Vice and Deputy Lord-Lieutenant
The Lord-Lieutenant is supported by a Vice Lord-Lieutenant and Deputy Lieutenants. The number of DLs will vary according to the population of each county. A Deputy Lieutenant must live in the county or within seven miles of the county border. Most Deputy Lieutenants retire at the age of 75. All Deputy Lieutenants are entitled to use the initials DL after their name, but there is no formal way of addressing them.
The Vice Lord-Lieutenant is appointed by the Lord-Lieutenant from among the Deputies.
Should a Vice Lord-Lieutenant be acting for the Lord-Lieutenant he would take his superior's precedence.
How to Address a Vice Lord-Lieutanant
There is no recognised abbreviation for this appointment, but he or she may continue to use the letters DL after his/her name.
If one is writing to a Vice Lord-Lieutenant in his official capacity, the style of address on an envelope is:
Edward Green, Esq, DL
Vice Lord-Lieutenant of (County)
How to Address a Deputy Lieutenant
If one is writing to a Deputy Lieutenant in his official capacity, the style of address on
an envelope is:
Robert White, Esq
Deputy Lieutenant of Blankshire
A purely social letter would simply be addressed to Robert White, Esq, DL*
*The letters DL may be placed after his/her name, although in social correspondence
these are often omitted, especially if the holder also has a string of Crown honours. Note that the letters DL follow JP. ?(tag to Letters after the name)
