About Elish Angiolini
Lady Elish Frances Margaret Angiolini (née McPhilomy; born 24 June 1960) is a Scottish lawyer currently serving as Lord Clerk Register, the first woman to hold the role since its creation in the 13th century. She was appointed Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the British Monarch's representative to the Assembly, in 2025, succeeding Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh. Angiolini was a pro-vice chancellor of the University of Oxford from 2017 to 2025, and served as the Principal of St Hugh's College, Oxford, from 2012 to 2025; she was also a candidate in the 2024 University of Oxford Chancellor election. From 2011 until June 2022, she was styled as Dame Elish Angiolini. She was the Lord Advocate of Scotland from 2006 until 2011, having previously been Solicitor General since 2001. She was the first woman, the first procurator fiscal, and the first solicitor to hold either post. Since leaving office she has led several investigations and inquiries, including a review of deaths in police custody commissioned by the then-Home Secretary Theresa May and the Angiolini Inquiry into the murder of Sarah Everard, which reported in February 2024. From September 2012 to September 2025, Angiolini was the Principal of St Hugh's College, Oxford. She also served as a pro-vice-chancellor of the University of Oxford from 2017 to 2025, and is an Honorary Professor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She further served as Chancellor of the University of the West of Scotland from 2013 to 2021. In June 2022, she was appointed a Lady of the Order of the Thistle, the highest order of chivalry in Scotland, by Queen Elizabeth II. Angiolini took part in the Coronation of Charles III, representing the Order of the Thistle. Angiolini's first encounter with the legal profession came when, as a teenager, she was asked to give evidence in a burglary trial.
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