The City's relationship with the Monarch and the Royal Family
Of all the myth and lore that envelopes the Square Mile perhaps none is more persistent than the idea that the Monarch has to ask to enter the City of London and may not do so without the permission of the Lord Mayor.
While it is true to say that the City's relationship with the Crown is complex and exceptionally ancient, the myth that the Monarch is in some way subordinate to the Lord Mayor is simply nonsense. The very fact that the Lord Mayor has to be approved by the Monarch at a ceremony that takes place in the House of Lords, and later makes an oath of allegiance to the Monarch at the Royal Courts of Justice during the annual Lord Mayor's Show should put paid to this myth, yet it continues to spread.
The genesis of this myth is likely to be the Ceremony of the Pearl Sword which has, from time to time, been held at the former site of Temple Bar on Fleet Street. During the ceremony the Monarch's carriage procession draws up, the City Police pull a red cord across the street where Temple Bar once stood, the royal procession stops, the Lord Mayor approaches the carriage and presents the hilt of the City's Pearl Sword to the Monarch who touches it and symbolically returns the sword to the Lord Mayor. This is act of feudal fealty in which the Lord Mayor surrenders his principal symbol of authority to the Monarch, who in turn (assuming the Monarch finds the Lord Mayor suitably qualified to continue in office) returns the sword.
The essence of the ceremony is captured in the painting by Alexander Talbot Rice which hangs in Ironmongers' Hall and recalls the moment when Lord Mayor Sir Michael Oliver (Citizen & Ironmonger) offered up the Pearl Sword during the Queen's Golden Jubilee.
The Pearl Sword is believed to be a gift from Queen Elizabeth I to the City of London, and it is one of several ceremonial swords owned and used by the City. With the City's ceremonial mace they are symbols of the authority that the Monarch delegates to the Lord Mayor. The Lord Mayor takes position, place and precedence before all persons in the City other than the Monarch and is the Monarch's representative in the City. The office, title and dignity of Lord Mayor flows from the Monarch, not from parliament - an institution that did not exist at the time office of Lord Mayor was created. The office of Lord Mayor is therefore a creature of the Monarch's creation, not of the government's.
The last point is particularly well illustrated by the fact that the City, despite being a ceremonial county, has no Lord Lieutenant, rather the lieutenancy is held in 'commission' (i.e., by a committee rather than an individual) and the Lord Mayor is the head of the Commission of Lieutenancy for the City of London and the Monarch's representative in the City of London. The Monarch issues a new Commission of Lieutenancy each December notice of which is placed in the London Gazette. A uniform has been designed for the head of the commission, and the Deputy Lieutenants of the City of London but has never been created or worn.
That said, some officers of the Crown do have to ask permission to enter the City...
His Majesty's Lord Lieutenant for Greater London (not the City), presently Sir Kenneth Olisa OBE (Past Master of the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists), certainly does have to ask permission to enter the Square Mile when in uniform and the author has been witness to an incident when that occurred.
The genesis of this myth is likely to be the Ceremony of the Pearl Sword which has, from time to time, been held at the former site of Temple Bar on Fleet Street. During the ceremony the Monarch's carriage procession draws up, the City Police pull a red cord across the street where Temple Bar once stood, the royal procession stops, the Lord Mayor approaches the carriage and presents the hilt of the City's Pearl Sword to the Monarch who touches it and symbolically returns the sword to the Lord Mayor. This is act of feudal fealty in which the Lord Mayor surrenders his principal symbol of authority to the Monarch, who in turn (assuming the Monarch finds the Lord Mayor suitably qualified to continue in office) returns the sword.
The essence of the ceremony is captured in the painting by Alexander Talbot Rice which hangs in Ironmongers' Hall and recalls the moment when Lord Mayor Sir Michael Oliver (Citizen & Ironmonger) offered up the Pearl Sword during the Queen's Golden Jubilee.
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| Lord Mayor of London, Sir Michael Oliver, presenting the Pearl Sword to Her Majesty at Temple Bar. Photograph © Paul D Jagger. |
The Pearl Sword is believed to be a gift from Queen Elizabeth I to the City of London, and it is one of several ceremonial swords owned and used by the City. With the City's ceremonial mace they are symbols of the authority that the Monarch delegates to the Lord Mayor. The Lord Mayor takes position, place and precedence before all persons in the City other than the Monarch and is the Monarch's representative in the City. The office, title and dignity of Lord Mayor flows from the Monarch, not from parliament - an institution that did not exist at the time office of Lord Mayor was created. The office of Lord Mayor is therefore a creature of the Monarch's creation, not of the government's.
