Royal Norwegian Order of Merit

Royal Norwegian Order of Merit
The Royal Norwegian Order of Merit (Norwegian: Den Kongelige Norske Fortjenstorden (Bokmål) or Den Kongelege Norske Fortenesteordenen (Nynorsk)) was instituted by King Olav V in 1985. It is awarded to foreigners, Norwegian citizens living abroad, Ministry of Foreign Affairs diplomats, foreign civil servants in Norway, and Norway's honorary consuls for "outstanding service in the interests of Norway". Its counterpart, the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav, is generally only awarded to Norwegian citizens living in Norway.
Structure and insignia
The reigning monarch, King Harald V, is the Grand Master of the Order. The order has five grades: Grand Cross, Commander (which is further subdivided into Commander with Star and Commander), and Knight (which is further subdivided into Knight 1st Class and Knight).
The Order is characterized by a ribbon of deep blue moiré. The Grand Cross is worn on a broad sash that hangs over the right shoulder. The Commander's Cross is worn around the neck on ribbon of the Order. The Knight's Cross is worn over the left breast on a ribbon. Women wear both the Commander's Cross and the Knight's Cross over the left breast on a ribbon of the Order that has been fashioned into a bow. Unlike the Order of St. Olav, the insignia of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit are the property of the recipient.
Conferment
Applications are submitted through the Protocol Department of the Royal Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The King receives the applications and confers the Order based on the council of the Lord Chamberlain of the Court, the Chief Protocol of the Royal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Head of Chancery of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav.
Recipients
Grand Crosses
HRH Princess Astrid of Belgium (2003)
HRH Princess Claire of Belgium (2003
HRH Prince Laurent of Belgium (2003)
HRH Prince Lorenz of Belgium (2003)
HRH Prince Ali bin Hussein (2000)
HRH Princess Rym al-Ali (2020)
HRH Princess Alia bint Hussein (2000)
HRH Princess Zein bint Hussein (2000)
HRH Prince Talal bin Muhammad (2000)
HRH Princess Ghida Talal (2000)
HRH Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad (2020)
Gabriele Albertini
Juliana Awada
Krister Bringéus
Maria Cavaco Silva
Armand De Decker
Laurent Fabius
Werner Fasslabend
Faisal Al-Fayez (2020)
Jaime Gama
Jenni Haukio
Yousef Huneiti (2020)
Toomas Hendrik Ilves
Jean-Claude Juncker
Kim Jung-sook
Ben Knapen (2021)
Vytautas Landsbergis
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Marisa Letícia Lula da Silva
Sauli Niinistö
John D. Ong
Christian Poncelet
Omar Razzaz (2020)
Eliza Reid
Ayman Safadi (2020)
Franz Schausberger
Wolfgang Schüssel
Yousef Shawarbeh (2020)
Antonio Tajani (2023)
Guy Verhofstadt
Pieter van Vollenhoven
Commanders with Star
Keith B. Alexander
Grażyna Bernatowicz
Micael Bydén
Sverker Göranson
Fred Kavli
Franklin Miller
Riho Terras
Volker Wieker
Commanders
Amjad Adaileh
Elżbieta Bieńkowska
Bjørn Olav Blokhus
Stéphane Braunschweig
Marius Haas
Kjell H. Halvorsen
John Hamre
Helga Hernes
Haakon Baardsøn Hjelde
Mariss Jansons
Lars-Emil Johansen
Krzysztof Krajewski
Irena Lichnerowicz-Augustyn
Klaus Naumann
Fred H. Nomme
Arild Retvedt Øyen
Jan Paulsen
Svein Sevje
Ingebjørg Støfring
Conrad Swan
Yury Yevdokimov
Knights
Brian Bell (businessman)
Lisa Campbell (1994)
Jostein Helge Bernhardsen
Martin Tore Bjørndal
Sissel Birgitte Breie
Finn Kristen Fostervoll
Stephen E. Harding
Thorir Hergeirsson
Charles Letts
Odd S. Lovoll
Sverre Lyngstad
John Jason Pantages
Knut Ødegård
Didrik Tønseth (diplomat)
Sjur Torgersen
Heiko Uecker
Jon Westborg
Unknown Classes
Aqel Biltaji
Dinna Bjørn
Rut Brandt
Ingvard Havnen
Graham John Hills
Wilhelmina Holladay
Stanisław Koziej
Carl Epting Mundy Jr.
Kathie L. Olsen
Oda Sletnes
See also
Orders, decorations, and medals of Norway
References
External links
The Royal Norwegian Order of Merit Website of the Royal Court
Statues of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit (in Norwegian) Website of the Royal Court
Orders, decorations, and medals of Norway
Merit (Norway), Royal Norwegian Order of
1985 establishments in Norway