An officer of the Royal Household of the United Kingdom. In all the medieval monarchies of western Europe the general system of government sprang from, and centred in, the royal household. ...

Gentlemen Ushers to The Queen are generally appointed from retired military, naval and air force officers (and occasionally civilians) for irregular and infrequent attendance at royal events. They are used for Garden Parties, and Investitures, where they act as ushers. Ushers, who are unpaid, retire at 70, when they may become Extra Gentlemen Ushers. Garden Party, a song by Ricky Nelson, criticizes his fans for not appreciating his new style. ... INVESTITURE, from the Latin (preposition in and verb vestire, dress from vestis robe) is a rather general term for the formal installation of an incumbent (heir, elect of nominee) in his public office, especially by talking possession of its insignia. ... Usher may refer to: Look up usher in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

There are other Gentleman Ushers with specific appointments, such as the Gentleman Usher of the Sword of State. The only full-time Usher is the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, who attends on the Lord Chancellor in the House of Lords. A sword of state is a sword, used as part of the regalia, symbolizing the power of a monarch (or his constitutional government)to use the might of the state (even war, as its commander in chief, and the death penalty) against its enemies, and his duty to preserve thus... The Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, generally shortened to just Black Rod, is an official of a figure in the parliaments of a number of Commonwealth countries. ... The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor and in former times the Chancellor of England and the Lord Chancellor of Scotland, is one of the most senior and important functionaries in the government of the United Kingdom, and its predecessor states. ... This article is about the British House of Lords. ...