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than themselves. essentially senior law officers responsible for serving writs and warrants, committing
prisoners to the Gatehouse prison (which stood within the Abbey precincts), and
And so, as I look back over my three score years and ten (and a bit!) I do so with the confiscation of forfeited goods. These days the High Steward (His Grace the
gratitude for the good fortune of being born an Englishman, for the acts of Duke of Buccleuch) and I act as non-executive advisors to the Dean and
unselfish kindness that so many have shown me and for the many opportunities to Chapter and play a part in the Abbey’s major ceremonies. To those readers for
return those favours to others. But, with all of that said, despite all of the drama whom that doesn’t sound especially exciting, let me disabuse you. It was in my
and excitement of my life, I am never happier than when I am sitting under my Abbey capacity that I found myself seated less than 5 metres from The
willow tree on the banks of the Piddle watching nature remind me of what is really Coronation Chair for the amazing events on the 6 of May 2023!
th
important.
But all of that pales into insignificance compared to my appointment by Her
Let me end, as I began with William Barnes whose poem The Storm-Wind captures Majesty Queen Elizabeth as Her representative in the capital. Every county in the
that point so beautifully: land has a Lord-Lieutenant and has since King Henry VIII established the position

When the swift-rolling brook, swollen deep, as a military governor for each of his domains. In those days, the job was to
uphold the dignity of the Crown principally by quelling riots and raising the militia.
Rushes on by the alders, full speed, Today, the Monarch’s 98 Lord-Lieutenants carry the same responsibility, but we do
And the wild-blowing winds lowly sweep it less violently! We follow the example of The King and the members of the Royal
Family, promoting a good atmosphere and a spirit of co-operation. We
O'er the quivering leaf and the weed, encourage voluntary service and charities and taking an interest in the
commercial, industrial and social life of our counties. Dorset’s Lord-Lieutenant is
And the willow tree writhes in each limb, my friend, Angus Campbell CVO, who was appointed in 2014 and who, as a
Over sedge-reeds that reel by the brim former Leader of both North Dorset District and Dorset County Councils, has been
a prominent figure in the county for many years. The work as Greater London’s
Lord-Lieutenant is wide, ranging from receiving the Monarch when His Majesty
welcomes foreign Heads of State on formal visits, to presenting honours and
awards. I hold formal investitures at the Tower of London but sometimes if the
recipient is too frail, I visit their home or hospice to invest them as in the recent
case of Dame Shirley Conran. And, in between, I and my Deputies (recognisable
by their DL postnominal) find ways to amplify the work of charities and faith
groups across the 32 Boroughs that form the county of Greater London.
Like everybody in the country (and many more around the world) I was deeply
affected by the death of The Queen having had the privilege of meeting her on
many occasions. Although every one of them was special (and memorable) the
highlight was unquestionably the day that I was knighted for services to business
and philanthropy. Memories of being recognised by The Monarch, in a powerful
ceremony at Buckingham Palace, accompanied by Julia and our girls still causes
me to pinch myself – it marked a wonderful chapter a long way from life in the
back streets on Nottingham in the 1950s!

As I said earlier, I recognise that so much of my life has been powered by luck
and the kindness of strangers. This reality places a heavy responsibility not only to
use the luck when it is given, but also to share it with other, less fortunate souls.
A few years ago, Julia and I sought to capture these two aspects of our lives in
the motto – “Do well Do good” when we worked with the Heralds at the College
of Arms to create the Olisa coat of arms. We quote it at every opportunity as an
encouragement to others to try their best while also helping those less fortunate

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