“RELENTLESSLY AGREEABLE

AND CONSTANTLY ENTHUSIASTIC”

Former Lord-Lieutenant Bill Spence looks back at his time in office.

The Lord-Lieutenant is the Monarchy’s eyes and ears in the County and, to put it simply, acts as agent for The Queen. Historically the appointment was awarded to members of the nobility, the aristocracy, landed gentry, retired senior Military Officers or Civil servants; however, in recent times this has changed and now potential candidates for the post are selected from a wider cross- section of society. The appointment is made on the basis of merit and gender balance.

Recently I came across this job description:

“Lord-Lieutenants and their Deputies are selected for their dedication and public-spirit. Lord-Lieutenants, to be at ease and successful in their tasks, should be themselves, act naturally, enjoy people and be ready to deal with anyone. They should be approachable and ready to listen rather than talk and, above all, not be grand or pompous. They have been described as a body of unusual people in the twilight of their careers, who agree to take on an office for which they are not paid and indeed will most likely be out of pocket, but eventually are allowed to retire at the age of seventy-five. They exercise no power, no insidious patronage, and are strictly apolitical.”

When a letter from Downing Street arrived on my doorstep early in 2014 telling me that the Prime Minister was minded to recommend to The Queen that she appoint me as her Lord-Lieutenant for in succession to the late Dr Tony Trickett I was somewhat taken aback and in two minds about my reply. I was 69 years old, in the final year of my term as Norwegian Consul in Orkney, (consuls retire at 70) and I was looking forward to my retirement. I questioned myself about whether I should take on the new responsibilities of being the Queen’s representative in

Orkney. However, I was eventually persuaded by several close friends, and perhaps mainly by my wife Sue (who would also be greatly involved of course), to accept the honour and so my term commenced officially on 18th February 2014.

The office in Orkney goes back to 1715 when King George I appointed Sir John Gordon the 16th Earl of Sutherland to be his man. He had been a supporter of the Hanoverian cause and was no doubt rewarded for his loyalty by being appointed Lord- Lieutenant for the eight northern counties of which, of course, included Orkney and Shetland.

Subsequently there have been nineteen holders of the office, the present Lord-Lieutenant Ms Elaine Grieve being the twentieth and the first female appointed in Orkney.

Newly appointed Lord-Lieutenants, with spouses, are invited to for a weekend when details of the appointment are spelt out with a few senior L-L, soon to retire, telling of their experience in the office. Our bedroom in the Castle dated from the 15th Century and Matins in St George’s Chapel on the Sunday morning in the company of the Military Knights of Windsor was a memorable experience. I came away remembering two pieces of advice; always be ‘relentlessly agreeable’ and ‘constantly enthusiastic’. Subsequently Sue and I have been entertained at , St James’s Palace, , the Palace of Holyroodhouse and The Castle of Mey.

I’ve been involved with several Royal visits to Orkney; however, the National Commemoration of the Centenary of the Battle of Jutland held in Orkney on 31st May 2016 is undoubtedly the most memorable. On that morning I welcomed to Orkney the President of Germany, the Princess Royal, the Prime Minister, the First Minister of Scotland, the Secretary of State for Defence and the First Sea Lord together with seven Ambassadors and many other distinguished guests from all over the world. My name was even mentioned by David Dimbleby on BBC1 during the national TV broadcast.

Lord-Lieutenants now retire on their 75th birthday as a consequence of an embarrassing incident in 1958 when the Marquess of Aberdeen (L-L of Aberdeenshire), a charming but rather muddled and forgetful man, then in his 80th year, became confused when greeting the Royal Family at the Braemar Games. He attempted to present the Queen to the Queen Mother and to the Queen he said ‘And what are you up to these days?’ ‘Oh, still Queen‘ she replied!

In retrospect I have to admit it was the right decision to heed my wife’s advice (as always!) and to accept the appointment as it has been a very interesting and rewarding time at the end of my career.

And now, just as Sir John Gordon was asked to be the King’s man in 1715, three hundred and six years later Elaine Grieve is the Queen’s woman.

Bill Spence,

Lord-Lieutenant of Orkney, 2014 - 2020