On 25 June 1861 , the following proclamation was issued by the Queen : The Order of the Indian Empire , founded in 1877 , was intended to be a less exclusive version of the Order of the Star of India ; consequently , many more appointments were made to the former than to the latter .
On 25 June 1861 , Queen Victoria issued a proclamation creating `` The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India '' to `` reward conspicuous merit and loyalty '' The Order of the Indian Empire , founded in 1877 , was intended to be a less exclusive version of the Order of the Star of India ; consequently , many more appointments were made to the former than to the latter .