Many of us saw Penny Mordaunt preside over the Accession Council. But was she actually Lord President? This post unpacks the constitutional ambiguity behind her role, and why it matters. venerablepuzzle.wordpress.com/2025/09/16/a...

The Docquet Book is a record of instruments prepared by the Crown Office, including Letters Patent, Warrants of Appointment, Proclamations, and Writs of Summons. Here are some recent entries I received via a FOI request (it's oddly formatted because that's how I received it). 1/6

The office copy of the submission for Lord Wright's appointment as Master of the Rolls notes that it was submitted to King George V unsigned "after an explanation by Sir Claud [Schuster] over the telephone, the Lord Chancellor not being available" [LCO 6/918].

Summons to a meeting of the Privy Council for the purpose of swearing-in new Ministers. [PREM 49/2130].

Correspondence with the Palace regarding Augustus Andrewes Uthwatt's appointment as a High Court Justice, including the informal advice, the reply from the King's Private Secretary, and the formal submission [LCO 6/1582].

The precedence clause in a baronet's patent of creation used to contain an almost comical number of provisos and caveats. That language was simplified in the later 19th century, and the current form of the patent trimmed it even further. 1/2

These were the Confessor's duties in the 18th century. This is taken from William Lovegrove's manuscript about the Chapel Royal which is published in vol. 2 of The Cheque Books of the Chapel Royal edited by Andrew Ashbee and John Harley. 1/2

Transcript of a Sign-Manual Warrant from 1761 ordering the Sub-Dean of the Chapels Royal to admit David Walter Morgan to the office of Confessor of His Majesty's Household and Priest-in-Ordinary of the Chapels Royal [SP 44/157 f.49]. 1/3

Sign-Manual Warrant for the appointment of the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Because the resulting patent would pass the seals of the Duchy and County Palatine, the Warrant is addressed to the Duchy's Attorney General and Clerk instead of the English Law Officers [SP 44/375 f.53].

During the King's recent trip to Canada, the Queen was sworn in as a Member of His Majesty's Privy Council for Canada. Similarly, the Duke of Edinburgh joined the Council when Queen Elizabeth II visited Canada in 1957. The ceremonial involved was set out in a memo for the PM. 1/4

The Order in Council approving a new Great Seal has changed quite a bit over the years. In the 17th and early 18th centuries, the wording doesn't appear to have been fixed, though they often highlight the defacement of the old seal as well as the approval of the new one. 1/10

When the late Queen approved her second Great Seal in 2001, the Order in Council noted she had approved a new Wafer Seal as well. Oddly, the Order approving the current Great Seal makes no mention of a Wafer Seal. I've asked the PCO about this but they haven't responded.

The King's decision to use the Royal Arms on the reverse of the Great Seal follows a precedent set by the late Queen's second Great Seal. This record of a meeting between Crown Office and Royal Mint officials shows the change was considered as far back as 1999. 1/2

Seals of the Duchy of Lancaster (top) and County Palatine of Lancaster (bottom) from the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. Both feature Corgis—on the Duchy seal, it's near her foot; on the County Palatine seal, it's positioned under her horse [Royal Mint Annual Report 1953 vol. 84].

When a new Great Seal was approved, the old one was traditionally given to the Lord Chancellor as a perquisite of his office. Sir Almeric FitzRoy's description of the handover suggests it could be quite a taxing affair. These accounts are from vol. 1 of his Memoirs.

Letter from King George V's Private Secretary, Lord Stamfordham, to the Cabinet Secretary, Sir Maurice Hankey, urging the Cabinet to tackle unemployment. "It is impossible to expect people to subsist upon the unemployment benefit of 15/- for men and 12/- for women." CAB 24/128/28

Note from the Cabinet Secretary stating that George VI had approved that the words "Emperor of India" be omitted from his royal style and titles in all documents after August 15, 1947. The King would also drop the "I" from his signature at the same time. [CAB 129/20/29]. 1/2

New blog post! The King will travel to Canada later this month to formally open Parliament. Could this be the beginning of a new chapter in Canadian constitutional history? venerablepuzzle.wordpress.com/2025/05/05/a...

It's a bit surreal to see an Archbishop of Athens in the Parliament of Scotland [RPS, A1560/8/1]. Alexander Gordon received this titular see as a consolation prize after his election as Archbishop of Glasgow was quashed by the Pope at the behest of the Earl of Arran.

