{{Short description|Private Secretary to Elizabeth II from 1999 to 2007}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = The Right Honourable | name = The Lord Janvrin | honorific_suffix = GCB GCVO QSO PC | image = Official portrait of Lord Janvrin crop 2, 2025.jpg | caption = Official portrait, 2025 | office = Private Secretary to the Sovereign | term_start = 4 February 1999 | term_end = 8 September 2007 | monarch = Elizabeth II | 1blankname = Deputy | 1namedata = Sir Christopher Geidt (from 2005) | predecessor = Sir Robert Fellowes | successor = Sir Christopher Geidt | office2 = Press Secretary to the Sovereign | term_start2 = 1 June 1987 | term_end2 = 19 October 1990 | monarch2 = Elizabeth II | predecessor2 = Michael Shea | successor2 = Charles Anson | office3 = Member of the House of Lords | status3 = Lord Temporal | term_label3 = Life peerage | term_start3 = 10 October 2007 | term_end3 = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1946|09|20|df=y}} | birth_place = Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England | death_date = | death_place = | party = | alma_mater = {{Ubl|Britannia Royal Naval College|Brasenose College, Oxford}} | spouse = {{marriage|Isabelle de Boissonneaux de Chevigny|1977}} | parents = Richard Janvrin <br/> Nancy Fielding <!-- Military service --> | allegiance = United Kingdom | branch = Royal Navy | service_years = 1966–1975 | rank = Lieutenant | unit = | commands = | battles = | mawards = }} '''Robin Berry Janvrin, Baron Janvrin''', {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|sep=,|GCB|GCVO|QSO|PC}} (born 20 September 1946) is a British naval officer and diplomat who was private secretary to Elizabeth II from February 1999 to September 2007.
==Early life== Born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, Robin Berry Janvrin is the son of Vice Admiral Sir Richard Janvrin and Nancy Fielding. He was educated at Marlborough College, Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, and Brasenose College, Oxford, from which he received a first class bachelor's degree in philosophy, politics and economics<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bowers|first=John|author-link=John Bowers (lawyer)|date=2021-02-16|title=Principal's Blog: 16th February 2021|url=https://www.bnc.ox.ac.uk/about-brasenose/princblog/2361-principal-s-blog-16th-february-2021|access-date=2022-02-02|publisher=Brasenose College, Oxford}}</ref> in 1969, and of which he was made an Honorary Fellow in 1999. In 1962, he was selected to attend Camp Rising Sun in upstate New York.
==Career== Janvrin entered the Royal Navy in 1964, was commissioned as an acting sub-lieutenant on 1 September 1966,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=44661|pages=9347–9348|date=27 August 1968}}</ref> promoted lieutenant on 4 March 1971,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=45454|page=9185|date=24 August 1971}}</ref> and served until 2 July 1975.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=46638|page=9320|date=21 July 1975}}</ref> He subsequently became a member of the Castaways' Club. On leaving the navy, Janvrin joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He was a Second Secretary in 1975 and was appointed First Secretary at the mission to NATO in 1976. He was officially appointed an Officer of the Diplomatic Service on 7 February 1979.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=47811|page=4500|date=5 April 1979}}</ref> Janvrin was First Secretary in New Delhi from 1981 to 1984, during which time he was made a member of the 4th Class of the Royal Victorian Order<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=49569|page=16478|date=13 December 1983}} Membership of the 4th Class was subsequently renamed so members of this grade became Lieutenants of the order, and were entitled to the postnominals LVO.</ref> for services during the Queen's state visit to India.
Janvrin was then counsellor and deputy head of the Department for the Personnel Department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office from 1985 to 1987.
