Royal and Merciful Society of the Bearer of Medals and Awards of Belgium
The Royal and Merciful Society of Bearers of Medals and Awards of Belgium (Koninklijke en Menslievende Vereniging van Dragers van Eretekens en Medailles van Belgie) was founded in 1865. The headquarters of the Royal Society is located in Heule, Belgium. Patronage. The Royal Society is under the protection of the King of the Belgians. Members. The Royal and Merciful Society of the Bearer of Medals and Awards of Belgium elects as members, persons who were honoured for their acts of either courage, self-sacrifice or charity. Members  must have an excellent reputation and their awards for the above acts must be, by the Belgian State or any other State which has been recognized by the Belgian State. Moreover, there are associate members that support the objectives of the Royal Association. Structure. The Royal and Merciful Society of the Bearer of Medals and Awards of Belgium is governed by a national board of directors. At the top is the protector, Philippe - King of the Belgians. The Honorary Chairman is the Mayor of Brussels. The Society is made up of the Belgian provinces and the external Regions. Medals and  awards. The Royal and Merciful Society of the Bearer of Medals and Awards of Belgium gives two kinds of awards: The Order of the Belgian Cross (Orde van het belgisch Kruis) and Medals of Gratitude (Erkentelijkheidmedailles). An Honorary Cross for humanitarian merit is also awarded. Order of the Belgian Cross. The Order is awarded in five classes which are, in descending order of precedence: The Order is exclusively reserved for full members and is awarded for outstanding social achievements. Medals of Gratitude. There are two kinds of Medals of Gratitude: The "Palms of Mercy" (Palmen van Menslievenheid) and the "Medal  of the Belgian Crown" (Medal van Gekroont Belgie). Palms of Mercy. There are the following classes: Medal of the Belgian Crown. There are the following classes: Publications. The Royal Society publishes the following journal: It appears on a quarterly basis.