Dame Susan Langley made history on Saturday as the first Lady Mayor of London, leading a spectacular procession through the capital's streets. The 62-year-old is the 697th person to hold the ancient office, but the first to formally adopt the title "Lady Mayor" in over 800 years of the mayoralty's existence.
The chairwoman of insurance broker Gallagher UK took office in the Silent Ceremony at the Guildhall on Friday. The following day, she travelled by state coach from Mansion House to the Royal Courts of Justice to swear an oath of allegiance to the sovereign, maintaining a tradition dating back to 1215.
Around 7,000 participants joined the three-mile Lady Mayor's Show procession, including marching bands, livery companies, armed forces representatives and youth organisations. More than 200 horses and 50 floats wound through the City of London, with most roads closed for the event.
Vision for the City
Dame Susan used the occasion to outline her priorities for modernizing the Square Mile's image. «The Square Mile… to me, square is slightly old-fashioned. The City is innovative, and my aim over the next year is to un-square the Square Mile,» she said.
The east London-born mayor received a damehood in 2023 for public service to the financial services industry. She previously served as lead non-executive director at the Home Office and co-founded the Women's Business Council, which advises government on boosting women's economic contributions.
While three women have held the elected post before, Dame Susan is the first to use the Lady Mayor title. The office dates to 1215, when King John granted the City of London the right to appoint its own mayor, months before signing the Magna Carta. During her one-year term, she will serve as international ambassador for the UK's financial and professional services sector.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
