At coronations of the British monarch, the Lord High Steward bears St Edward's Crown.

The Lord High Steward has the sole legal power to preside over impeachment trials of peers (which last happened in 1806).

There was a "Court of the Lord High Steward" which served this purpose when Parliament was not in session.

From the late 12th century, the office was considered to be bound with the Earldom of Leicester.

[citation needed] The equivalent offices in Scotland and Ireland respectively are the Great Steward of Scotland (always held by the heir to the throne, known in Scotland as the Duke of Rothesay) and the Lord High Steward of Ireland (held by the Earls of Shrewsbury, who are also Earls of Waterford in the Peerage of Ireland).