Letter of introduction for the UK's High Commissioner to Tuvalu [PREM 49/319].

Another procedural note on the Queen's Speeches. It notes that Richmond Herald must be told which members of the Royal Family will accompany the Queen to the State Opening, and it discusses how to make arrangements for carrying the Cap of Maintenance [PREM 49/154].

In Aug. 1997, Tony Blair's new Private Secretary for Parliamentary Affairs was briefed on the process for preparing the Queen's Speeches [PREM 49/154]. "There are limits on what it is acceptable to expect a constitutional monarch to say...'We are going to stuff the Tories' would not be acceptable!"

In March 1972, Downing Street learned that the Counsellors of State had signed a Warrant appointing Lord Kilbrandon as Chairman of the Royal Commission on the Constitution. This was rather awkward considering the PM hadn't formally submitted his name to the Queen for approval. 1/2

Prior to 1967, Royal Assent was declared in the House of Lords while MPs watched from the Bar of the House. The traditional method was not without its logistical challenges as shown by this 1926 memorandum from Viscount Cave [CAB 24/180/62].

Certificate of the Dean and Chapter of Gloucester Cathedral regarding the election of Martin Benson as their Bishop [SP 36/34/1 f.1.].

I hadn't realized that William Blackstone wrote his famous Commentaries on the Laws of England 80 years after his death. 😁

Copy of the Earl of Halifax's warrant to three of the King's Messengers in Ordinary directing them to seize John Entick along with his books and papers (SP 44/87 f.154). This warrant was later ruled unlawful by the Court of Common Pleas in the famous case of Entick v. Carrington.

Ministerial correspondence with the Sovereign isn't always about weighty affairs of state. In this letter from 1802, the Home Secretary wrote to George III about a box of new pens. This comes from vol. 4 of The Later Correspondence of George III.

In 1844, the Clerk of the Crown in Chancery asked the House of Lords for a raise. He noted that, between 1841 and 1843, the Crown Office had prepared 6,965 documents, with 4,178 of them passing the Great Seal. An itemized list showed the breadth of Crown Office business. 1/7

Warrant of William III for the presentation of Francis Stannard to the Rectory of Shenl[e]y in the Diocese of Lincoln (SP 44/150 f.231). The Warrant notes that this benefice was in the Crown's gift because of "the Simoniacall Contract of the present Incumbent". 1/2

Submission from Margaret Thatcher recommending that Queen Elizabeth II appoint Ted Hughes as Poet Laureate in succession to Sir John Betjeman (PREM 5/601). Hughes would remain in office until his death in 1998. Subsequent Poets Laureate have been appointed for fixed terms of 10 years.

Yesterday's Order in Council declaring the See of Canterbury vacant noted that Justin Welby had tendered his resignation to the King. By law, this must be done via a written instrument. The notice Randall Davidson sent to George V in 1928 shows what such a document might look like (TS27/755).

During her brief time in Downing Street, Liz Truss made 18 submissions to the King. Thanks to the Freedom of Information Act, you can read them all on my blog. They provide a rare glimpse of the day-to-day relationship between No. 10 and Buckingham Palace.

According to the filename, Liz Truss asked the King to accept Kwasi Kwarteng's resignation on October 15, 2022, yet he was still included in the Letters Patent reconstituting the Board of Treasury issued three days later.

Although Liz Truss was said to have dismissed Kwasi Kwarteng as Chancellor of the Exchequer, her submission to the King portrayed it as an ordinary resignation.

The Cabinet Office appears to have remembered that the Prime Minister is responsible for advising the Sovereign on ecclesiastical appointments. A few years back, they claimed that "the Prime Minister does not choose or advise on Church appointments"! 1/2

Someone on X has suggested that this requirement originally stems from the Constitutions of Clarendon in 1164.

Apparently, 19th-century Archbishops of Canterbury sought the Monarch's permission to leave the UK. Here, Archbishop Tait requested Queen Victoria's approval for a trip to Switzerland. I have no idea how long this custom lasted. 1/2

According to this account of Charles Manners-Sutton's election as Archbishop of Canterbury, one of the cathedral canons was "proposed in the usual manner, pro forma, as an opponent." I hadn't realized this was a custom. I wonder if it was followed in any other cathedrals. 1/2

Curious about how the new Archbishop of Canterbury will be chosen? My latest blog post takes you through the intricate process of choosing the next Primate of All England.