Lords-in-waiting (male) or baronesses-in-waiting (female) are peers who hold office in the Royal Household of the sovereign of the United Kingdom. In the official Court Circular they are styled "Lord in Waiting" or "Baroness in Waiting" (without hyphenation).
There are two kinds of lord-in-waiting: political appointees by the government of the day who serve as junior government whips in the House of Lords (the senior whips have the positions of Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms and Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard); and non-political appointments by the monarch (who, if they have a seat in the House of Lords, sit as crossbenchers). Lords-in-waiting (whether political or non-political) may be called upon periodically to represent the sovereign; for example, one of their number is regularly called upon to greet visiting heads of state on arrival at an airport at the start of a state or official visit, and they may then play a role in accompanying them for the duration of their stay (for instance, on 3 June 2019 lord-in-waiting Alan Brooke, 3rd Viscount Brookeborough was in attendance at London Stansted Airport to welcome U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump on behalf of the Queen; he and Viscountess Brookeborough then remained "specially attached" to the Trumps for the duration of their visit).Court Circular, Buckingham Palace, 3 June 2019. They are also occasionally in attendance on other state or royal occasions. "Extra" lords-in-waiting may also be appointed, supernumerary to the regular appointees, who fulfil a similar role; for example, Baroness Rawlings, whose appointment as a government whip (and baroness-in-waiting) ceased in 2012, continued to serve as an extra baroness-in-waiting,UK Parliament website biographical page and represented the Queen on certain occasions (for example on 27 February 2019 she was present at RAF Northolt to welcome the King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jordan, while at the same time another baroness-in-waiting, Baroness Manzoor, was present at Heathrow Airport to welcome Borut Pahor, president of Slovenia).Court Circular, Buckingham Palace, 27 February 2019.
In addition, the honour of serving as a permanent lord-in-waiting is occasionally bestowed on very senior courtiers following their retirement. A permanent lord-in-waiting may also represent the sovereign, as often happens at funerals or memorial services for former courtiers.
Political appointments Most baronesses and lords-in-waiting serve as government whips in the House of Lords. Being members of the government, they are appointed by the sovereign on the recommendation of the Prime Minister and invariably relinquish their position when there is a change of government.
Those currently serving in this capacity are:
Portfolio Name SinceLord-in-waiting Phil Wilson, Baron Wilson of Sedgefield 10 February 2025 Mike Katz, Baron Katz 11 April 2025Baroness-in-waiting Jane Ramsey, Baroness Ramsey of Wall Heath 12 June 2026 Margaret Curran, Baroness Curran 12 June 2026 Judith Blake, Baroness Blake of Leeds 11 July 2024 Sophy Antrobus, Baroness Antrobus 21 July 2026 Brenda Dacres, Baroness Dacres of Lewisham 21 July 2026 Sara Hyde, Baroness Hyde of Bemerton 21 July 2026
Non-political appointments Alongside the political appointees two non-political lords-in-waiting are always appointed, at the personal discretion of the sovereign (distinguished from their political counterparts by the designation 'Personal Lord in Waiting').E.g. Court Circular, Buckingham Palace, 30 July 2008
Those currently serving in this capacity are:Court Circular, Buckingham Palace
Portfolio Name SincePersonal lord-in-waiting Alan Brooke, 3rd Viscount BrookeboroughBiography on UK Parliament website 1 May 1997 Henry Hood, 8th Viscount Hood 30 July 2008
Additional appointments Any additional appointees are termed extra lords or baronesses-in-waiting.
Those currently serving in this capacity are:Court Circular, Buckingham Palace
Portfolio Name Since Extra baroness-in-waiting Patricia Rawlings, Baroness Rawlings 2012 Extra lord-in-waiting Anthony St John, 22nd Baron St John of Bletso 19 March 1998
Permanent lords-in-waiting Permanent lords-in-waiting are retired senior officials of the Royal Household. Those serving in this capacity are:Court Circular, Buckingham Palace
Name SinceFormer Lord Great Chamberlain of England David Cholmondeley, 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley 17 March 2023Former Lord Chamberlains of the Household Richard Luce, Baron Luce 16 July 2007 William Peel, 3rd Earl Peel 1 April 2021Former Private Secretaries to the Sovereign Robin Janvrin, Baron Janvrin 13 November 2007 Christopher Geidt, Baron Geidt 4 March 2019 Edward Young, Baron Young of Old Windsor 15 May 2023
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