Royal Victorian Order

The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the monarch. The present monarch, King Charles III, is the sovereign of the order. The order's motto is Victoria. The order's official day is 20 June. The order's chapel is the Savoy Chapel in London.
There is no limit on the number of individuals honoured at any grade. Admission is at the sole discretion of the monarch. Each of the order's five grades represent different levels of service, as does the medal, which has three levels of service. While all those honoured may use the prescribed styles of the order – the top two grades grant titles of knighthood, and all grades accord distinct post-nominal letters – the Royal Victorian Order's precedence amongst other honours differs from realm to realm and admission to some grades may be barred to citizens of those realms by government policy.
==History==
Prior to the close of the 19th century, most general honours within the British Empire were bestowed by the sovereign on the advice of her British ministers, who sometimes forwarded advice from ministers of the Crown in the Dominions and colonies (appointments to the then most senior orders of chivalry, the Most Noble Order of the Garter and the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle, had been made on ministerial advice since the 18th century and were not restored to the personal gift of the sovereign until 1946 and 1947, respectively). Queen Victoria thus established on 21 April 1896 the Royal Victorian Order as a junior and personal order of knighthood that allowed her to bestow directly to an empire-wide community honours for personal services. The organisation was founded a year before Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, so as to give the Queen time to complete a list of first inductees. The order's official day was made 20 June of each year, marking the anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession to the throne.
In 1902, King Edward VII created the Royal Victorian Chain "as a personal decoration for royal personages and a few eminent British subjects" and it was the highest class of the Royal Victorian Order. It is today distinct from the order, though it is officially issued by the chancery of the Royal Victorian Order.
The order was open to foreigners from its inception, the Prefect of Alpes-Maritimes and the Mayor of Nice being the first foreigners to receive the honour in 1896.
==Composition==
The reigning monarch is at the apex of the Royal Victorian Order as its Sovereign, followed by the Grand Master; the latter position was created in 1937 and was occupied by Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother) from that date until her death in 2002. Queen Elizabeth II then appointed her daughter, Anne, Princess Royal, to the position in 2007. Below the Grand Master are five officials of the organisation: the Chancellor, held by the Lord Chamberlain; the Secretary, held by the Keeper of the Privy Purse and Treasurer to the King; the Registrar, held by the Secretary to the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood; the Chaplain, held by the Chaplain of the King's Chapel of the Savoy; and the Genealogist.
Thereafter follow those honoured with different grades of the order, divided into five levels: the highest two conferring accolades of knighthood and all having post-nominal letters and, lastly, the holders of the Royal Victorian Medal in gold, silver or bronze. Foreigners may be admitted as honorary members. There are no limits to the number of any grade, and promotion is possible. The styles of knighthood are not used by princes, princesses, or peers in the uppermost ranks of the society, save for when their names are written in their fullest forms for the most official occasions. Retiring Deans of the Royal Peculiars of St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle and Westminster Abbey are customarily inducted as Knights Commander; clergymen appointed to the higher levels of the Royal Victorian Order do not use the associated styles, however, and honorary members are not permitted to hold them at all.
Prior to 1984, the grades of Lieutenant and Member were classified as Members (fourth class) and Members (fifth class), respectively, but both with the post-nominals MVO. On 31 December of that year, Queen Elizabeth II declared that those in the grade of Member (fourth class) would henceforth be Lieutenants with the post-nominals LVO.
Grades of the Royal Victorian Order	Grades of the Royal Victorian Order	Grades of the Royal Victorian Order	Grades of the Royal Victorian Order	Grades of the Royal Victorian Order	Grades of the Royal Victorian Order	Grades of the Royal Victorian Order	Grades of the Royal Victorian Order	Grades of the Royal Victorian Order
Grade 	Knight Grand Cross 	Dame Grand Cross 	Knight Commander 	Dame Commander 	Commander 	Lieutenant 	Member 	Royal Victorian Medal
Prefix 	Sir 	Dame 	Sir 	Dame 	— 	— 	— 	—
Post-nominals 	GCVO 	GCVO 	KCVO 	DCVO 	CVO 	LVO 	MVO 	RVM
Insignia 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
===List of officers===
The current officers of the Royal Victorian Order are as follows:
* Grand Master: The Princess Royal , since 2007
* Chancellor: The Lord Parker of Minsmere , as Lord Chamberlain, since April 2021
* Secretary: Sir Michael Stevens , as Keeper of the Privy Purse, since 2018
* Registrar: Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Segrave, as Secretary of the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood, since 2019
* Chaplain: The Reverend Canon Thomas Woodhouse, as Chaplain of the King's Chapel of the Savoy, since 2019
==Insignia and vestments==
Upon admission into the Royal Victorian Order, members are given various insignia. Common for all members is the badge, which is a Maltese cross with a central medallion depicting on a red background the Royal Cypher of Queen Victoria surrounded by a blue ring bearing the motto of the order – victoria (victory) – and surmounted by a Tudor crown. However, there are variations on the badge for each grade of the order: Knights and Dames Grand Cross on certain formal occasions (see below) wear the badge suspended from the Order's collar (chain), but otherwise on a sash passing from the right shoulder to the left hip; Knight Commanders and male Commanders wear the badge on a ribbon at the neck; male Lieutenants and Members wear the badge from a ribbon on the left chest; and women in all grades below Dame Grand Cross wear the badge on a bow pinned at the left shoulder. For Knights and Dames Grand Cross, Commanders, and Lieutenants, the Maltese cross is rendered in white enamel with gold edging, while that for Knights and Dames Commander (on the star) and Members (the badge itself) is in silver. Further, the size of the badge varies by rank, that for the higher classes being larger, and Knights and Dames Grand Cross and Knights and Dames Commander have their crosses surrounded by a star: for the former, an eight-pointed silver star, and for the latter, an eight-pointed silver Maltese cross with silver rays between each arm.
The medal bears the effigy and name of the reigning sovereign at the time of its awarding, as well as the phrase DEI • GRATIA • REX (or REGINA) • F.D. (by the grace of God, King (or Queen), Defender of the Faith), and on the reverse is the Royal Cypher upon an ornamental shield within a laurel wreath. Bars may be awarded to each class of medal for further services, and should recipients be awarded a higher level of medal or be appointed to a grade of the order itself, they may continue to wear their original medal along with the new insignia.
The order's ribbon is blue with red-white-red stripe edging, the only difference being that for foreigners appointed into the society, their ribbon bears an additional central white stripe. For Knights Grand Cross, the ribbon is wide, for Dames Grand Cross , for Knights and Dames Commander , and for all other members .
At formal events, or collar days, of which there are 34 throughout the year, such as New Year's Day and royal anniversaries, Knights and Dames Grand Cross wear the Royal Victorian Order's livery collar, consisting of an alternating string of octagonal gold pieces depicting a gold rose on a blue field and gold oblong frames within which are one of four inscriptions: Victoria, Britt. Reg. (Queen of the Britons), Def. Fid. (, or Defender of the Faith), and Ind. Imp. (Empress of India). The chain supports a larger octagonal medallion with a blue enamel surface edged in red and charged with a saltire, over which is an effigy of Queen Victoria; members of the order suspend from this medallion their insignia as a badge apendant. Though after the death of a Knight or Dame Grand Cross their insignia may be retained by their family, the collar must be returned. Knights and Dames Grand Cross also wear a mantle of dark blue satin edged with red satin and lined with white satin, bearing a representation of the order's star on the left side.
==Chapel==
Since 1938, the chapel of the Royal Victorian Order has been the King's Chapel of the Savoy, in central London, England. However, the population of the order has grown to the point that the Savoy chapel can no longer accommodate the gathering of members held every four years, and St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle is now employed for the event.
The Sovereign and Knights and Dames Grand Cross of the order are allotted stalls in the Savoy chapel's choir, and on the back of each stall is affixed a brass plate displaying the occupant's name, coat of arms, and date of admission into the organisation. Upon the occupant's death, the plate is retained, leaving the stalls festooned with a record of the order's Knights and Dames Grand Cross since 1938. The only heraldic banners normally on display in the chapel are those of the Sovereign of the Royal Victorian Order and of the Grand Master of the Royal Victorian Order as there is insufficient space in the chapel for more knights' and dames' banners or other heraldic devices.
The Chaplain of the King's Chapel of the Savoy is ex officio the Chaplain to the Royal Victorian Order. The current incumbent is Canon Thomas Woodhouse.
== Eligibility and appointment ==
Membership in the Royal Victorian Order is conferred by the monarch without ministerial advice on those who have performed personal service for the sovereign, any member of his or her family, or any of his or her Governors-General. All living citizens of any Commonwealth realm, including women since 1936, are eligible for any of the five levels of the order, save for Canadians (see below) and, in practice, Australians (although all classes of the Royal Victorian Order remain in the Australian order of precedence of honours, Elizabeth II never created knights or dames in the Order when the Australian government has been opposed to "titles").
Foreign members will generally be admitted as honorary members of the Royal Victorian Order when the sovereign is making a state visit to the individual's country or a head of state is paying a state visit to the United Kingdom.
Persons have been removed from the order at the monarch's command. Anthony Blunt, a former Surveyor of the Queen's Pictures, was in 1979 stripped of his knighthood after it was revealed that he had been a spy for the Soviet Union. Also, George Pottinger, a senior civil servant, in 1975 lost his membership in both the Order of the Bath and the Royal Victorian Order when he was jailed for corruptly receiving gifts from the architect John Poulson.
===Canadians===
As admission to the top two levels of the organisation provides for an honorary prefix, Canadians are not normally appointed to these levels as long as the monarch's Canadian ministry adheres to the Nickle Resolution of 1919.
As it was deemed by the Canadian Cabinet to be an honour within the gift of the monarch, the appointment of Canadians to the order resumed in 1972 and eligibility was extended to those who render services to the monarch's representatives in the country; officials within the provincial spheres being included after 1984. Originally, the sovereign chose inductees personally, though the Governor General of Canada and the Canadian Secretary to the King could provide suggestions, some passed to them by the lieutenant governors. The practice of notifying the Prime Minister of Canada of nominees ended in 1982, to distance the order as far from politics as possible.
It was reported in 2008 that some in the Chancellery of Honours at Rideau Hall wished to eliminate the Royal Victorian Order from the Canadian honours system and sometimes contested when a Canadian was appointed; however, no formal changes were ever planned. In Canada, the order has come to be colloquially dubbed as the "Royal Visit Order", as the majority of appointments had been made by the then sovereign during her tours of the country.
====Association====
The Royal Victorian Order Association of Canada exists for all Canadians appointed to the order or who have received the Royal Victorian Medal; it is the only such organisation in the Commonwealth realms. Founded by Michael Jackson, the group has, since 2008, gathered biennially.
==Precedence==
As the Royal Victorian Order is open to the citizens of fifteen countries, each with their own system of orders, decorations, and medals, the RVO's place of precedence varies from country to country. Some are as follows:
Country 	Country 	Preceding 	RVO grade 	Following
AustraliaOrder of precedence 	AustraliaOrder of precedence 	Knight/Dame of the Order of Australia (AK/AD) 	Knight/Dame Grand Cross	Companion of the Order of Australia (AC)
AustraliaOrder of precedence 	AustraliaOrder of precedence 	Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) 	Knight/Dame Commander 	Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)
AustraliaOrder of precedence 	AustraliaOrder of precedence 	Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) 	Commander 	Star of Gallantry (SG)
AustraliaOrder of precedence 	AustraliaOrder of precedence 	Member of the Order of Australia (AM) 	Lieutenant 	Member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO)
AustraliaOrder of precedence 	AustraliaOrder of precedence 	Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO) 	Member 	Conspicuous Service Cross (CSC)
AustraliaOrder of precedence 	AustraliaOrder of precedence 	Australian Antarctic Medal (AAM) 	Medal 	Commendation for Gallantry
 	 	 	 	
CanadaOrder of precedence 	CanadaOrder of precedence 	Commander of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces (COM) 	Commander 	Officer of the Order of Military Merit (OMM)
CanadaOrder of precedence 	CanadaOrder of precedence 	Officer of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces (OOM) 	Lieutenant 	Member of the Order of Military Merit (MMM)
CanadaOrder of precedence 	CanadaOrder of precedence 	Member of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces (MOM) 	Member 	Venerable Order of Saint John (GC/K/D/C/O/M/SB/SSStJ)
CanadaOrder of precedence 	CanadaOrder of precedence 	Meritorious Service Medal (MSM) 	Medal 	Sacrifice Medal
 	 	 	 	
New ZealandOrder of precedence	New ZealandOrder of precedence 	Knight/Dame Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) 	Knight/Dame Grand Cross 	Knight/Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE)
New ZealandOrder of precedence	New ZealandOrder of precedence 	Knight/Dame Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG/DCMG)	Knight/Dame Commander 	Knight/Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE/DBE)
New ZealandOrder of precedence	New ZealandOrder of precedence 	Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) 	Commander 	Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
New ZealandOrder of precedence	New ZealandOrder of precedence 	Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) 	Lieutenant 	Companion of the Queen's Service Order (QSO)
New ZealandOrder of precedence	New ZealandOrder of precedence 	Companion of the Imperial Service Order (ISO) 	Member 	Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM)
New ZealandOrder of precedence	New ZealandOrder of precedence 	New Zealand Bravery Medal (NZBM) 	Medal 	Queen's Service Medal (QSM)
 	 	 	 	
United Kingdom 	England and WalesOrder of precedence	Knight/Dame Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (GCIE) 	Knight/Dame Grand Cross 	Knight/Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE)
United Kingdom 	England and WalesOrder of precedence	Knight/Dame Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (KCIE/DCIE) 	Knight/Dame Commander 	Knight/Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE/DBE)
United Kingdom 	England and WalesOrder of precedence	Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE) 	Commander 	Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
United Kingdom 	England and WalesOrder of precedence	Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) 	Lieutenant 	Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
United Kingdom 	England and WalesOrder of precedence	Eldest son of Knight Bachelor 	Member 	Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
United Kingdom 	 	 	 	
United Kingdom 	ScotlandOrder of precedence 	Knight/Dame Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (GCIE) 	Knight/Dame Grand Cross 	Knight/Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE)
United Kingdom 	ScotlandOrder of precedence 	Knight/Dame Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (KCIE/DCIE) 	Knight/Dame Commander 	Knight/Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE/DBE)
United Kingdom 	ScotlandOrder of precedence 	Sheriffs 	Commander 	Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB)
United Kingdom 	ScotlandOrder of precedence 	Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) 	Lieutenant 	Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO)
United Kingdom 	ScotlandOrder of precedence 	Eldest son of Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire 	Member 	Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
United Kingdom 	 	 	 	
United Kingdom 	Northern IrelandOrder of precedence 	Knight/Dame Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (GCIE) 	Knight/Dame Grand Cross 	Knight/Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE)
United Kingdom 	Northern IrelandOrder of precedence 	Knight/Dame Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (KCIE/DCIE) 	Knight/Dame Commander 	Knight/Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE/DBE)
United Kingdom 	Northern IrelandOrder of precedence 	Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE) 	Commander 	Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
United Kingdom 	Northern IrelandOrder of precedence 	Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) 	Lieutenant 	Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
United Kingdom 	Northern IrelandOrder of precedence 	Eldest son of Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire 	Member 	Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
 	 	 	 	
In the United Kingdom, the wives of male members of all classes also feature on the order of precedence, as do sons, daughters and daughters-in-law of Knights Grand Cross and Knights Commanders; relatives of Dames, however, are not assigned any special precedence. As a general rule, individuals can derive precedence from their fathers or husbands, but not from their mothers or wives.
