Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom

Although the Anglo-Saxon monarchs are known to have rewarded their loyal subjects with rings and other symbols of favour, it was the Normans who introduced knighthoods as part of their feudal government. The first English order of chivalry, the Order of the Garter, was created in 1348 by Edward III. Since then, the system has evolved to address the changing need to recognise other forms of service to the United Kingdom.

As the head of state, the Sovereign is the 'fount of honour',[1] but the system for identifying and recognising candidates to honour has changed considerably over time. Various orders of knighthood have been created (see below) as well as awards for military service, bravery, merit, and achievement which take the form of decorations or medals. Most medals are not graded. Each one recognises specific service and as such there are normally set criteria which must be met. These criteria may include a period of time and will often delimit a particular geographic region. Medals are not normally presented by the Sovereign. A full list is printed in the 'order of wear', published (infrequently) by the London Gazette.

The current system is made up of six orders of chivalry and four orders of merit. The statutes of each order specify matters such as the size of the order, the use of post-nominal letters and insignia design and display.

Complete name	Ranks (letters)	Ribbon	Established	Founder	Motto	Awarded to/for/by	Associated awards	Refs
The Most Noble Order of the Garter	Knight (KG) Lady (LG)		23 April 1348	King Edward III	Honi soit qui mal y pense ("Shame upon him who thinks evil of it")	Relating to England, Wales and Northern Ireland, appointments are made at the Sovereign's sole discretion	None	[10]
The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle	Knight (KT) Lady (LT)		29 May 1687	King James VII & II	Nemo me impune lacessit ("No one provokes me with impunity")	Relating to Scotland, appointments are made at the Sovereign's sole discretion	None
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath	Knight/Dame Grand Cross (GCB) Knight/Dame Commander (KCB/DCB), Companion (CB)		18 May 1725	King George I	Tria iuncta in uno ("Three joined in one")	Civil division: senior civil servants; Military division: senior military officers. The Sovereign makes all appointments to the Order on the advice of the Government.	None	[11]
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George	Knight/Dame Grand Cross (GCMG) Knight/Dame Commander (KCMG/DCMG) Companion (CMG)		28 April 1818	King George IV (as Prince Regent)	Auspicium melioris ævi ("Token of a better age")	Diplomats and colonial service. The Sovereign makes all appointments to the Order on the advice of the Government.	None	[12]
The Distinguished Service Order	Companion (DSO) - plus bars		6 September 1886	Queen Victoria	None	Military officers for leadership while on active service. The Sovereign makes all appointments to the Order on the advice of the Government.	None	[13]
The Royal Victorian Order	Knight/Dame Grand Cross (GCVO) Knight/Dame Commander (KCVO/DCVO) Commander (CVO) Lieutenant (LVO) Member (MVO)		21 April 1896	Queen Victoria	Victoria ("Victory")	Services to the Crown. Appointments are made at the Sovereign's sole discretion	The Royal Victorian Medal, The Royal Victorian Chain	[14]
The Order of Merit	Member (OM)		23 June 1902	King Edward VII	For merit	Military, science, art, literature, culture. Members are personally appointed by the Sovereign with the assistance of their private secretaries. Limited to 24 members.	None
The Imperial Service Order	Companion (ISO)		8 August 1902	King Edward VII	For faithful service	Civil servant for 25 years (in administrative or clerical capacity)	The Imperial Service Medal (ISM)
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire	Knight/Dame Grand Cross (GBE) Knight/Dame Commander (KBE/DBE) Commander (CBE) Officer (OBE) Member (MBE)		4 June 1917	King George V	For God and the Empire	Miscellaneous (military and civil). The Sovereign makes all appointments to the Order on the advice of the Government.	The British Empire Medal	[15]
The Order of the Companions of Honour	Companion (CH)		4 June 1917	King George V	In action faithful and in honour clear	Arts, science, politics, industry, religion. The Sovereign makes all appointments to the Order on the advice of the Government.	None	[16]

Orders were created for particular reasons at particular times. In some cases these reasons have ceased to have any validity and orders have fallen into abeyance, primarily due to the decline of the British Empire during the twentieth century. Reforms of the system have sometimes made other changes. For example, the British Empire Medal temporarily ceased to be awarded in the UK in 1993, as was the companion level award of the Imperial Service Order (although its medal is still used). The British Empire Medal was revived, however, in 2012 with 293 BEMs awarded for the 2012 Birthday Honours, and has continued to be awarded in some other Commonwealth nations.

