Invitations for Visits 

The Lord-Lieutenant attends a wide range of events and ceremonies every year in the West Midlands as the representative of His Majesty The King. Events attended include voluntary and charity initiatives, award ceremonies and community functions of local significance and the Lord-Lieutenant attends visits when it is not possible to arrange a Royal visit.

Requesting a visit of the Lord-Lieutenant:

All invitations should be made to the Lieutenancy Office in writing – please e-mail office@wmlieutenancy.org.  It is important that you give as much notice as possible, but a minimum of four weeks is requested.

Appropriate requests will be given every consideration, but please bear in mind that the Lord-Lieutenant receives far more invitations than he, or his Deputy Lieutenants can attend. They attend in excess of 500 events each year, but inevitably they are unable to accept every invitation.

Please include the following information:

• Date of the proposed event, arrival and departure times
• Venue address and postcode
• Background information on the organisation and event
• Why the organiser believes that a visit by the Lord-Lieutenant is relevant
• Full contact details of the organiser
• Details of any specific duties you would like the Lord-Lieutenant to undertake

You will receive a written response to your invitation within two weeks and if the invitation is accepted, you will be asked to complete an engagement form requesting detailed information, event programme and speech notes (if applicable), dress code, parking details etc.

The dos and don’ts of a visit by the Lord-Lieutenant:

The Lord-Lieutenant or one of the representing deputies attends an event as the representative of The King; therefore, it is important that the following protocol is followed to ensure that an attendance by the Lord-Lieutenant is trouble-free:

• The Lord-Lieutenant is the principal guest at any event and therefore must take precedence
• A representative from the organisation must meet the Lord-Lieutenant on arrival and host them throughout the event proceedings
• The Lord-Lieutenant should be accompanied until their departure
• The Lord-Lieutenant should be addressed during the visit as My Lord-Lieutenant, Name, Sir or Ma’am
• Where the Lord-Lieutenant asks the Vice Lord-Lieutenant or one of the deputies to represent the Lieutenancy, then the same protocols must be observed.

Etiquette

The Lord-Lieutenant is Her Majesty The Queen’s representative within the West Midlands and should be accorded the same etiquette and protocol as any member of the Royal Family when attending any event in the county in an official capacity. This means that the Lord-Lieutenant takes precedence over all the other guests.  If people are seated, it is usual for the host to arrange for the Lord-Lieutenant to be announced upon entering the venue, so that those present may stand to acknowledge his status.  The person making the announcement should do so by saying: ‘Ladies and gentlemen, please stand to receive the Lord-Lieutenant’.

How To Address The Lord-Lieutenant

Please note:  When the Lord-Lieutenant is represented by the Vice Lord-Lieutenant or a Deputy Lieutenant he/she should be accorded the same protocol as for the Lord-Lieutenant.  Please note that Deputy Lieutenants should not be referred to as Deputy Lord-Lieutenants but simply as Deputy Lieutenants.