MP Penny Mordaunt had an important role during the coronation of King Charles III and the Queen Consort Camillia, carrying the Sword of State in the procession through Westminster Abbey.

Mordaunt, who is the Lord President of the Privy Council, broke tradition with her choice of outfit for the historic ceremony.

Traditionally, the Lord President wears a black and gold court dress, but Mordaunt – the first woman to perform this function at a coronation – chose a more modern ensemble in teal green.

This is what we know about her job as Lord President of the Privy Council and her previous role in the Navy.

Who is Penny Mordaunt, President of the Privy Council?

Mordaunt has been a Member of Parliament since 2010.

Penny Mordaunt was appointed Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons on September 6, 2022.

Previously she was Minister of State at the Department for International Trade.

She was also the department’s ministerial disability champion, according to the government website among other past duties.

The Privy Council is one of the oldest parts of the government and advises on the duty of entitled business and certain functions assigned to the King and the Council by Acts of Parliament.

The Privy Council is described as “the mechanism through which interdepartmental agreement is reached on those items of government business which, for historical or other reasons, fall to ministers as Privy Counsellors rather than as departmental ministers.”

The Lord President of the Council has ministerial responsibility for the Privy Council Office which manages Privy Council business.

Was Penny Mordaunt in the Navy?

Mordaunt was assigned to the Royal Naval Reserve, serving from 2010 until 2019.

From 2010 until 2015, she served as an Acting Sub-Lieutenant, at the shore establishment HMS King Alfred located on Whale Island, Portsmouth.