Richard Luce, Baron Luce

The Right Honourable The Lord Luce KG GCVO PC DL
Lord Chamberlain
In office 1 October 2000 – 15 October 2006
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Preceded by	The Lord Camoys
Succeeded by	The Earl Peel
Governor of Gibraltar
In office 24 February 1997 – 21 March 2000
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Chief Minister	Peter Caruana
Preceded by	Sir Hugo White
Succeeded by	Sir David Durie
Minister of State for the Arts
In office 3 September 1985 – 25 July 1990
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	The Earl of Gowrie
Succeeded by	David Mellor
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
In office 2 October 2000 – 29 June 2020 Life peerage
Member of Parliament for Shoreham Arundel and Shoreham (1971–1974)
In office 1 April 1971 – 16 March 1992
Preceded by	Henry Kerby
Succeeded by	Michael Stephen
Personal details
Born	Richard Napier Luce (1936-10-14) 14 October 1936 Westminster, England
Political party	None (Crossbencher)
Other political affiliations	Conservative (as an MP)
Children	The Hon. Alexander Luce The Hon. Edward Luce
Parent(s)	William Luce Margaret Napier
Alma mater	Christ's College, Cambridge

Viceregal styles of The Lord Luce (1997–2000)
Reference style	His Excellency
Spoken style	Your Excellency

Richard Napier Luce, Baron Luce, KG, GCVO, PC, DL (born 14 October 1936) is a British politician. He is a former Lord Chamberlain to the Queen, serving from 2000 to 2006, and has been Governor of Gibraltar, a Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) from 1971 to 1992, and government minister, and a crossbench member of the House of Lords.

Early career

Born in Westminster, Luce was educated at Wellington College and Christ's College, Cambridge. He completed national service in Cyprus 1955–1957, serving as a second lieutenant with the Wiltshire Regiment. His service number was 449150. He then briefly joined the Overseas Civil Service, first as a district officer in Kenya, 1960–1962. He then worked for Gallaher Ltd as a brand manager (1963–1965), before becoming marketing manager for the Spirella Company of Great Britain. In 1968–1971 he was director of the National Innovation Centre.

From 1972 to 1979, he was chairman of IFA Consultants Ltd, he was also chair of Selenex Ltd (1973–1979), and of Courtenay Stewart International (1975–1979).

Political career

After unsuccessfully contesting Hitchin against Labour's Shirley Williams in 1970, Luce was first elected to the House of Commons as Member of Parliament (MP) for Arundel and Shoreham in a by-election in 1971. When that constituency was abolished in boundary changes for the February 1974 general election, he was returned for the new Shoreham constituency. He retired from the Commons at the 1992 general election.

Luce was appointed the parliamentary private secretary to the Minister of Trade and Consumer Affairs in 1972. After the Conservative Party lost the February 1974 general election, he became an opposition whip.

When the Conservatives returned to power at the 1979 general election, he became Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In 1981, he was promoted to Minister of State for Foreign Affairs within the same department. In 1982, he followed his Secretary of State, Lord Carrington, in resigning over Argentina's invasion of the Falkland Islands. He returned to office in 1983, again as a minister of state in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In 1985, he was moved to the Privy Council Office as Minister for the Arts and Minister for the Civil Service, which was his last ministerial office. He resigned in 1990.

Luce was made a privy counsellor in 1986 and knighted in 1991.

Later life

Luce was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Buckingham between 1992 and 1996. In 1997, he was appointed Governor of Gibraltar, an office he held until 2000, and he was created a life peer, on 2 October 2000 as Baron Luce, of Adur in the County of West Sussex. He sat in the House of Lords until his retirement on 29 June 2020.

In 2000, Luce was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) and became Lord Chamberlain, head of the Queen's Royal Household. He relinquished the post of Lord Chamberlain on 11 October 2006 and was succeeded by The Earl Peel.

Luce was appointed a Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter (KG) on 23 April 2008.

On 26 April 2012, Luce was appointed by David Cameron, the Prime Minister, as the chair of the Crown Nominations Commission for the see of Canterbury, the commission set up to nominate the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury.

Luce is president of the Voluntary Arts Network, and is High Steward of Westminster Abbey. He was president of the Royal Over-Seas League from 2002 until May 2020.

Luce was appointed as the first Chancellor of the University of Gibraltar upon its foundation in 2015.

In popular culture

Lord Luce was portrayed by Jonathan Coy in the 2002 BBC production of Ian Curteis's controversial The Falklands Play. He has written Ringing the Changes, A Memoir published by Michael Russell.

Family

He is the son of Margaret (née Napier) and Sir William Luce, Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Aden, Political Resident in the Gulf and Special Representative to the Foreign Secretary (Lord Home) for Gulf Affairs. His father's older brother was Admiral Sir David Luce, First Sea Lord (1963–1966). His maternal grandfather was Vice Admiral Sir Trevylyan Napier, who was the Commander-in-Chief, America and West Indies Station (1919–1920).

Luce has two sons, Alexander and Edward. His sister Diana is married to retired Royal Navy officer Captain David Hart Dyke, and his niece is comedian and actress Miranda Hart. His paternal grandfather, Rear Admiral John Luce, survived two key British naval battles during World War I: the defeat at the Battle of Coronel and the victory at the Battle of the Falkland Islands.

Arms

Coat of arms of Richard Luce, Baron Luce

Notes Knight since 1991 Coronet A coronet of a baron Crest Upon a helm with a wreath of Or and Gules, within a circlet of Plumbago Flowers a Mute Swan naiant proper, gorged with a Chain pendant thereform a Portcullis Or. Torse Mantling Or and Gules. Escutcheon Gules, two lucies naiant in pale Or, and on a chief Or, a key fesswise the wards to the dexter Gules, between two martlets Sable. Motto FIAT LUX Latin: Come light Other elements Order of the Garter circlet bearing the inscription HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE Banner The banner of the Baron Luce's arms used as Knight Companion of the Garter depicted at St George's Chapel.

Honours

Commonwealth honours

Commonwealth honours

Country	Date	Appointment	Post-nominal letters
United Kingdom	1986–present	Member of Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council	PC
United Kingdom	1991–present	Knight Bachelor	Kt
England	1991–2011	Deputy Lieutenant of West Sussex	DL
United Kingdom	2000–present	Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order	GCVO
England	23 April 2008 – present	Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter	KG

Scholastic

Chancellor, visitor, governor, rector and fellowships

Location	Date	School	Position
England	1992–1996	University of Buckingham	Vice Chancellor
England	2005–present	Christ's College, Cambridge	Honorary Fellow
Gibraltar	2015–2019	University of Gibraltar	Chancellor

Honorary degrees

Location	Date	School	Degree	Gave commencement address
England	1998	University of Buckingham	Doctor of the University (D.Univ)

Memberships and fellowships

Country	Date	Organisation	Position
United Kingdom	1991–present	Imperial Society of Knights Bachelor	Member
United Kingdom	1992 – May 2020	Royal Over-Seas League	President
England	February 2011 – October 2016	Westminster Abbey	High Steward

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Richard Luce