inspecting the
black rod of the Canadian Parliament, 1918 Monarchs often have a rod or
sceptre signifying their office, and
field-marshals are traditionally given a short thick
baton in several countries. There are also offices which take their titles from their staff, such as
Black Rod, the
Tipstaff,
Gold Stick and Silver Stick.
United Kingdom White staves (d. 1757), carrying the thin white staff of the Lord Chamberlain A thin
white staff or "wand" is the traditional emblem of certain
Great Officers of State and high-ranking officials of the Royal Household in the United Kingdom, namely: Great Officers of State: • The
Lord High Treasurer • The
Lord High Steward • The
Lord Great Chamberlain Senior Officers of the Household: • The
Lord Steward • The
Lord Chamberlain •
Treasurer of the Household •
Comptroller of the Household •
Vice-Chamberlain of the Household The "wand", which is around in length, is made of white wood and has a silver plate at its base on which is engraved the name of the office to which it pertains. The wands are carried by their holders when on duty on state or other royal occasions, such as state banquets, jubilee services and royal weddings, as well as at the
State Opening of Parliament (when the Lord Great Chamberlain raises his white staff to signal to the king's messenger, Black Rod, to summon the Commons). Apart from the Lord High Steward (an office which is only now filled for coronations), all the above-listed officials were seen carrying their white staves during a
state funeral. The Lord Chamberlain, as executive head of the Royal Household, ceremonially broke his white staff at the
state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, when he automatically lost office; it was then buried with the sovereign. This was publicly observed at the committal service of
Elizabeth II on 19 September 2022 (the first time such a service had been filmed or televised), when the incumbent,
Lord Parker of Minsmere, performed this duty. The ritual, sometimes referred to as the "breaking of the stick", goes back many centuries (at one time all the officers of the Household who carried white staves would break them at this point and throw them into the grave, but since the 18th century the Lord Chamberlain alone has done so). The staff used to be physically broken, but in modern time it is jointed in the middle and the two halves can be separated. The Vice-Chamberlain of the Household today fulfils a similar role with regard to the House of Commons. A
queen consort traditionally has a separate Household, headed by her own Lord Chamberlain, who is likewise invested with a white staff. Following the
funeral of
Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in 2002, her Lord Chamberlain (the
Earl of Crawford and Balcarres) attended the private interment service and likewise broke his white staff in two over her coffin.
Other state and ceremonial officers ) marshalling the Coronation Procession in 2023. The
Earl Marshal and the
Lord High Constable carry
batons as their insignia when on duty, reflecting the military origins of those offices.
Garter King-of-Arms has carried a gold or silver rod on state occasions since 1522. In 1906 the other
officers of arms were similarly each provided with a gold-mounted ebony baton, decorated with their individual badge of office; in 1953 these were replaced with white staves, topped with a blue dove within a gold coronet. On great occasions of state the Earl Marshal may appoint officers to assist in the marshalling of processions and other duties; they are provided with a wooden staff of office as a symbol of their authority, the colour of which varies depending on the occasion: reflecting this, those on duty at Coronations are known as Gold Staff Officers, those on duty at State Funerals Purple Staff Officers, and in 1911 and 1969 those on duty at the Investiture of the Prince of Wales were termed Green Staff Officers. ==See also==