (wife of Lord Frederick Windsor)
Daughters of earls not married to peers
Wives of younger sons of marquesses ordered according to the precedence of the peerage holders

Female bishops

	Title	Holder		Ref
	Female diocesan bishops with seats in the House of Lords – ex officio	The Bishop of London		The Rt Revd and Rt Hon. Dame Sarah Mullally
Other female diocesan bishops with seats in the House of Lords ordered according to seniority of confirmation of election
Other female diocesan bishops ordered according to seniority of confirmation of election<				-- This number is stable because women diocesan bishops will always enter the Lords until 2025 -->
Female suffragan bishops ordered according to seniority of consecration
Retired female Church of England diocesan archbishops and bishops ordered according to original date of confirmation of election

Baronesses

	Note	Ref
Secretaries of State Being of the degree of a baroness	None at present
	Ordered according to date of creation
Scotland	Ordered according to date of creation
Great Britain	Ordered according to date of creation
	Ordered according to date of creation
United Kingdom	Ordered according to date of creation

Gentry, et al.

Supreme Court Justices

Title	Holder		Ref
Justices of the Supreme Court		The Rt Hon. Lady Rose of Colmworth
Justices of the Supreme Court		The Rt Hon. Lady Simler

Cabinet, et al.

Title
Secretaries of State Under the degree of a Baroness
Wives of Viscounts' eldest sons
Daughters of Viscounts not married to peers
Wives of younger sons of Earls
Wives of eldest sons of Barons
Daughters of Barons not married to peers

The Prime Minister determines the order of precedence for Secretaries of State as part of the ministerial ranking (also known as the order of precedence in Cabinet).

Ladies and dames, et al.

Ladies Companion of the Order of the Garter and Ladies of the Order of the Thistle

Order	Post-nominal letters	Holder	Ref
Ladies Companion of the Order of the Garter	LG	Lady Mary Fagan
		Lady Mary Peters
Ladies of the Order of the Thistle	LT	The Rt Hon. Lady Elish Angiolini

Wives of Knights Companion of the Order of the Garter

Wife	Husband who is/was member	Ref
Lady (June) Hilary	Sir Edmund Hillary
Lady (Jennifer) Acland	Sir Antony Acland
	The Rt Hon. Sir John Major
Lady (Henrietta) Dunne	Sir Thomas Dunne
Lady (Tessa) Brewer	Sir David Brewer
Lady (Cherie) Blair	The Rt Hon. Sir Tony Blair

Wives of Knights of the Order of the Thistle

Wife	Husband who is/was member	Ref
Lady (Poppy) Anderson	Sir Eric Anderson
Lady (Gillian) Morrison	Sir Garth Morrison
Lady (Helen) Wood	Sir Ian Wood
Lady (Daphne) Reid	The Rt Hon. Sir George Reid
Lady (Margaret) Palmer	Sir Geoff Palmer

Female Privy Counsellors, et al.

Privy Counsellors	Holder		Ref
Privy Counsellors (PC)		Ordered according to date of oath-taking
The Chancellor of the Order of the Garter	The Rt Hon. The Baroness Manningham-Buller
The Chancellor of the Exchequer		The Rt Hon. Rachel Reeves

Senior judges, et al.

	Holder			Ref
The President of the King's Bench Division		The Rt Hon. Dame Victoria Sharp
The Lady Justices of Appeal	Ordered according to seniority of appointment
The Judges of the High Court	Ordered according to seniority of appointment
Wives of younger sons of viscounts according to the precedence of the peerage holders
Wives of younger sons of barons according to the precedence of the peerage holders
Baronetesses in their own right	None at present
Wives of baronets

Dames

Level	Order	Post-nominal letters	Ref
Dames Grand Cross	of the Order of the Bath	GCB
	of the Order of St Michael and St George	GCMG
	of the Royal Victorian Order	GCVO
	of the Order of the British Empire	GBE
Wives	of Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
	of Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India
	of Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George
	of Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire
	of Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
	of Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire
Dames Commander	of the Order of the Bath	DCB
	of the Order of St Michael and St George	DCMG
	of the Royal Victorian Order	DCVO
	of the Order of the British Empire	DBE
Wives of Knights Commander	of the Order of the Bath
	of the Order of the Star of India
	of the Order of St Michael and St George
	of the Order of the Indian Empire
	of the Royal Victorian Order
	of the Order of the British Empire
Wives of knights bachelor

Lower level judges

Members of orders, et al.

• Members of the following orders:
  • Companions of the Order of the Bath
  • Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George
  • Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order
  • Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
• Wives of Companions of the following orders:
  • Order of the Bath
  • Order of the Star of India
  • Order of St Michael and St George
  • Order of the Indian Empire
  • Royal Victorian Order
  • Order of the British Empire
• Wives of Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
• Lieutenants of the Royal Victorian Order
• Officers of the Order of the British Empire
• Wives of Lieutenants of the Royal Victorian Order
• Wives of Officers of the Order of the British Empire
• Companions of the Imperial Service Order
• Wives of Companions of the Imperial Service Order

Wives and daughters of peers, baronets, and knights, et al.

• Wives of the eldest sons of sons of peers or peeresses
• Daughters of sons of peers or peeresses
• Wives of the eldest sons of baronets
• Daughters of baronets
• Wives of eldest sons of knights:
  • Knights Companion of the Order of the Garter
  • Knights of the Order of the Thistle
  • Knights of the Order of St Patrick
  • Knights Grand Cross or Grand Commander
  • Knights Commander
• Daughters of knights:
  • Daughters of Knights Companion of the Order of the Garter
  • Daughters of Knights of the Order of the Thistle
  • Daughters of Knights Grand Cross or Grand Commander
  • Daughters of Knights Commander
• Members of the Royal Victorian Order
• Members of the Order of the British Empire
• Wives of members of the Royal Victorian Order
• Wives of members of the Order of the British Empire

Wives of younger sons

• Wives of younger sons of baronets
• Wives of younger sons of knights:
  • Knights Companion of the Order of the Garter
  • Knights of the Order of the Thistle
  • Knights of the Order of St Patrick
  • Knights Grand Cross or Knights Grand Commander
  • Knights Commander

Notes and References

1. [House of Lords Precedence Act 1539]
2. Web site: Order of Precedence in England and Wales . 2001 . Heraldica . 6 June 2013.
3. Book: Order of Precedence in England and Wales . Clarendon Press . . The Lord Chamberlain's Order of 1520, as amended in 1595 . 1981 . Oxford, England . 99–101.
4. [House of Lords Precedence Act 1539]
5. Web site: Appointment of Lord Chief Justice: 15 June 2023 . www.gov.uk . 2 October 2023.
6. Web site: Order of Precedence in England and Wales . 2001 . Heraldica . 6 June 2013.
7. Web site: President of the King’s Bench Division. www.judiciary.uk. en-GB. 2019-11-11.
8. Web site: Orders and Medals . cabinetoffice.gov.uk . Cabinet Office . 14 November 2023.
9. Web site: Resident Judge Appointment: HHJ Andrew Menary KC. www.judiciary.uk. en-GB. 2019-11-11.
10. Web site: Senior Circuit Judge Appointment – Stockdale. www.judiciary.uk. en-GB. 2019-11-11.
11. Web site: Common Serjeant Appointment: Marks. www.judiciary.uk. en-GB. 2019-11-11.