The Court of St James's is the royal court for the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. All ambassadors to the United Kingdom are formally received by the court. All ambassadors from the United Kingdom are formally accredited from the court – – as they are representatives of

the Crown The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has differ ...

. The Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps (before 1920, Master of the Ceremonies), who acts as the link between the British monarch and foreign diplomatic missions, is permanently based at St James's Palace. In 1886, there were only six ambassadors in London, with 37 other countries represented by ministers. By 2015, this had increased to 175 foreign missions accredited to the Court of St James's: 47 high commissions from Commonwealth countries and 128 embassies from non-Commonwealth countries. Official meetings and receptions associated with the court, such as Privy Council meetings or the annual Diplomatic Reception attended by 1,500 guests, are held wherever the monarch is in residence—usually Buckingham Palace.

Name

The Court of St James's is named after St James's Palace, hence the possessive ''s'' at the end of the name. This is because St James's Palace is the most senior royal palace and has remained the official residence of the British monarchy despite the nearby Buckingham Palace having been the main

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

residence of all the UK's sovereigns since the accession of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...

in 1837. Sometimes the court's name is spoken incorrectly as the ''Court of St James'', that is, incorrect without a separate "iz" pronunciation for the possessive "s" suffix.

References

{{reflist British monarchy Diplomacy Diplomatic services Foreign relations of the United Kingdom Foreign relations of Great Britain Foreign relations of England British royal court

Name

See also

References