Order of the Garter

Order of the Garter
source
Name	Order of the Garter
Established	1348
Founder	Edward III
Country	United Kingdom
Type	Order of chivalry

Order of the Garter The Order of the Garter is a senior English order of chivalry founded in the 14th century under Edward III and connected to the monarchy of the United Kingdom and the House of Windsor. It is associated with St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, the Garter Day procession, and a small membership including the sovereign, the Prince of Wales, and a limited number of companions drawn from the British and foreign aristocracy. The order has shaped ceremonies at Windsor Castle, influenced honors systems such as the Order of the Thistle and Order of St Patrick, and features prominently in state occasions involving the Cabinet and royal investitures.

History

The foundation in 1348 under Edward III drew on chivalric revivalism inspired by Geoffrey of Monmouth, the legend of King Arthur, and continental orders like the Order of the Dragon and the Order of the Garter of Philip VI. Early patrons included Edward, the Black Prince, John of Gaunt, and allies from the Hundred Years' War such as Charles V of France and Philip VI of France. The order developed alongside institutions like the House of Commons and the House of Lords during late medieval England and intersected with events including the Peasants' Revolt and the Wars of the Roses. Reforms and royal patronage under Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, Charles I, and George III affected appointments and precedence; episodes like the English Civil War and the Glorious Revolution altered the order's visibility. 19th- and 20th-century monarchs including Victoria, Edward VII, George V, and Elizabeth II used the order to cement diplomatic ties with figures from the German Empire, Austria-Hungary, and the United States.

Membership and Ranks

Membership traditionally comprises the sovereign, the Prince of Wales, and 24 Companions drawn from the nobility and senior statesmen; notable rank holders have included Winston Churchill, David Lloyd George, Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair, and Harold Macmillan. Foreign monarchs such as Emperor Meiji, Napoleon III, King Harald V, King Felipe VI, and King Philippe of Belgium have been appointed as Stranger Knights. Appointments have been extended to military leaders like Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, Horatio Nelson, Douglas Haig, and Bernard Montgomery, and to jurists and poets such as Lord Halsbury, T. S. Eliot, William Butler Yeats, and John Betjeman. The order coexists with other honours including the Order of Merit, the Order of the Bath, the Order of St Michael and St George, and the Royal Victorian Order in the British honours system.

Insignia and Regalia

Insignia include the dark blue garter, the badge depicting St George, and the mantle and collar worn at Garter Day and at chapel ceremonies in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. The Garter bears the motto "Honi soit qui mal y pense," a phrase associated historically with Edward III and chivalric texts; the sash, badge, and star are comparable to regalia in the Order of the Bath and the Order of the Thistle. Royal collars have echoed designs from continental court orders such as the Order of the Golden Fleece, the Order of the Holy Spirit, and the Order of Charles III. Heraldic displays, including banners and stall plates, are preserved alongside tombs and monuments to knights such as Edward, the Black Prince and Henry V within Windsor Castle.

Ceremonies and Traditions

Annual Garter ceremonies take place at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle on Garter Day and during the Easter season, featuring processions with the sovereign, the Knights Companion, and officers like the Garter Principal King of Arms and the Garter Steward. Traditions include installation services, the display of banners above stalls in the choir, and the use of heraldic tabards similar to those of the College of Arms. The ceremonial role of the sovereign and interventions by figures such as the Lord Chancellor, the Prime Minister, and the Archbishop of Canterbury have evolved since medieval coronations. Royal funerals and state events for figures like Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh have incorporated elements of Garter ritual. The order's ceremonies historically referenced crusading orders and battlefield commemorations such as the Battle of Agincourt and the Battle of Waterloo.

Duties and Privileges

Members are entitled to wear regalia at state occasions and to a stall in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle; these privileges parallel precedence accorded to peers like the Duke of Norfolk and the Marquess of Salisbury. Companions often serve as royal advisers, diplomats, or military commanders—roles filled by figures including Anthony Eden, Clement Attlee, William Gladstone, Benjamin Disraeli, Viscount Palmerston, and Lord Mountbatten. Foreign appointees such as King Christian X of Denmark and Tsar Nicholas II have received diplomatic precedence. While the order confers prestige, legal privileges overlap with statutes concerning the Coronation and parliamentary protocol; controversies over political appointments have at times engaged the Prime Minister's Office and the Monarchy.

Notable Members and Controversies

Notable members span monarchs, statesmen, soldiers, and cultural figures: Henry V, Richard II, Elizabeth I, Oliver Cromwell (controversially excluded), George II, Napoleon III, Otto von Bismarck, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Charles de Gaulle, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Harry S. Truman, Nelson Mandela, Ronald Reagan, Helmut Kohl, Margaret Thatcher, and Barack Obama (honorary examples in modern diplomacy). Controversies include disputed investitures, the politicisation of appointments during premierships of Harold Wilson, Tony Blair, and David Cameron, expulsions such as that of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough’s descendants in earlier eras, and debates over imperial-era appointees from the British Empire and the Commonwealth. Scandals have touched on individuals like Rudolf Hess (wartime German associations), allegations surrounding Eton-educated political elites, and ceremonial disputes at events involving Windsor Castle security and protocol. Academic critiques from historians such as A. J. P. Taylor and biographers of Edward III examine the order's role in chivalric myth-making and diplomatic symbolism.

Category:British honours