Baroness Royall of Blaisdon is a British Labour Co-operative Party politician. She was Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the Council.
Jan Royall grew up in Hucclecote and Newnham on Severn, where her parents ran a shop.
She was educated at the Royal Forest of Dean Grammar School and Westfield College, University of London, where she gained a BA in Spanish and French in 1977.
She was a special adviser to Neil Kinnock, the leader of the Labour Party, in the 1980s, and she has remained a close ally of his ever since. She sought selection as Labour's candidate for Ogmore in a 2002 by-election, losing to Huw Irranca-Davies. In 2003 she became head of the European Commission office in Wales.
She is the currently principal of Somerville College, Oxford.