Great Officer of State

The Great Officers of State ( Great state officials ) are in the UK high officials who perform specific administrative, executive and judicial functions on behalf of the kingdom. They must be distinguished from the court officials who are committed to the royal household ( Royal Household ). Great Officers also existed in England, Scotland and Ireland.

Since the Great Officers once possessed great political influence and were able to pass on their titles, some of them were deprived of power largely in the past centuries or their duties were taken over by the Crown. Your offices will be handled by traditional ministers or members of the House of Lords and House of Commons, some are thereby occupied only for special ceremonies.

The Great Officers of State are thus the Reichserzämtern the Holy Roman Empire and the Grands Officers de la Couronne de France comparable.

England

The Great Officers of England and their possible counterparts in German are:

After the House of Lords Act 1999, the Earl Marshal and the Lord Great Chamberlain are the only carriers of a hereditary title of nobility, automatically taking a seat in the House of Lords. They meet there ceremonial functions. The office of Lord Chamberlain is thereby executed since 1780 by several holders with differently weighted shares, who in turn pass on their shares. The actual exercise will change with every new monarch.

Other offices are managed in the Commission, that is, several commissioners be instructed to perform the official duties. Thus, the high is Treasury ( Treasury ) conducted since 1714 by a commission of the First Lord, at the same time, the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer as deputy chair.

Also, the office of Lord Admiral was out for a long time in the Commission, but was - initially adopted by the monarch himself, and, most recently as an honorary title to Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, husband of Queen - with the establishment of a unified Department of Defense for all branches of the armed forces the former naval officer, was awarded. The post of Lord Steward is only manned for coronation ceremonies and elevations to the peerage. A Lord Constable is appointed solely for coronation ceremonies. The remaining offices - Lord Chancellor, Lord President and Lord Privy Seal - are occupied by the Crown on the recommendation of Prime Minister. Usually assume the " chairman " of the House of Commons and House of Lords ( ie the leader of the governing faction in the houses), the post of Lord President and Lord Privy Seal.

Scotland

As an ancient kingdom that Scotland has its own Great Officers of State. After the Act of Union in 1707, a number of offices were discontinued. They include the the Lord Chancellor of Scotland, and the President of the Privy Council of Scotland. In Scotland, there is in addition to the Officers of State and Officers of the Crown as civil servants.

As in England, the existing offices are partially hereditary. On the other part, they are awarded by the Crown. Political power is no longer connected as a rule with such an office, but the respective owner has only ceremonial functions. However, some of the offices have tasks in the area of ​​the Scottish courts. The Lord Lyon King of Arms is finally the King of Arms of Scotland.

The Officers of State of Scotland, and its current office holders are:

The Officers of the Crown of Scotland, and its current office holders are: