High Steward

The Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry KT KBE CVO DL

The Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry is High Steward of Westminster Abbey. The High Steward, the most senior honorary appointment of the Dean and Chapter, acts principally as an external adviser to the Dean and Chapter and is present at many of the most important services held in the Abbey.

The Duke of Buccleuch is also Her Majesty The Queen’s Lord Lieutenant for Roxburgh, Ettrick and Lauderdale.

The office of High Steward has its origins in the 16th century, following the dissolution of the monastery in 1540. After the later dissolution of the Marian monastery, the office was revived in 1561 and held in succession by private secretaries of the Monarch, William Cecil and Robert Cecil, over a long period.

This is not the first time a Duke of Buccleuch has served as High Steward. The fifth Duke was High Steward from 1842 to 1884.