History
"Comptroller" is the archaic spelling of "controller", recorded since c.1500 (in a number of British titles, later also in the USA). The variant in spelling results from the contaminating influence (so-called popular etymology) of French compte "account".
In modern times, the Comptroller has become a less prominent position in British politics. He is one of the Government whips in the House of Commons, and his responsibilities for the Royal Household are now purely nominal, except being occasionally called upon to act as an usher at Royal Garden Parties. The current Comptroller of the Household is Alistair Carmichael.
Read more about this topic: Comptroller Of The Household
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“The basic idea which runs right through modern history and modern liberalism is that the public has got to be marginalized. The general public are viewed as no more than ignorant and meddlesome outsiders, a bewildered herd.”
—Noam Chomsky (b. 1928)
“In every election in American history both parties have their clichés. The party that has the clichés that ring true wins.”
—Newt Gingrich (b. 1943)
“History does nothing; it does not possess immense riches, it does not fight battles. It is men, real, living, who do all this.... It is not “history” which uses men as a means of achieving—as if it were an individual person—its own ends. History is nothing but the activity of men in pursuit of their ends.”
—Karl Marx (1818–1883)