FAQs

The Lord-Lieutenant is His Majesty’s Representative in a ceremonial county, in this case of Greater London, and he is charged with the following responsibilities:

Royal visits – receiving members of the Royal Family at visits in Greater London, receiving Heads of States’ visits and helping to organise said visits;
Honours and awards – promoting national honours and awards, organising the presentations of the British Empire Medals to local recipients, validating local nominations, supporting The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise and Voluntary Service;
Military liaison – supporting the local military (regulars, reserves and cadets) in concert with the Greater London Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Association, of which the Lord-Lieutenant is President;
Civic and charity support – working closely with elected representatives (in London’s 32 Borough Councils and the Greater London Authority) to pursue mutually beneficial objectives; and
Community engagement – encouraging and supporting positive community cohesion and engagement.

In essence, the role of His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London is to uphold the dignity of the Crown and to follow the example of The King by improving the well-being of Londoners.

The Lord-Lieutenant takes precedence over all civic dignitaries at an event or function and will be treated as if His Majesty were present at the occasion.

Yes it is, but it is one which brings with it service and duties.

Sir Kenneth Olisa OBE was appointed from 29th May 2015. You can find out more about Ken by looking at the Lord-Lieutenant’s page on the website here: https://greaterlondonlieutenancy.com/about-us/our-people/lord-lieutenant/.

The correct form of address for the Lord-Lieutenant is:

Written: Sir Kenneth Olisa OBE His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London

Salutation: Dear Lord-Lieutenant

In a speech: In the preamble the Lord-Lieutenant should be referred to as “My Lord-Lieutenant”. A speech might begin “Lord-Lieutenant, Ladies and Gentlemen…”

Conversation: On formal occasions – Lord-Lieutenant

A Lord-Lieutenant serves until his or her 75th Birthday. Ken will retire as Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London in 2026.

The Sovereign, on the recommendation of the Prime Minister, appoints Lord-Lieutenants. The role is non-political.

Anybody, but they must clearly have given service to their local community and live near enough to their county or area to know it well and carry out their functions in it effectively.

The Lord-Lieutenant is not paid. It is a voluntary position, like that of Vice Lord-Lieutenant and Deputy Lieutenant.

The Lord-Lieutenant has a very busy work schedule but consideration will be given to attending events when possible. In the first instance please write to or email the Lieutenancy Office: Lieutenancy Office.

You can contact the Lord-Lieutenant via the Lieutenancy Office: Lieutenancy Office/.

In 1965 with the reorganisation of local government in London. For more on the history of the Lieutenancy look at the History pages of the website: History of the Lieutenancy.

The Lieutenancy includes the Lord-Lieutenant, the Vice Lord-Lieutenant, 92 Deputy Lieutenants (including 32 Representative Deputy Lieutenants) and the Clerk and Deputy Clerk. Deputy Lieutenants can put “DL” after their names.

Because of the size and constitutional structure of London, the non-statutory title and office of Representative Deputy Lieutenant was created in 1951 by Viscount Alanbrooke. The Lord-Lieutenant selects one of his DLs to represent him in each of the 32 London Boroughs (but not the City). Their main function is to represent the Lieutenancy and occasionally the Lord-Lieutenant at civic and other official functions within their boroughs, and also to promote its voluntary, charitable and youth activities. Find out more at the Representative Deputy Lieutenant page on the website: Representative Deputy Lieutenants.

Please go to: Arranging and Applying, or by contacting the Lieutenancy Office: Lieutenancy Office.

For The King: Your Majesty on the first occasion and Sir thereafter. Other female members of the Royal Family who hold the title Her Royal Highness: Your Royal Highness on the first occasion and then Ma’am. For male members of the Royal Family who hold the title His Royal Highness: Your Royal Highness on the first occasion and Sir thereafter.

The honours system recognises people of outstanding merit, and those who have committed themselves to service to the nation and to their communities. You can submit a nomination at any time. Find out more about the honours process by going to: https://www.gov.uk/honours/overview.

The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service is awarded for outstanding achievement by groups who regularly volunteer their own time to enhance and improve the lives of others. To find out more visit the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service website: https://www.gov.uk/queens-award-for-voluntary-service.

The Queen’s Award for Enterprise are the the UK’s top awards for business performance. They are presented in three categories:

international trade;
innovation; and
sustainable development.
More details can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/queens-awards-for-enterprise.

Nominations are made through Lord-Lieutenants, and organisations such as the Civil Service, Armed Services, Diplomatic Corps, charities and societies. The Lord-Lieutenant is charged by The King to nominate a small number of commendable individuals from within Greater London each year. As you may appreciate, there are a large number of worthy people considered for nomination and invitation from a population of over 8.5 million people, it is not always possible to grant everyone’s request.

The majority of successful cases result when an unrelated third-party nominee, an individual, submits a request in letterform to the Lord-Lieutenant and often what distinguishes one nomination from another is the comprehensive case that is submitted. Regrettably, due to the large number of requests and nominations that we receive, we are unable to write to those whose have been unsuccessful after the review process has taken place. To find out more visit: Garden Parties.

You will have to complete a form via the British Monarchy website at: http://www.royal.gov.uk/HMTheQueen/Queenandanniversarymessages/Anniversarymessages.aspx.