Lord Mayor
A lord mayor is the chief citizen of a UK city – the title being an honour bestowed on a limited number of cities by the Sovereign. In the Scottish cities of Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and
Glasgow the equivalent position is lord provost and the holders are ex officio lord-lieutenants for their respective cities. Not all cities have a Lord Mayor. See Cities that Elect a Lord Mayor
The Lord Mayors of London and York and Belfast (and the Lord Provost of Edinburgh) have been styled ‘The Rt Hon’ since time immemorial. This privilege has also been granted by the
Sovereign to the Lord Mayor of the city of Cardiff and the Lord Provost of Glasgow. The style ‘The Rt Hon’ refers to the office rather than the person. Thus ‘The Rt Hon the Lord Mayor of York’ is correct, but ‘The Rt Hon Neil Green’ is not.
All other lord mayors are styled ‘The Rt Worshipful’. A Lord Mayor is addressed as such, irrespective of gender. The name (preceded by ‘Councillor’ – where applicable) may follow the office (not applicable to the Lord Mayor of London). For example: ‘The Rt Worshipful the Lord Mayor of Westminster, Councillor Edward Pollen’.
How to Address a Lord Mayor
There is no difference in the form of address for a Lord Mayor who is female.
The recommended form of address is as follows:
| Beginning of letter | Dear Lord Mayor |
| End of letter | Yours sincerely |
| Envelope | The Rt Hon the Lord Mayor of X, or The Rt Worshipful the Lord Mayor of X |
| Verbal communication | My Lord Mayor or Lord Mayor |
| Description in conversation | The Lord Mayor or The Lord Mayor of X |
If desired, the name (preceded by Councillor) may follow the office (not applicable to the Lord Mayor of London), but 'The Rt Hon' or 'The Rt Worshipful' should always be placed before 'the Lord Mayor'.
The Lord Mayor takes precedence when he is hosting civic events.
For precedence and protocol at events that are staged in the City of Westminster contact the Private Secretary to the Lord Mayor of Westminster who liaises between the offices of the Lord Mayor, the Lord-Lieutenant and the Mayor of London.
