The Crown Equerry is the operational head of the

Royal Mews The Royal Mews is a mews, or collection of equestrian stables, of the British royal family. In London these stables and stable-hands' quarters have occupied two main sites in turn, being located at first on the north side of Charing Cross, and ...

of the Royal Household of the

Sovereign ''Sovereign'' is a title that can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to ...

of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. As executive head of the Royal Mews Department, he is responsible for the provision of vehicular transport for the sovereign, both cars and horse-drawn carriages. Train travel is arranged by the Royal Travel Office, which also co-ordinates air transport. The position of Crown Equerry should not be confused with that of

Equerry An equerry (; from French language, French 'stable', and related to 'squire') is an officer of honour. Historically, it was a senior attendant with responsibilities for the horses of a person of rank. In contemporary use, it is a personal attend ...

: although both are nominally under the

Master of the Horse Master of the Horse is an official position in several European nations. It was more common when most countries in Europe were monarchies, and is of varying prominence today. (ancient Rome) The original Master of the Horse () in the Roman Rep ...

, the equerries have a distinct role as personal assistants to the

sovereign ''Sovereign'' is a title that can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to ...

and senior members of the

royal family A royal family is the immediate family of monarchs and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term papal family describes the family of a pope, while th ...

History

After 1827, the Master of the Horse became a political office, its holder changing with each change of government. To provide continuity in the management of the Royal Mews, the role of Crown Equerry was created in 1854. The first incumbent was John Groves, a retired

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

of the Essex Rifles; his full title was ''Crown Equerry, Secretary to the Master of the Horse and Superintendent of the Royal Stables''. The secretarial aspect of the job led to him being seen as inferior to the other Equerries, and he was kept at one remove from the Queen and the Palace ( Charles Phipps, the Keeper of the Privy Purse, was at pains to make clear in a letter to the Master of the Horse that the new office pertained 'exclusively to the Stables department'). Groves died in office five years later; his successor, Colonel George Ashley Maude, remained in post for thirty-five years. During this time he consolidated the office and worked to improve the working conditions of the Mews staff. The Queen (who esteemed him 'a kind good man') granted him direct access to her person, and it became established practice that the Crown Equerry would receive and convey the monarch's instructions directly with regard to all aspects of the Royal Mews and its operations. The job of Superintendent of the Royal Mews was established as a separate office in 1859; the Superintendent served as assistant to the Crown Equerry until 2000 when the post was abolished. In the 21st century the Crown Equerry works closely with the Comptroller of the Household and the

Lord Chamberlain The Lord Chamberlain of the Household is the most senior officer of the Royal Households of the United Kingdom, Royal Household of the United Kingdom, supervising the departments which support and provide advice to the Monarchy of the United Ki ...

's Office who oversees arrangements for ceremonial occasions and briefs the Crown Equerry accordingly.

List of Crown Equerries

*Major John Groves 1854–1859 * Lieutenant Colonel Sir George Ashley Maude 1859–1894 * Major General Sir Henry Ewart, 1st Baronet 1894–1910 *

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

Sir Charles Wentworth-FitzWilliam 1910–1924 *

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

Sir Arthur Erskine, 1924–1941 *Colonel Sir Dermot McMorrough Kavanagh 1941–1955 *

Brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

Walter Sale 1955–1961 *Lieutenant Colonel Sir John Mansel Miller 1961–1987 *Lieutenant Colonel Charles Stephens 1987 *Lieutenant Colonel Sir Seymour Gilbart-Denham 1987–2002 *Major Felix Wheeler 2002–2005 *Major Simon Robinson 2005–2010 *Colonel Toby Browne 2010–present

References

General

*Hoey, Brian (1992). ''All The Queen's Men: Inside The Royal Household''. London: HarperCollins. {{ISBN, 0-246-13851-3. Positions within the British Royal Household

History

List of Crown Equerries

See also

References

General