Lady Mayor to ‘Un-Square the Square Mile’ in a Year of Firsts

It will be a weekend of firsts for Dame Susan Langley DBE, as she takes on her new role as the Lady Mayor of the City of London and leads what will now officially be called the Lady Mayor’s Show.

Although she is the third woman to hold the office in the City’s 697-year history, Dame Susan is the first to choose the title “Lady Mayor.” Her decision marks both a nod to tradition and a symbolic shift in tone for one of London’s oldest public offices.

Born in Whitechapel and raised in West Ham and Hornchurch, Dame Susan describes herself as “an East Ender through and through.” Speaking ahead of the procession, she said, “I never ever imagined as a little girl that I would be in that golden coach. I used to watch the show sitting on my Grandad’s shoulders wrapped in a warm scarf and seeing the whole parade go past. To be part of it, let alone in it, will be absolutely amazing, but slightly surreal.”

A new chapter for the City

The Lady Mayor has been clear about her ambitions for the year ahead. “This role has hundreds of years of tradition, it goes back to 1189, and tradition is brilliant,” she said. “But we also need to gently flex. There have been two previous female Lord Mayors, and I will be the 697th. But I will be the first to take the name ‘Lady Mayor’ – it never occurred to me to be anything else. I’m not a lord, I’m a lady. That’s who I am.”

Her vision for her mayoralty includes what she describes as “un-squaring the Square Mile” – a bid to rebrand the City as a place of innovation and inclusion, particularly for women in finance and professional services.

As ambassador for the City’s global financial industries, Dame Susan will use Mansion House as her base of operations throughout her term. She says she wants to show that the Square Mile “isn’t old-fashioned or closed off – it’s dynamic and forward-looking.”

From Pearly dreams to historic honours

In a year full of milestones, Dame Susan will also become the first ever “lady pearly mayor of the City of London” – an honorary title bestowed by the Pearly Kings and Queens Association, a group that has represented London’s working-class culture and charitable traditions for more than 150 years.

“As a child I wanted to be a pearly queen because they were so shiny,” she recalled. “My gran made me a waistcoat covered in pearly buttons, and I thought that was the closest I was ever going to get. Now, just for a year, I’ll be the Pearly Lady Mayor!”

Dr Vanessa Vallely OBE, the Pearly Queen of the City of London and a long-time advocate for women in business, helped make the appointment happen. “There’s a real synergy – we’re both East London girls,” she said. “When I heard she wanted to be a pearly queen, I thought, well, it’s on my patch, so I can make that happen.”

The Pearly Kings and Queens will take part in the Lady Mayor’s Show for the first time this year, alongside 697 women, one for each year of the pageant’s history. Other women who have been awarded damehoods have also been invited to join a special horse-drawn omnibus in the three-mile procession.

‘See it to be it’

For Dame Susan, who received an OBE in 2015 and a damehood in 2021 for services to women in business, her appointment is not just ceremonial. She acknowledges that her visibility matters.

“Somebody once said to me that I was a role model, and I did that typical British thing of saying ‘oh no’,” she admitted. “But she told me, ‘You need to realise that for some people, they have to see it to be it.’ I can tell my daughters they can do this, or I can point to you and say, see, there’s one there. That really stayed with me.”

As the 697th mayor to lead the City since 1189, Dame Susan hopes to leave a legacy that blends tradition with change, one that reflects both her East End roots and her commitment to a more inclusive future.

For more stories exploring London’s history and cultural heritage, follow EyeOnLondon for insightful storytelling you can trust.

This interview was originally published by the BBC and has been adapted by EyeOnLondon for context and editorial clarity.

[Image Credit | City of London Corporation]

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