==Current knights and dames grand cross==
* Sovereign: King Charles III
* Grand Master: Anne, Princess Royal , appointed Dame Grand Cross in 1974; Grand Master since 2007.
;Knights and Dames Grand Cross:
Name 	Post-nominals	Known for 	Yearappointed
The Duke of Kent 	 	Royal family 	1960
Princess Alexandra 	 	Royal family 	1960
The Duke of Gloucester 	 	Royal family 	1974
The Duchess of Kent 	 	Royal family 	1977
The Duchess of Gloucester 	 	Royal family 	1989
Sir William Heseltine 	 	Principal Private Secretary to the Sovereign 	1990
Sir Brian Fall 	 	Diplomat 	1994
The Lord Fellowes 	 	Principal Private Secretary to the Sovereign 	1996
Major General Sir Simon Cooper 	 	Master of the Household 	2000
The Lord Luce 	 	Lord Chamberlain 	2000
Vice Admiral The Lord Sterling of Plaistow 	 	Chairman of the Golden Jubilee Weekend Trust 	2002
Prince Michael of Kent 	 	Royal family 	2003
Sir John Holmes 	 	Diplomat 	2004
Sir Peter Torry 	 	Diplomat 	2004
The Earl Peel 	 	Lord Chamberlain 	2006
The Lord Janvrin 	 	Principal Private Secretary to the Sovereign 	2007
Sir Donald McKinnon 	 	Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations 	2009
The Duchess of Edinburgh 	 	Royal family 	2010
Sir Hugh Roberts 	 	Surveyor of the Queen's Works of Art 	2010
The Duke of York 	 	Royal family 	2011
The Duke of Edinburgh 	 	Royal family 	2011
Sir Michael Peat 	 	Principal Private Secretary to the Prince of Wales	2011
The Queen 	 	Royal family 	2012
Sir Alan Reid 	 	Keeper of the Privy Purse 	2012
The Lady Hussey of North Bradley 	 	Woman of the Bedchamber 	2013
Dame Mary Morrison 	 	Woman of the Bedchamber 	2013
The Lord Ricketts 	 	Diplomat 	2014
The Lord Geidt 	 	Principal Private Secretary to the Sovereign 	2017
Sir Stephen Lamport 	 	Receiver-General of Westminster Abbey 	2018
Lieutenant Colonel Sir Andrew Ford 	 	Comptroller, Lord Chamberlain's Office 	2018
The Princess of Wales 	 	Royal family 	2019
Field Marshal The Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank	 	Gold Stick-in-Waiting 	2019Court Circular, 7 June 2019.
