Queen Elizabeth II, 94, has had to dramatically overhaul the way she conducts royal duty over the past year. The Covid-19 pandemic has seen the Queen move her administrative base from Buckingham Palace to Windsor Castle where she has been isolating with Prince Philip, 99, for most of the crisis.
The Queen will be relying on loyal staff members more than ever as she navigates a post-Covid world and may be relieved by the news that one of her top aides has delayed his retirement in order to support the crown.
The Lord Chamberlain, Earl Peel, 73, is head of the Queen’s household and has pushed back his retirement to help the Queen.
Daily Express royal correspondent Richard Palmer tweeted on Friday: “The Lord Chamberlain, Earl Peel, who heads the Queen’s household, has delayed his retirement because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Lord Peel, 73, a descendant of the 19th century PM and founder of policing Sir Robert Peel, had been due to retire at the end of 2020.”
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Their job is to supervise the departments which support and provide advice to the Sovereign while also acting as the main channel of communication between the Sovereign and the House of Lords.
The office organises all ceremonial activity such as garden parties, state visits, royal weddings, and the State Opening of Parliament.
They also handle the Royal Mews and Royal Travel, as well as the ceremony around the awarding of honours.
When did Earl Peel join the Royal Household?
Lord Peel, who took on the position of Lord Chamberlain in 2006.
During his time in the role, Lord Peel has led the Royal Household through the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations of 2012 and the overhaul of how the royal family is financed with the introduction of the Sovereign Grant, and more recently the start of the major multi-million-pound renovations at the palace.
He is a direct descendant of 19th century Conservative prime minister and founder of modern policing Sir Robert Peel.
Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the timescale for appointing his successor.