On 1 June 1987 Janvrin was recruited as press secretary to the Queen,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=50942|page=7387|date=9 June 1987}}</ref> though it was initially thought that he would be appointed assistant press secretary. In 1990, he was awarded the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Taylor |first1=Alister |last2=Coddington |first2=Deborah |author-link1=Alister Taylor |author-link2=Deborah Coddington |title=Honoured by the Queen – New Zealand |year=1994 |publisher=New Zealand Who's Who Aotearoa |location=Auckland |isbn=0-908578-34-2 |page=202}}</ref> On 19 October 1990 he became assistant private secretary to the Queen,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=52306|page=16315|date=19 October 1990}}</ref> and in 1996 the deputy private secretary. He was promoted a commander of the Royal Victorian Order in the 1994 New Year Honours,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=53527|page=4|date=30 December 1993}}</ref> a companion of the Order of the Bath in the 1997 New Year Honours,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=54625|supp=y|page=3|date=30 December 1996}}</ref> and a knight commander of the Royal Victorian Order in the 1998 New Year Honours,.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=54993|supp=y|page=3|date=30 December 1997}}</ref> In February 1999 he succeeded Sir Robert Fellowes (later Lord Fellowes) as private secretary to the sovereign. He was promoted to knight commander of the Order of the Bath in the 2003 New Year Honours.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=56797|supp=y |page=2|date=31 December 2002}}</ref>
Janvrin was also a trustee of the Queen's 80th Birthday Trust,<ref>[http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/ShowCharity/RegisterOfCharities/ContactAndTrustees.aspx?RegisteredCharityNumber=1113063&SubsidiaryNumber=0&TID=3173407&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1 Trustee, Queen's 80th Birthday Trust]{{Dead link|date=February 2026 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</ref> and was the chairman of trustees of The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry from 29 September 2009 to 1 April 2016.
Janvrin retired in September 2007, and was succeeded as private secretary by Christopher Geidt.<ref name="Buckingham Palace 2006">{{cite press release|title= Announcement of the retirement of Sir Robin Janvrin|publisher= Buckingham Palace|date= 2006-12-19|url= http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page5721.asp|accessdate=2007-01-04 }}</ref> He was promoted to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in the 2007 Birthday Honours<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=58358|supp=y |page=2|date=16 June 2007}}</ref> and, on 24 July, it was announced that Janvrin would be made a life peer, as one of the ten public servants per Parliament whom the Prime Minister may nominate for a peerage upon their retirement.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page12594.asp|title= Announcement of Janvrin's life peerage nomination for service as Private Secretary to the Queen|publisher= 'Number 10' website|url-status= dead|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20070926220431/http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page12594.asp|archivedate= 26 September 2007}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=58411 |page=11251|date=3 August 2007}}</ref> His title was gazetted as ''Baron Janvrin'', of Chalford Hill in the County of Gloucestershire on 10 October,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=58495 |page=15513|date=26 October 2007}}</ref> and he sits as a crossbencher in the House of Lords. On the day of his retirement, 8 September, Janvrin was also promoted to Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order by the Queen.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=58465 |page=14061|date=28 September 2007}}</ref> In October, the Queen appointed Lord Janvrin to be a permanent lord-in-waiting in the royal household.<ref>''The Times'', 9 September 2007</ref>
In the 2008 New Zealand New Year Honours, Lord Janvrin was made a companion of the Queen's Service Order for "services to New Zealand as Private Secretary to The Queen".<ref>[http://www.dpmc.govt.nz/honours/lists/list.asp?id=40 DPMC – New Zealand Honours]</ref>
On 7 January 2008 Janvrin took up his appointment of deputy chairman, HSBC Private Bank (UK). Janvrin is also chairman of The Leadership Council, a research and thought leadership body in the UK.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theleadershipagency.com/the-leadership-council.asp |title=The Leadership Agency || the Leadership Council |accessdate=2011-11-18 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111025044622/http://www.theleadershipagency.com/the-leadership-council.asp |archivedate=25 October 2011}}</ref> In 2008, he replaced Sir Christopher Mallaby as president of the British Entente Cordiale Scholarship trust.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.ambafrance-uk.org/IMG/pdf_100917_EC_Brochure_115x170_pdf_SG.pdf|title = Regards Voices Around the world in seven Entente Cordiale scholars' stories|publisher = website|access-date = 6 January 2013|archive-date = 20 May 2013|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130520085552/http://www.ambafrance-uk.org/IMG/pdf_100917_EC_Brochure_115x170_pdf_SG.pdf|url-status = dead}}</ref>
==Marriage== Janvrin married Isabelle de Boissonneaux de Chevigny, daughter of French aristocrat Yann de Boissonneaux de Chevigny, in 1977.
==In popular culture== Janvrin was portrayed by Roger Allam in Stephen Frears' ''The Queen'' (2006) starring Helen Mirren.
