Director of the Royal Collection

The Director of the Royal Collection is head of the Royal Collection Department, a department of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. The department is responsible for the day-to-day management and upkeep of the art collection of the British Royal Family; held in trust for the nation and successive monarchs, it is one of the largest and most important art collections in the world. It contains over 7,000 paintings, 40,000 watercolours and drawings, about 150,000 old master prints, as well as historical photographs, tapestries, furniture, ceramics, books, and the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.^[1][2] The Director of the Royal Collection is also an ex-officio trustee of Historic Royal Palaces.^[3]

Although containing items acquired centuries earlier, the post is relatively new, having been established only in 1987. The inaugural office holder was Oliver Millar.^[4]

List of Directors of the Royal Collection

• Sir Oliver Millar, GCVO FSA 1987-1988^[4]
• Sir Geoffrey de Bellaigue, KCVO MA FSA 1988-1996^[5]
• Sir Hugh Roberts, KCVO MA 1996-2010^[6]
• Jonathan Marsden, CVO 2010–Present^[6]

References

1. "The Crown Jewels". The British Monarchy. n.d. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
2. "The Royal Collection". The British Monarchy. n.d. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
3. Whitaker's Concise Almanack 2012 (144 ed.). London, UK: Bloomsbury. 2012. p. 28. ISBN 9781408130124.
4. Corby, Tom (17 May 2007). "Sir Oliver Millar: Eminent art historian who nurtured the Queen's paintings but was caustic about some of them". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
5. "Sir Geoffrey de Bellaigue". Telegraph. 9 January 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
6. "Appointment of new Director of the Royal Collection". The Royal Collection Trust. 16 July 2009. Retrieved 30 January 2015.