a board or select body of personal advisers, as of a sovereign.
(initial capital letters) (in Great Britain) a body of persons who advise the sovereign in matters of state, the majority of members being selected by the prime minister.
(sometimes initial capital letters) any similar body, as one appointed to assist the governor of a British dominion.
the council of state of a monarch or noble, esp formerly
(in Canada) a ceremonial body of advisers of the governor general, the chief of them being the Federal cabinet ministers
archaic a private or secret council
1250–1300; Middle English prive counseil privy counsel
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"I have this afternoon issued a letter signed by Jeffrey Donaldson to the Privy Council office tendering his resignation from the privy council with immediate effect," the statement continued.
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
In January, Franklin was summoned to appear before the privy council, the king’s most senior advisers.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 15, 2023
Although he was a Protestant, he was a supporter of the Scotland's Catholic regent, and in 1561 he was appointed to the privy council by the newly widowed Mary on her return to Scotland.
From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2022
One source suggested something like this timetable could be on the agenda at the privy council meeting.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 28, 2019
Responsible of course to the elector, the Statthalter, aided by the privy council, conducted the internal affairs of the electorate, generally in a peaceful and satisfactory fashion, until the welter of the Napoleonic wars.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 8 "Haller, Albrecht" to "Harmonium" by Various
But there was still a little bit of doubt that there may be a further hurdle ahead because, the law would need Royal Assent from the Privy Council.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
He has also tendered his resignation from the Privy Council with immediate effect.
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
All the parties also called for Donaldson to be stripped of his knighthood and removed from membership of the Privy Council.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
He appealed first to courts in Jamaica before taking his case to the Privy Council in London, which serves as the highest court of appeal in Jamaica and other Commonwealth countries.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2024
Parkinson was hauled before the Privy Council for questioning and came within an ace of being dispatched in irons to Australia before the charges against him were quietly dropped.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
