Q: Jennie - Essex
Do The Earl and Countess of Wessex have a coat of arms?

Yes, The Countess of Wessex does have a Coat of Arms, as shown above.

Prior to the marriage of Sophie Rhys-Jones to Prince Edward, the bride's father, Mr Christopher Rhys Jones, agreed a new Coat of Arms for his daughter which would celebrate the Welsh heritage of the family.

Mr. Peter Gwynn-Jones, Garter Principal of Arms, who is the senior herald and responsible for Royal heraldry, said:

"In designing this coat, we wanted to include the lion which was attributed to the Welsh hero, Elystan Glodrydd, from whom the Rhys-Jones family claims descent.

"In order to achieve a coat that was both unique and simple in design, the lion was encircled by an orle, or frame, and placed on a partly coloured field. The Grant also includes a Crest consisting of a blue demi lion with a golden cross crosslet in its mouth.

"This incorporates the design used by the Rhys-Jones family over the years with the addition of the cross crosslet taken from the family crest of the family of Viscount Molesworth of which Christopher Rhys-Jones' mother was a member."

The motto is a well-known Welsh proverb which means: "Hateful the man who loves not the country that nurtures him."

Subsequently these Arms were joined with those of The Earl of Wessex, which consist of the Royal arms with a white, three-pointed 'label' depicting a Tudor rose and with Supporters (figures placed on either side of the shield depicted holding it up) granted to the Countess.

These Supporters consist of the lion Supporter of His Royal Highness and a wyvern, an heraldic beast which has long been associated with Wessex.

Q: Michael - Middlesex
Who is the Lord Great Chamberlain and what does he do?

The Lord Great Chamberlain is responsible for the running of Royal affairs in the Palace of Westminster, in particular the House of Lords. On ceremonial occasions he wears the gold key of his office.

The Lord Great Chamberlain is also involved in the Coronation ceremony and has the right to dress the monarch on coronation day, to serve the monarch water before and after the coronation banquet, and to invest the monarch with the insignia of rule.

The office is an hereditary one divided between the families of the Marquessate of Cholmondeley, the Earldom of Ancaster and the Marquessate of Lincolnshire. The post is held for the duration of a reign.

The current Lord Great Chamberlain is the 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley.

Q: Thai - Leicester
Does anybody keep an eye on what The Queen spends, or can she buy whatever she wants to?

Civil List spending, that is to say, the sum of money provided by the Government each year to meet The Queen's official expenses, is overseen by the Royal Trustees.

The Royal Trustees are made up of the First Commissioner of Her Majesty's Treasury (the Prime Minister), the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Keeper of the Privy Purse.

The Trustees review each year's spending and are entitled to submit a report to Parliament if there is any likelihood of over-spending. They also decide what is to be done with any Civil List money which remains unspent at the end of the year.

As with any private individual, The Queen's private wealth is hers to spend as she wishes, and is not overseen by any other organisation.

Q: Margaret - Aberdeenshire
What does the Private Secretary do?

The Private Secretary is one of five Heads of Department in the Royal Household.

His responsibilities and those of his department are: liaising between The Queen as Head of State and the government; administrating The Queen's official correspondence and letters from the general public; organising The Queen's programme of official engagements; writing speeches for The Queen; and managing the Royal Archives. 
 
Q: William - Highgate
Is there still a Royal Stud? If so, what is happening there?

The Royal studs at Sandringham and Wolferton in Norfolk and Polhampton in Berkshire and the Royal Paddocks at Hampton Court are still thriving today as they were centuries ago. Approximately 130 horses are kept at the four locations at any one time.

Royal stud horses have won almost every major horse race in the world during their two-hundred-year existence.

The Royal Paddocks at Hampton Court were originally established by Henry VIII in order to breed horses to hunt with the Royal Buckhounds. Horses were also used for racing, though this was not the Stud's principal purpose.

The stud's successes have generally depended on any given monarch's enthusiasm for racing. For example, Queen Victoria, who thought it improper to be involved with gambling, sold all of her yearlings at public auction. The stud also underwent a quiet period during the Second World War, when much of the land at Sandringham was used for farming.

The current Queen has a great interest in both racing and breeding and has developed the studs to great effect, producing many winners and successful sires during her reign.

In 1972 Her Majesty bought the Polhampton Stud near Kingsclere in Berkshire, where yearlings are now kept before they are sent into training.

> Next page