2022 marks the fortieth anniversary of my appointment as an Officer of Arms (the proper name for a herald), part of the Ceremonial Royal Household. The heralds have an ancient role in state occasions going back to the Middle Ages: during a normal year there is the State Opening of Parliament at Westminster and the Garter Service at Windsor.
There are much more extensive responsibilities following the death of a monarch: the Proclamation of the new king, the State Funeral of the Sovereign and in due course the Coronation, all of which come under the control of the Duke of Norfolk, in his hereditary capacity as Earl Marshal of England. The heralds are traditionally his staff officers.
