Over the decades since it became home to our charity, Cumberland Lodge has hosted a wide range of significant figures across many sectors, including politics and government, law and justice, arts and culture, science and academia, humanitarianism, and public service.
Some of these individuals have contributed to our mission of developing future leaders and empowering conversations on pressing societal challenges, either as guest speakers at our events or trustees of our charity. Many have attended conferences, retreats, leadership development programmes, policy discussions, or other events held at the Lodge. Proceeds from bookings, such as these, help fund our educational programme.
The list of famous faces and notable speakers at Cumberland Lodge includes UK Prime Ministers and political leaders, Supreme Court Presidents and Justices, Oscar-winning actors and Poet Laureates, Nobel Peace Prize winners, world-renowned professors and researchers, and members of the British Royal Family.
Here is a list of just some of the notable visitors to Cumberland Lodge:
Politics and government
- Stanley Baldwin (three-time Conservative Prime Minister)
- Sir Tony Blair KG (former UK Prime Minister)
- Lord (David) Blunkett PC (former Home Secretary and Education Secretary)
- Alastair Campbell (former Downing Street Communications Director)
- Sir Winston Churchill (wartime Prime Minister and Nobel laureate)
- Yvette Cooper (Home Secretary)
- Lord (Richard) Faulkner (UK trade envoy to Taiwan)
- Baroness Claire Fox (Director of the Academy of Ideas and former Brexit Party MEP)
- Boris Johnson (former UK Prime Minister and Mayor of London)
- Baroness Theresa May (second female UK Prime Minister)
- Baroness Ruby McGregor-Smith CBE (first Asian female CEO of FTSE 250 company)
- Baroness Patricia Scotland KC (first female Commonwealth Secretary-General)
- Jack Straw (former Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary)
- Baroness Margaret Thatcher (UK’s first female Prime Minister)
- Lord (William) Waldegrave (former Chief Secretary to the Treasury)
Law and justice
- Lord (David) Anderson KBE KC (former independent reviewer of Terrorism Legislation)
- Baroness Sue Carr DBE PC (Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales)
- Baroness Shami Chakrabarti CBE PC (former Shadow Attorney General and Labour peer)
- Lord Hailsham KG CH PC FRS (Quintin McGarel Hogg) (former Lord Chancellor)
- Baroness Brenda Hale DBE PC FBA (first female President of the UK Supreme Court)
- Sir John Laws (former Lord Justice of Appeal)
- Lady Justice Philippa Whipple DBE (High Court judge)
Arts and culture
- Dame Darcey Bussell (former prima ballerina and Strictly Come Dancing judge)
- Benedict Cumberbatch CBE (Oscar-nominated actor and The Electrical Life of Louis Wain star)
- Dame Carol Ann Duffy FRSL (first female UK Poet Laureate)
- T.S. Eliot OM (Nobel Prize-winning poet)
- Colin Firth CBE (Oscar-winning actor who played King George VI in The King’s Speech)
- Claire Foy (Golden Globe-winning actress and The Electrical Life of Louis Wain star)
- Lucy Liu (actress, Charlie’s Angels)
- Julian Ovenden (actor and singer, Bridgerton)
- Guy Pearce (actor, The King’s Speech)
- Dame Zandra Rhodes RDI (fashion designer)
- Alan Rickman (actor known for Harry Potter and Die Hard films)
- Jonathan Ross OBE (broadcaster)
- Lemn Sissay OBE FRSL (poet and broadcaster)
- Lucy Worsley OBE (historian and broadcaster)
Science and academia
- Professor Dame Sally Davies GCB FRS (former UK Chief Medical Officer)
- Richard Dawkins FRS FRSL (evolutionary biologist and author)
- Sir Karl Popper CH FRS FBA (philosopher of science)
- Sir Magdi Yacoub OM FRS (pioneering heart surgeon)
Public service and military
- Lord (Richard) Dannatt GCB CBE MC DL (former Chief of the General Staff)
- Dame Cressida Dick QPM (former Metropolitan Police Commissioner)
- Dame Lynne Owens DCB CBE QPM DL (Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner and former Director General of the National Crime Agency)
- General Sir Mike Jackson GCB CBE DSO DL (former Chief of the General Staff)
- Sir Richard Moore KCMG (Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service)
- Sir Mark Rowley QPM (Metropolitan Police Commissioner)
- Sir Terry Waite KCMG CBE (human rights activist and author)
Religion and humanities
- Desmond Tutu OMSG CH GCStJ (Nobel Peace Prize-winning Archbishop)
- Lord (Rowan) Williams PC FBA FRSL FLSW (former Archbishop of Canterbury)
- Lord (George) Carey PC (former Archbishop of Canterbury)
- Kofi Annan (Nobel Peace Prize-winning former UN Secretary-General)
Business and charity
- Baroness Jill Pitkeathley OBE (former Chief Executive of Carers National Association)
- Baroness Usha Prashar CBE PC (Crossbench peer and former Civil Service Commissioner)
- Tanya Steele CBE (CEO, WWF-UK)
Sport
- Sir Roger Bannister CH CBE FRCP (first person to run a four-minute mile)
Reflecting on the gallery
Most of the people in this gallery could be defined as leaders in their fields. As you look through their portraits, we invite you to reflect upon the contributions they’ve made, and the complexities of leadership.
What does leadership really mean? Do we measure it by power, by legacy, or by the choices made during difficult moments? How do we define an ethical leader? And how can the next generation of leaders learn from both the successes and the failures of leaders past and present?
These photographs of famous faces and notable figures at Cumberland Lodge reflect the convening power of the Lodge in bringing people together for dialogue, debate, and discussion. We hope they inspire thoughtful conversations.