Who are the aristocrats running Queen Elizabeth II's funeral?


Gillian Duncan
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The death of Queen Elizabeth II and the accession of the new king offers a glimpse into an archaic world of titles. Many people did not know these still existed in modern Britain, which is dominated by long-standing families loyal to the crown.

Overseeing the funeral plans for the royal family is the Earl Marshal, who is the Duke of Norfolk. This is a position his family have occupied in the hierarchy of the aristocracy for hundreds of years.

The departure of the queen's coffin for the four-day lying in state at the Palace of Westminster on Monday was overseen by the Lord Great Chamberlain. He walked ahead of the bearer party, having put together the lying in state in the Great Hall.

Ever since the monarch died on September 8, the protocol-heavy events, broadcast around the world, have featured a carousel of titled characters whose positions have existed for centuries solely to uphold ancient traditions.

The Earl Marshal

Queen Consort Camilla signs the proclamation of accession of King Charles III, watched by Earl Marshal Edward Fitzalan-Howard, right, at St James's Palace in London. AFP
Queen Consort Camilla signs the proclamation of accession of King Charles III, watched by Earl Marshal Edward Fitzalan-Howard, right, at St James's Palace in London. AFP

This is a hereditary role held by the highest-ranking nobleman in England, the Duke of Norfolk, who has been instructed by King Charles III to lead the arrangements for the state funeral for the late monarch. It is a position of destiny for the 18th duke, given that his predecessors carried out similar duties.

It is the eighth of the great offices of state in the UK, ranking beneath the Lord High Constable but above the Lord High Admiral.

The Earl Marshal is responsible for arranging the state opening of Parliament, state funerals of sovereigns and the accession of new monarchs.

He is the leading officer of arms, oversees the College of Arms and is the sole judge of the High Court of Chivalry. He is also believed to be one of three people in England who could claim the role of chief butler.

The position is currently held by the 18th Duke of Norfolk, Edward Fitzalan-Howard, 65, who inherited the title when his father died in 2002. The duke is a peer in the House of Lords and the most senior lay member of the Roman Catholic Church in Britain.

Like all past dukes of Norfolk, he is descended from Edward I and he oversaw from the balcony of St James’s Palace the proclamation of King Charles on Saturday.

Lord Great Chamberlain

Lord Carrington leads King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla into Westminster Hall for the offering of condolences after the death of Queen Elizabeth II. AP
Lord Carrington leads King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla into Westminster Hall for the offering of condolences after the death of Queen Elizabeth II. AP

King Charles appointed Lord Carrington, whose late father served as foreign secretary under Margaret Thatcher, to the post.

Rupert Carrington, 73, has charge over the Palace of Westminster. He holds the right to dress the monarch on coronation day, to serve the monarch water before and after the coronation banquet, and will be involved in investing the king with the insignia of rule.

He carried out his first duties as he greeted the royal couple when they arrived at Westminster Hall in London for the new king's speech to Parliament on Monday.

Garter King of Arms

David Vines White, left, the Garter King of Arms, proclaims King Charles III as the new monarch. Getty
David Vines White, left, the Garter King of Arms, proclaims King Charles III as the new monarch. Getty

The Garter King of Arms proclaimed King Charles III as the new monarch in a ceremony at St James’s Palace after the death of the queen.

David Vines White read the principal proclamation on the balcony above Friary Court.

State trumpeters then sounded the royal salute, as a military band played the national anthem.

The role was created by King Henry V in 1415 as the most senior position among the three kings of arms. He is the senior officer of the College of Arms, the heraldic authority with jurisdiction over England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Mr Vines White is responsible for the succession of peerage titles, royal ceremonies and the control of the law of arms in England and Wales. He has served as the Garter King of Arms since 2021.

The Lord Lyon King of Arms

The Lord Lyon King of Arms, Joseph Morrow. AFP
The Lord Lyon King of Arms, Joseph Morrow. AFP

The Lord Lyon King of Arms read the proclamation to the people of Scotland on Sunday, announcing the accession of Charles III to the throne.

Wearing a large feathered hat and after a fanfare of trumpets, Joseph Morrow made the proclamation, stating: “God save the king.”

The national anthem was then sung as the Lord Lyon King of Arms led three cheers for the new monarch.

The role functions as head of the Lyon Court and is the most junior of the great officers of state in Scotland. The holder is responsible for regulating heraldry, issuing new grants of arms to people or organisations.

He also acts as judge of the world’s oldest daily functioning heraldic court, the Court of the Lord Lyon, which maintains the register of grants of arms.

Dr Morrow was appointed to office in 2014 and previously served as the queen’s commissioner for the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland.

Norroy and Ulster King of Arms

Norroy and Ulster King of Arms, Robert Noel, left. AP
Norroy and Ulster King of Arms, Robert Noel, left. AP

The Norroy and Ulster King of Arms, Robert Noel, read the proclamation of the new king at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland.

Mr Noel formally declared the accession of Charles III after the queen’s death. He is one of three senior officers of arms at the College of Arms in London.

Mr Noel trained as a shipbroker, then as a library assistant at the College of Arms, before joining the auctioneers, Christie's of London. He is a freeman of the City of London and has been admitted as a liveryman of the Glaziers' Company. He was appointed Norroy and Ulster King of Arms in 2021.

As in the other capitals where the proclamation was read, Mr Noel raised three cheers for the new monarch.

The Norroy is the provincial king of arms at the College of Heralds, with jurisdiction over England north of the Trent, and Northern Ireland.

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2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks

2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit

2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”

2022:  Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency

July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”

Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.

Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”

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The Rub of Time: Bellow, Nabokov, Hitchens, Travolta, Trump and Other Pieces 1986-2016
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UAE v United States, T20 International Series

Both matches at ICC Academy, Dubai. Admission is free.

1st match: Friday, 2pm

2nd match: Saturday, 2pm

UAE squad: Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Rameez Shahzad, Amjad Gul, CP Rizwan, Mohammed Boota, Abdul Shakoor, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Sultan Ahmed, Zahoor Khan, Amir Hayat

USA squad: Saurabh Netravalkar (captain), Jaskaran Malhotra, Elmore Hutchinson, Aaron Jones, Nosthush Kenjige, Ali Khan, Jannisar Khan, Xavier Marshall, Monank Patel, Timil Patel, Roy Silva, Jessy Singh, Steven Taylor, Hayden Walsh

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Stamp duty timeline

December 2014: Former UK finance minister George Osbourne reforms stamp duty, replacing the slab system with a blended rate scheme, with the top rate increasing to 12 per cent from 10 per cent:
Up to £125,000 - 0%; £125,000 to £250,000 – 2%; £250,000 to £925,000 – 5%; £925,000 to £1.5m: 10%; Over £1.5m – 12%

April 2016: New 3% surcharge applied to any buy-to-let properties or additional homes purchased.

July 2020: Rishi Sunak unveils SDLT holiday, with no tax to pay on the first £500,000, with buyers saving up to £15,000.

March 2021: Mr Sunak decides the fate of SDLT holiday at his March 3 budget, with expectations he will extend the perk unti June.

April 2021: 2% SDLT surcharge added to property transactions made by overseas buyers.

UAE jiu-jitsu squad

Men: Hamad Nawad and Khalid Al Balushi (56kg), Omar Al Fadhli and Saeed Al Mazroui (62kg), Taleb Al Kirbi and Humaid Al Kaabi (69kg), Mohammed Al Qubaisi and Saud Al Hammadi (70kg), Khalfan Belhol and Mohammad Haitham Radhi (85kg), Faisal Al Ketbi and Zayed Al Kaabi (94kg)

Women: Wadima Al Yafei and Mahra Al Hanaei (49kg), Bashayer Al Matrooshi and Hessa Al Shamsi (62kg)

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Polarised public

31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views

19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views

19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all

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Stephen King, Penguin

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

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Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979

Education: UAE University, Al Ain

Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6

Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma

Favourite book: Science and geology

Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC

Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.

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ICC T20 Rankings

1. India - 270 ranking points

 

2. England - 265 points

 

3. Pakistan - 261 points

 

4. South Africa - 253 points

 

5. Australia - 251 points 

 

6. New Zealand - 250 points

 

7. West Indies - 240 points

 

8. Bangladesh - 233 points

 

9. Sri Lanka - 230 points

 

10. Afghanistan - 226 points

 
Updated: September 19, 2022, 9:25 AM