The Lord Chartres 	 	Dean of the Chapels Royal 	2019
The Lord Parker of Minsmere 	 	Lord Chamberlain 	2021
The Duke of Norfolk 	 	Earl Marshal 	2022
The Marquess of Cholmondeley 	 	Lord Great Chamberlain 	2023
The Earl of Dalhousie 	 	Lord Steward 	2023
The Lord Young of Old Windsor 	 	Principal Private Secretary to the Sovereign 	2023
David Conner 	 	Dean of Windsor 	2023
Justin Welby 	 	Archbishop of Canterbury 	2024
;Honorary Knights and Dames Grand Cross:
Name 	Post-nominals	Known for 	Yearappointed
Crown Prince Akihito (later Emperor Akihito) 	 	Former Emperor of Japan 	1953
Prince Harald (later King Harald V) 	 	King of Norway 	1955
Princess Beatrix (later Queen Beatrix) 	 	Former Queen of the Netherlands 	1958
Prince Mengesha Seyoum 	 	Prince of Ethiopia 	1965
Albert, Prince of Liège (later King Albert II) 	 	Former King of the Belgians 	1966
Hereditary Grand Duke Henri (later Grand Duke Henri)	 	Grand Duke of Luxembourg 	1976
Crown Prince Mohammed (later King Mohammed VI) 	 	King of Morocco 	1980
Princess Lalla Meryem of Morocco 	 	Princess of Morocco 	1980
Cecilia Kadzamira 	 	Former Official Hostess of Malawi 	1985
Princess Lalla Asma of Morocco 	 	Princess of Morocco 	1987
Prince Moulay Rachid of Morocco 	 	Prince of Morocco 	1987
Felipe, Prince of Asturias (later King Felipe VI) 	 	King of Spain 	1988
Khaled Al-Duwaisan 	 	Kuwaiti Diplomat 	1995
Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn (later King Rama X) 	 	King of Thailand 	1996
Princess Sirindhorn 	 	Princess of Thailand 	1996
Princess Chulabhorn 	 	Princess of Thailand 	1996
Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah 	 	Crown Prince of Brunei 	1998
Emeka Anyaoku 	 	Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations	2000
Haitham bin Tariq 	 	Sultan of Oman 	2010
Kamalesh Sharma 	 	Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations	2016
;Honorary Knights and Dames Commander:
Name 	Post-Nominals	Known for 	YearAppointed
Prince Abdullah (later King Abdullah II)	 	King of Jordan 	1984
Teuku Mohammad Hamzah Thayeb 	 	Indonesian diplomat 	2012
Lim Sung-nam 	 	South Korean diplomat	2013
Bernard Émié 	 	French diplomat 	2014
Foo Chi Hsia 	 	Singaporean diplomat 	2014
Diego Gómez Pickering 	 	Mexican diplomat 	2015
== See also ==
* List of knights grand cross of the Royal Victorian Order appointed by Victoria
* List of knights commander of the Royal Victorian Order appointed by Victoria
* List of knights grand cross of the Royal Victorian Order appointed by Edward VII
* List of knights commander of the Royal Victorian Order appointed by Edward VII
* List of knights grand cross of the Royal Victorian Order appointed by George V
* List of knights commander of the Royal Victorian Order appointed by George V
* List of knights and dames of the Royal Victorian Order appointed by Edward VIII
* List of knights and dames grand cross of the Royal Victorian Order appointed by George VI
* List of knights and dames commander of the Royal Victorian Order appointed by George VI
* List of knights and dames grand cross of the Royal Victorian Order appointed by Elizabeth II (1952–1977)
* List of knights and dames grand cross of the Royal Victorian Order appointed by Elizabeth II (1978–2002)
* List of knights and dames grand cross of the Royal Victorian Order appointed by Elizabeth II (2003–2022)
* List of knights and dames commander of the Royal Victorian Order appointed by Elizabeth II (1952–1977)
* List of knights and dames commander of the Royal Victorian Order appointed by Elizabeth II (1978–2002)
* List of knights and dames commander of the Royal Victorian Order appointed by Elizabeth II (2003–2022)
* List of knights and dames grand cross of the Royal Victorian Order appointed by Charles III
* List of knights and dames commander of the Royal Victorian Order appointed by Charles III
* Royal Victorian Chain
* Royal Victorian Medal
* List of people who have declined a British honour
== Notes ==
== References ==
=== Citations ===
=== Sources ===
* 
== Further reading ==
* 
* 
*
== External links ==
*Orders and Medals (cabinetoffice.gov.uk)
 
Category:Orders of chivalry of the United Kingdom
Category:1896 establishments in the United Kingdom
Category:Awards established in 1896