Lord Chancellor
![](/Images/godic/202501/24/Michael_Gove_Minister5752.jpg")
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![Sir Thomas More, one of the most famous early Lord Chancellors, served and was executed under King Henry VIII.](/Images/godic/202501/24/Hans_Holbein,_the_Younger_-_Sir_Thomas_More_-_Google_Art_Project5753.jpg")
![The uniform of the Lord High Chancellor, depicted on a cigarette card produced for the Coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1937.](/Images/godic/202501/24/Player's_cigarettes_19_Lord_High_Chancellor_of_England5753.jpg")
The Lord Chancellor, formally the Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, is a senior and important functionary in the government of the United Kingdom. He or she is appointed by the Sovereign on the advice of the Prime Minister. The Lord Chancellor is the second highest ranking of the Great Officers of State, ranking after only the Lord High Steward. Prior to the Union there were separate Lord Chancellors for England and Wales and for Scotland.