Order of St Patrick

Main article: Order of St Patrick

Complete name	Ranks (letters)	Ribbon	Established	Founder	Motto	Awarded to/for	Associated awards	Refs
The Most Illustrious Order of Saint Patrick	Knight (KP)		17 March 1783	King George III	Quis separabit? ("Who will separate us?")	Relating to Ireland

The Order of St Patrick was founded in 1783 by George III for the Kingdom of Ireland, and after the Acts of Union 1800 continued for Irish peers in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. After the Irish Free State's secession in 1922, only members of the royal family were appointed to the order, the last in 1936. The last surviving knight was Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, who died on 10 June 1974. Although dormant, the order technically still exists, and may be used as an award at any time. Queen Elizabeth II is the current sovereign of this order.

Imperial orders

Complete name	Ranks (letters)	Ribbon	Established	Founder	Motto	Awarded to/for	Associated awards	Refs
Most Exalted Order of the Star of India	Knight Grand Commander (GCSI) Knight Commander (KCSI) Companion(CSI)		1861	Queen Victoria	Heaven's light our guide	Indian, Middle Eastern and Asian rulers, Viceroys, Governors and senior administrators, Commanders-in-Chief, senior military officers and Indian civil servants
Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire	Knight Grand Commander (GCIE) Knight Commander (KCIE) Companion (CIE)		1878	Queen Victoria	Imperatricis auspiciis (Under the auspices of the Empress)	Indian, Middle Eastern and Asian rulers, Viceroys, Governors and senior administrators, Commanders-in-Chief, senior military officers and Indian civil servants
Imperial Order of the Crown of India	Companion (CI)		1878	Queen Victoria		British Princesses, wives or female relatives of Indian Princes and wives or female relatives of any person who holds or held the office of: Viceroy of India, Governor-General of India, Governor of Madras, Governor of Bombay, Governor of Bengal, Secretary of State for India, Commander-in-Chief in India.
Order of Burma	Member (OB)		1940–1948	King George VI		Long, faithful and honourable service of members of certain armed forces in Burma

These orders, relating to the British Raj or the British Indian Empire, are also dormant. The senior order, the Order of the Star of India, was divided into three grades, Knight Grand Commander, Knight Commander and Companion, of which the first and highest was conferred upon the Princes and Chiefs of Indian states and upon important British civil servants working in India. Women were not eligible to receive the award. The junior order, the Order of the Indian Empire, was divided into the same ranks and also excluded women. The third order, the Order of the Crown of India, was used exclusively to honour women. Its members, all sharing a single grade, consisted of the wives and close female relatives of Indian Princes or Chiefs; the Viceroy or Governor-General; the Governors of Bombay, Madras and Bengal; the Principal Secretary of State for India; and the Commander-in-Chief in India. Upon Indian independence in 1947, appointments to all these orders ceased.

HH Maharaja Tej Singh Prabhakar Bahadur of Alwar, who was a KCSI and the last surviving member of the Order of the Star of India, died in February 2009, aged 97. The last surviving member of the Order of the Indian Empire, HH Maharaja Meghrajji III of Dhrangadhra-Halvad, a KCIE died in August 2010, aged 87. Queen Elizabeth II was appointed to the Order of the Crown of India (then as Princess Elizabeth) and is the last surviving former member of that order. The Queen remains also the Sovereign of the Indian orders as they have never been abolished.

The Order of Burma was created in May 1940 by King George VI of the United Kingdom to recognise subjects of the British colony of Burma (Myanmar). This order had one class which entitled the member to the postnominal letters OB but no title. It was originally intended to reward long and faithful service by military and police. In 1945 the Royal Warrant was altered to allow for membership for acts of gallantry as well as meritorious service. The Order was one of the rarest awarded with only 33 appointments by the time appointments were discontinued in 1948 when Burma declared independence.