Janvrin was portrayed by Jamie Parker in season 6 of ''The Crown''. In episode 4, "Aftermath", Janvrin is depicted informing Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, and Prince Philip of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Crown Season 6 Recreates Prince Charles' Real 'cry of pain" After Being Told Diana Had Died |url=https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2023/11/17/the-crown-season-6-recreates-prince-charles-real-cry-of-pain-after-being-told-diana-had-died/ |access-date=28 November 2023 |work=HITC|first=Paul|last=Fogarty|language=en}}</ref>
==Honours== On 10 October 2007 Sir Robert was raised to a peerage as Baron Janvrin. {| style="margin:auto;" | | colspan="2" |center|114x114px | |- |100x100px |100x100px |100x100px |100x100px |} {| class="wikitable sortable" !Country !Date !Appointment !Ribbon !Post-nominal letters !Notes |- | rowspan="6" |United Kingdom |''1983'' |Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order | rowspan="2" |100x100px |LVO<ref>(regraded from MVO 4th Class in 1984)</ref> |Was promoted to CVO in 1994 |- |1994 |Commander of the Royal Victorian Order |CVO |Was promoted to KCVO in 1998 |- |1997 |Companion of the Order of the Bath |100x100px |CB |Was promoted to KCB in 2003 |- |1998 |Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order |100x100px |KCVO |Was promoted to GCVO in 2007 |- |2002 |Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal |100x100px | | |- |2003 |Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath |100x100px |KCB |Was promoted to GCB in 2007 |- |Saskatchewan, Canada |2005 |Commemorative Medal for the Centennial of Saskatchewan |100x100px | | |- | rowspan="2" |United Kingdom |''16 June 2007'' |Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath |100x100px |GCB | |- |''8 September 2007'' |Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order |100x100px |GCVO | |- |New Zealand |''2008'' |Companion of the Queen's Service Order |100x100px |QSO | |}
===Styles=== *Mr Robin Janvrin 1946–1983 *Mr Robin Janvrin {{post-nominals|country=GBR|MVO}} 1983–1984 *Mr Robin Janvrin {{post-nominals|country=GBR|LVO}} 1984–1994 *Mr Robin Janvrin {{post-nominals|country=GBR|CVO}} 1994–1997 *Mr Robin Janvrin {{post-nominals|country=GBR|CB|CVO}} 1997–1998 *The Rt Hon Sir Robin Janvrin {{post-nominals|country=GBR|KCVO|CB}} 1998–2003 *The Rt Hon Sir Robin Janvrin {{post-nominals|country=GBR|KCB|KCVO}} 2003 – 16 June 2007 *The Rt Hon Sir Robin Janvrin {{post-nominals|country=GBR|GCB|KCVO}} 16 June 2007 – 8 September 2007 *The Rt Hon Sir Robin Janvrin {{post-nominals|country=GBR|GCB|GCVO}} 8 September 2007 – 10 October 2007 *The Rt Hon The Lord Janvrin {{post-nominals|country=GBR|GCB|GCVO|PC}} 10 October 2007 – 2008 *The Rt Hon The Lord Janvrin {{post-nominals|country=GBR|GCB|GCVO|QSO|PC}} 2008–present
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{s-court}} {{succession box|title=Private Secretary to the Sovereign|years=1999–2007|before=Sir Robert Fellowes|after=Sir Christopher Geidt}} {{s-prec|uk}} {{s-bef|before=The Lord Darzi of Denham}} {{s-ttl|title=Gentlemen'''<br />''Baron Janvrin'' '''}} {{s-fol|after=The Lord Stern of Brentford}} {{s-end}}{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Janvrin, Robin Janvrin, Baron}} Category:1946 births Category:Living people Category:Alumni of Brasenose College, Oxford Category:Crossbench life peers Category:Graduates of Britannia Royal Naval College Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Category:Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Category:People educated at Marlborough College Category:Permanent Lords-in-Waiting Category:People from Cheltenham Category:Royal Navy officers Category:Companions of the Queen's Service Order Category:Private secretaries to the sovereign Category:Deputy private secretaries to the sovereign Category:Assistant private secretaries to the sovereign Category:Life peers created by Elizabeth II