The last point is particularly well illustrated by the fact that the City, despite being a ceremonial county, has no Lord Lieutenant, rather the lieutenancy is held in 'commission' (i.e., by a committee rather than an individual) and the Lord Mayor is the head of the Commission of Lieutenancy for the City of London and the Monarch's representative in the City of London. The Monarch issues a new Commission of Lieutenancy each December notice of which is placed in the London Gazette. A uniform has been designed for the head of the commission, and the Deputy Lieutenants of the City of London but has never been created or worn.
That said, some officers of the Crown do have to ask permission to enter the City...
His Majesty's Lord Lieutenant for Greater London (not the City), presently Sir Kenneth Olisa OBE (Past Master of the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists), certainly does have to ask permission to enter the Square Mile when in uniform and the author has been witness to an incident when that occurred.
Likewise officers commanding His Majesty's armed forces may not march them into the City without permission first having been sought and obtained from the Lord Mayor, whereupon they are met at the City boundary by the City Marshal and escorted through the Square Mile - although this now only happens on ceremonial occasions. The same is true for officers of arms from His Majesty's College of Arms such as when the accession of a new monarch is announced. Again, this only happens on great occasions of state - it would be ridiculous for officers of arms to have to ask permission to enter the City every working day as the College of Arms is located in the Square Mile.
The City's several swords and the mace are not the only symbols of royal authority displayed by the Lord Mayor of London. Following Henry V's successful campaign in France, which was funded and equipped by the City's merchants, the Lord Mayor was presented with a Crystal Sceptre in 1415. The Sceptre features the arms of Henry V and appears during the Silent Ceremony in Guildhall when the Lord Mayor Elect is installed.
The Crystal Sceptre is also held by the Lord Mayor during the coronation ceremony. The Lord Mayor is the only elected government officer who plays a role in the ceremony, and stands with the bishops, peers, kings of arms and heralds on the dais in Westminster Abbey. The Lord Mayor is also afforded the privilege of a unique coronation robe, trimmed with four rows of ermine and gold. He stands out very clearly in this image from the BBC film of the coronation, no mystery about 'Where's Wally?' in this image.
The Lord Mayor is involved long before the coronation ceremony since he, with the other Aldermen of the City of London, is one of the members of the Accession Council that meets to proclaim the Monarch's right to accession on the demise of the Crown (i.e., the immediate passing of the Crown down the line of succession). The Lord Mayor, Aldermen and the Freemen of the City of London are mentioned in the proclamation of accession used in the United Kingdom.
The Livery Companies also played a role in the coronation, the Glovers provided the gloves worn by the Monarch, the Girdlers provided a girdle (belt) and stole, and there were various other gifts presented by the other Companies. Some of the artefacts provided by the Livery Companies were perishable such as the Wax Chandlers' provision of beeswax candles, a custom they continue for royal weddings and funerals, as do the Gardeners' Company by providing flowers.
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| The Lord Mayor's Crystal Sceptre, a gift from Henry V. Photograph © Paul D Jagger. |
The City's several swords and the mace are not the only symbols of royal authority displayed by the Lord Mayor of London. Following Henry V's successful campaign in France, which was funded and equipped by the City's merchants, the Lord Mayor was presented with a Crystal Sceptre in 1415. The Sceptre features the arms of Henry V and appears during the Silent Ceremony in Guildhall when the Lord Mayor Elect is installed.
The Crystal Sceptre is also held by the Lord Mayor during the coronation ceremony. The Lord Mayor is the only elected government officer who plays a role in the ceremony, and stands with the bishops, peers, kings of arms and heralds on the dais in Westminster Abbey. The Lord Mayor is also afforded the privilege of a unique coronation robe, trimmed with four rows of ermine and gold. He stands out very clearly in this image from the BBC film of the coronation, no mystery about 'Where's Wally?' in this image.
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| The Lord Mayor stands out during the Coronation on account of his striped scarlet, ermine and gold robe. |
The Lord Mayor is involved long before the coronation ceremony since he, with the other Aldermen of the City of London, is one of the members of the Accession Council that meets to proclaim the Monarch's right to accession on the demise of the Crown (i.e., the immediate passing of the Crown down the line of succession). The Lord Mayor, Aldermen and the Freemen of the City of London are mentioned in the proclamation of accession used in the United Kingdom.
The Livery Companies also played a role in the coronation, the Glovers provided the gloves worn by the Monarch, the Girdlers provided a girdle (belt) and stole, and there were various other gifts presented by the other Companies. Some of the artefacts provided by the Livery Companies were perishable such as the Wax Chandlers' provision of beeswax candles, a custom they continue for royal weddings and funerals, as do the Gardeners' Company by providing flowers.
