The office of the Surveyor of the King's/Queen's Pictures, in the Royal Collection Department of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom, is responsible for the care and maintenance of the royal collection of pictures owned by the Sovereign in an official capacity – as distinct from those owned privately and displayed at Sandringham House and Balmoral Castle and elsewhere. The office has only been full-time since 1972. It now operates in a professional capacity with a staff of a dozen people. As of the end of 2020, the position has been put in abeyance. Although the office dates from 1625, there has always been someone responsible for pictures in the Royal Household. Notable recent office-holders have included Sir Lionel Cust (1901–1927), Sir Kenneth Clark (1934–1944), Professor Anthony Blunt (1945–1972), one of the infamous Cambridge Five, and Sir Oliver Millar (1972–1988). The post of Surveyor of the King's Pictures is currently in abeyance; the most recent was Desmond Shawe-Taylor, who held the post from 2005 to 2020. List of Surveyors of the King's/ Queen's Pictures Desmond Shawe-Taylor 2005–2020 Christopher Lloyd, 1988–2005 Sir Oliver Millar 1972–1988 Anthony Blunt 1945–1973 – formerly Sir Anthony Blunt , until he was stripped of his titles after being exposed as a former Soviet spy. Sir Kenneth Clark 1934–1944 C. H. Collins Baker 1928–1934 Sir Lionel Cust 1901–1927 Sir John Charles Robinson 1880–1901 Richard Redgrave 1856–1880 Thomas Uwins 1844–1856 Sir Augustus Wall Callcott 1843–1844 William Seguier 1820–1843 Benjamin West 1791–1820 Richard Dalton 1778–1791 George Knapton 1765–1778 Stephen Slaughter 1745–1765 Peter Walton c.1690–1745 (officially from 1701) Frederick Sonnius 1690–1701 Henry Norris 1682– Parry Walton 1679–1690 (officially to 1701) Gerrit van Uylenburgh 1676–1679 William Chiffinch 1666– Thomas Chiffinch 1660–1666 George Geldorp 1660– Abraham van der Doort 1625–1640 References Further reading External links About the Royal Collection – official website