Honi soit qui mal y pense " Honi soit qui mal y pense " sometimes rendered as " " Honi soit quy mal y pense " " , " " Hony soyt qe mal y pense " " , " " Hony soyt ke mal y pense " " , " " Hony soyt qui mal pence " " and various other phoneticizations , is the motto of the English chivalric Order of the Garter . In the French Language it is rendered as " " Honni soit qui mal y pense " " ( the modern conjugation of the verb " honnir " being " honni " ) . It is also written at the end of the manuscript " Sir Gawain and the Green Knight " but it appears to have been a later addition . Its literal translation from Old French is " " Shame be to him who thinks evil of it " " , or more strictly : " " Let he who thinks ill there be shamed . " " It is sometimes re - interpreted as " " Evil be to him who evil thinks " " . History . This statement supposedly originated when King Edward III was dancing with his first cousin , Joan of Kent . Her garter slipped down to her ankle , causing those around her to snicker at her humiliation . In an act of chivalry Edward placed the garter around his own leg , saying " Honi soit qui mal y pense " , and the phrase later became the motto of the Order . Translation . It may be understood as ' A scoundrel , who thinks badly by it ' , or ' Shame on him , who suspects illicit motivation ' . Today it is also used to express a slightly ironic sentiment about seemingly , but not explicitly related statements or events . Examples might be a story containing a double entendre , in which the teller ' warns ' against the licentious interpretation . It can also be used to point out , by ironically denying , the actual relation of actions . If a politician were to argue the national benefit of a government program - which would happen to bring great investments to a particular county ; the county where that politician happens to hail from : Then you ' d be ' a scoundrel ' to think anything but the ' national benefit ' was the true motivation . Another alternative translation : " Spurned be the one who evil thinks " . The older ( dark navy blue ) British passport carried this message on its cover . The intent there was for the bearer to be pure in thought and intent if he / she was a carrier of that passport . Heraldic use . The motto of the Order appears on a representation of the garter , surrounding the shield , on the Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom , the motto of the Royal arms , " Dieu et mon droit " , being displayed on a scroll beneath the shield . Several British Army regiments also use the motto of the Order of the Garter , including the Royal Horse Artillery , Grenadier Guards , Royal Regiment of Fusiliers , Princess of Wales ' Royal Regiment , Life Guards and the Blues and Royals . The Canadian Grenadier Guards , The Royal Regiment of Canada , The Royal Montreal Regiment and New Zealand ' s 6th Hauraki Infantry Regiment also use it as their mottos . It is on the front of the current British passports . Further , the motto is also present on the emblem of the Grenadier Guards , The Times ( London ) , Corps of Royal Engineers , the Royal Australian Engineers , and the Royal Australian Army Ordnance Corps and is denoted on a circular belt , surrounded by a wreath , with the crown jewels atop . The motto was also used as on the official emblem of the South Australian Railways . The motto was also used on the official emblem of the Royal Yacht Britannia . The motto appears on the coat of arms of the British Columbia Supreme Court . Other appearances . Bounty mutineer James Morrison had the motto with a garter tattooed around his left leg , according to William Bligh ' s Notebook The motto also appears on the entry gates to pop star Michael Jackson ' s Neverland estate , emblazoned on his personal crest beneath a royal lion and a gemstone - collared unicorn .