Janet Royall, Baroness Royall of Blaisdon

The Right Honourable
The Baroness Royall of Blaisdon
PC
The Right Honourable The Baroness Royall of Blaisdon PC
	Official portrait, 2024
Principal of Somerville College, Oxford
	In office; August 2017 – October 2025
Preceded by	Alice Prochaska
Succeeded by	Catherine Royle
Leader of the Opposition in the Lords; Shadow Leader of the House of Lords
	In office; 11 May 2010 – 27 May 2015
Leader	Harriet Harman (Acting); Ed Miliband
Preceded by	The Lord Strathclyde
Succeeded by	The Baroness Smith of Basildon
Prime Minister	In office; 5 June 2009 – 11 May 2010
Ministerial offices 2005–2010
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
	In office; 5 June 2009 – 11 May 2010
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	Liam Byrne
Succeeded by	The Lord Strathclyde
Leader of the House of Lords
	In office; 3 October 2008 – 11 May 2010
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	The Baroness Ashton of Upholland
Succeeded by	The Lord Strathclyde
Lord President of the Council
	In office; 2 October 2008 – 5 June 2009
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	The Baroness Ashton of Upholland
Succeeded by	Peter Mandelson
Chief Whip of the House of Lords; Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms
	In office; 24 January 2008 – 3 October 2008
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	The Lord Grocott
Succeeded by	The Lord Bassam of Brighton
Baroness-in-waiting; Government Whip
	In office; 10 May 2005 – 25 January 2008
Prime Minister	Tony Blair; Gordon Brown
Preceded by	The Lord Triesman
Succeeded by	The Baroness Thornton
Member of the House of Lords
	Lord Temporal
	Life peerage ; 25 June 2004
Personal details
Born	20 August 1955; Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England
Party	Labour and Co-operative
Spouse	Stuart Hercock; (m. 1980; died 2010)
Children	3
Alma mater	Westfield College, London (BA) Modern Languages (French and Spanish)

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Janet Anne Royall, Baroness Royall of Blaisdon, PC (born 20 August 1955), is a British Labour Co-operative Party politician. A former secretary and adviser to Neil Kinnock, Royall was appointed to the House of Lords in 2004 after having stood unsuccessfully to be MEP for The Cotswolds, and to be MP for Ipswich and Ogmore. She also stood to be a member of Gloucestershire County Council.

From October 2008, she was Leader of the House of Lords for the last eighteen months of Gordon Brown's premiership.

Royall was Principal of Somerville College, Oxford from August 2017 until October 2025 and was a candidate in the 2024 University of Oxford Chancellor election. She was succeeded by Catherine Royle in October 2025. She is the current Chair of the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions.