The Lord-Lieutenant (/lɛfˈtɛnənt/) is the British monarch's personal representative in each county of the United Kingdom. Historically the Lord-Lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's militia, but it is today a largely ceremonial position, usually awarded to a retired notable, military officer, nobleman/woman, or businessman/woman in the county. The office is not equivalent to that of a Lieutenant Governor in the Crown Dependencies, a Governor in the Overseas Territories or (until 1972) the Governor of Northern Ireland, as Lords-Lieutenant have virtually no role in local government, nor are they responsible for promulgating local ordinances in the monarch's name.