General The Lord Dannatt, dressed in full ceremonial uniform of HM's Constable of the Tower (2010)
The Constable of the Tower is the most senior appointment at the Tower of London. In the Middle Ages a constable was the person in charge of a castle when the owner—the king or a nobleman—was not in residence. The Constable of the Tower had a unique importance as the person in charge of the principal fortress defending the capital city of England.
Today the role of Constable is a ceremonial one and mainly involves taking part in traditional ceremonies within the Tower as well as being part of the community that lives within its perimeter. The Constable is also a trustee of Historic Royal Palaces and of the Royal Armouries.
Under the King's Regulations for the Army, the office of Constable is conferred upon a field marshal or a retired general officer for a five-year term.[1] The Constable appointed in 2022 is General Sir Gordon Messenger.[2] The Constable's ceremonial deputy is the Lieutenant of the Tower of London, currently Lieutenant General Sir George Norton; this office is generally entrusted to a general officer of lower rank than the Constable.
At the conclusion of the Constable's installation ceremony, the Lord Chamberlain symbolically hands over the King's House to the Constable. He in turn entrusts it to the Resident Governor, who is responsible for the day-to-day running of His Majesty's Palace and Fortress, the Tower of London.
^"Chapter 9, Annex B, Part 1, no. 1". The Queen's Regulations for the Army 1975(PDF) (Amendment number 37 ed.). Ministry of Defence. 20 August 2019. p. 9B-1. AEL 112 / AC 13206. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
^"Lord Houghton of Richmond". Hospitality and Catering News. 11 October 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
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