A comprehensive list of gifts presented to the Monarch by the Livery Companies and held in the Royal Collection may be viewed online. Recently the author had the opportunity to handle the remains of a beeswax candle used in the Royal Wedding of HRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and provided by the Wax Chandlers' Company and see the Coronation (or Queen's) Cup presented by the Goldsmiths' Company.
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| Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II holding the Coronation Cup presented by the Goldsmiths' Company. Painting by Terence Cuneo. Photograph © Paul D Jagger. |
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| The Worshipful Company of Wax Chandlers provide magnificent beeswax candles for Royal weddings, funerals and other church services. Photograph © Paul D Jagger. |
The relationship between the Crown and the Livery Companies does not just take the form of giving gifts or providing vestments for the Coronation, as most Livery Companies have secured one or more Royal Charters from Monarchs over many centuries. The topic of Royal Charters is explored in an earlier article, suffice to say that more than one in ten of all Royal Charters issued since William the Conqueror has been to a City of London Livery Company.
Individual members of the Royal Family are also very active Freemen or Liverymen of one or more of the City's Livery Companies and the connections go back as far at least as far as Elizabeth I.
Our late Queen was a 'Citizen & Draper of London' on account of her admission as a Freeman of the Drapers' Company in 1947, and then as a Freeman of the City of London later the same year. In 2017 Her Majesty was elected to the Court of the Company and visited Drapers' Hall to celebrate 70 years of membership. Clearly the Drapers' Company take the business of who may progress to Court very seriously indeed!
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| Legally binding, HM The Queen took precedence AFTER the Master and Wardens of the Drapers' Company. Photograph © Paul D Jagger. |
His Majesty the King is a member of no fewer than fourteen Livery Companies, he is a Citizen & Fishmonger by right of patrimony, Patron of the Honourable Company of Air Pilots, Past Master of the Honourable Company of Master Mariners and either a Freeman or Liveryman of the Brewers, Carpenters, Drapers, Farmers, Fruiterers, Gardeners, Goldsmiths, Musicians, Pewterers, Shipwrights and Stationers.
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| The Duke of Edinburgh was admitted into the Freedom of the Ironmongers' Company in 2013. Photograph © Paul D Jagger. |
HRH The Princess Royal has served as Master of no fewer than eight Livery Companies - a post that is far from a sinecure, and is also Perpetual Master of the Saddlers' Company (the annually elected head of the Company is styled Prime Warden). In 2020 HRH The Princess Royal received the City Livery Club's Root & Branch Award for her outstanding commitment to the Livery.
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| HRH The Princess Royal on the occasion of her receiving the City Livery Club's Root & Branch Award, seen here speaking to the author. Photograph © Paul D Jagger. |
The manner in which our late Queen viewed her relationship with the City was best evidenced by her Annus Horribilis speech of 24 November 1992 - given in Guildhall to celebrate the 40th anniversary of her accession. To quote:
"1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure. In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents, it has turned out to be an 'Annus Horribilis'. I suspect that I am not alone in thinking it so. Indeed, I suspect that there are very few people or institutions unaffected by these last months of worldwide turmoil and uncertainty. This generosity and whole-hearted kindness of the Corporation of the City to Prince Philip and me would be welcome at any time, but at this particular moment, in the aftermath of Friday's tragic fire at Windsor, it is especially so."
The warmth of the relationship between the Livery Companies and the Monarchy is captured in the speech given by the Master Mercer during the Queen's Diamond Jubilee luncheon, hosted by the Livery Companies, at Westminster Hall on 5 June 2012.
Want to learn more about the Livery Companies and the City of London?
The City of London Freeman's Guide is the definitive concise guide to the City of London and its ancient and modern Livery Companies, their customs, traditions, officers, events and landmarks. Available in full colour hardback and eBook formats and now in its fifth or Platinum Jubilee edition. The guide is available online from Apple (as an eBook), Amazon (in hardback or eBook) Payhip (in ePub format) or Etsy (in hardback or hardback with the author's seal attached). Also available from all major City of London tourist outlets and bookstores. Bulk purchase enquiries are welcome from Livery Companies, Guilds, Ward Clubs and other City institutions and businesses.
The City of London Freeman's Guide is the definitive concise guide to the City of London and its ancient and modern Livery Companies, their customs, traditions, officers, events and landmarks. Available in full colour hardback and eBook formats and now in its fifth or Platinum Jubilee edition. The guide is available online from Apple (as an eBook), Amazon (in hardback or eBook) Payhip (in ePub format) or Etsy (in hardback or hardback with the author's seal attached). Also available from all major City of London tourist outlets and bookstores. Bulk purchase enquiries are welcome from Livery Companies, Guilds, Ward Clubs and other City institutions and businesses.
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| The City of London Freeman's Guide, 6th or Sovereign's edition |
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