Current awarded decorations in order of wear:[17]

Complete name	Post-nominal letters	Ribbon	Established	Founder	Awarded to/for	Associated awards	Refs
Victoria Cross	VC		29 January 1856	Queen Victoria	British Empire, Commonwealth and allied Military personnel for "... most conspicuous bravery, or some daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice, or extreme devotion to duty in the presence of the enemy."
George Cross	GC		24 September 1940	King George VI	Commonwealth subjects for "... acts of the greatest heroism or of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme danger."	George Medal
Conspicuous Gallantry Cross	CGC		October 1993	Queen Elizabeth II	British and allied forces for "... an act or acts of conspicuous gallantry during active operations against the enemy."	Conspicuous Gallantry Medal (in abeyance)
Royal Red Cross, Class I	RRC		27 April 1883 (Associate class added in 1917)	Queen Victoria	Members of the Military Nursing Service for "... exceptional services in military nursing"
Distinguished Service Cross	DSC		1901 as the Conspicuous Service Cross October 1941 renamed the Distinguished Service Cross	King Edward VII	British, (formerly) Commonwealth and allied forces at sea for "... gallantry during active operations against the enemy."	Distinguished Service Medal (in abeyance)
Military Cross	MC		1914	King George V	British, (formerly) Commonwealth, and allied forces on land for "... gallantry during active operations against the enemy."	Military Medal (in abeyance)
Distinguished Flying Cross	DFC		3 June 1918	King George V	British, (formerly) Commonwealth, and allied forces in the air for "... gallantry during active operations against the enemy."	Distinguished Flying Medal (in abeyance)
Air Force Cross	AFC		3 June 1918	King George V	British, (formerly) Commonwealth, and allied air forces for "... gallantry while flying but not on active operations against the enemy."	Air Force Medal (in abeyance)
Royal Red Cross, Class II (Associate)	ARRC		1917	King George V	Members of the Military Nursing Service for "... exceptional services in military nursing."
Order of British India	OBI	1837–1838 Original ribbon 1838–1939 Second ribbon 1939–1947 First Class 1939–1947 Second Class	1837–1947 Not awarded since Indian independence in 1947.	East India Company	for "long, faithful and honourable service".
Indian Order of Merit	IOM		1837–1947 Not awarded since Indian independence in 1947.	East India Company	Indian citizens in the armed forces and civilians for gallantry.
Kaisar-i-Hind Medal	None		10 April 1900 – 1947 Not awarded since Indian independence in 1947.	Queen Victoria	Civilians of any nationality for "... distinguished service in the advancement of the interests of the British Raj".		[18]

On 1 July 2009, BBC News reported[19] that the Queen had approved a new posthumous award, the Elizabeth Cross, to honour members of the armed forces killed in action or by terrorist attack since World War II. The cross itself is given to the family of the deceased.

Until the mid-20th century, the British honours system was the primary – and generally the sole – honours system utilised across the various dominions and territories of the British Empire, which became the Commonwealth of Nations from 1949. Today, British honours and decorations continue to be awarded to citizens of Commonwealth realms and British Overseas Territories. Within the Commonwealth realms, however, the nature of the British honour or decoration awarded and the permissibility of its conferment varies from government to government. The British honours system comprises both dynastic honours, which are honours in the personal gift of the Sovereign, and British state honours or decorations (known as imperial honours or decorations outside the UK), which are not. Dynastic honours continue to be conferred by the Sovereign in her capacity across the Commonwealth realms, though outside the United Kingdom they are typically non-titular honours such as the Order of Merit or the lower grades of the Royal Victorian Order.

In 1917 and 1919, the government of Canada passed the Nickle Resolutions, which, despite being non-binding, gradually ended the conferment of titular honours – peerages, baronetcies and knighthoods – to Canadians. Occasional conferments of knighthoods (in 1934 and 1935) and imperial honours, notably following the Second World War, continued until 1955, when the Canadian government officially ended all awards of imperial honours to Canadians.[24] In 1967, Canada established its own honours system with the Order of Canada and created its own system of bravery decorations in 1972, followed by its own system of military decorations for valour in 1993. Canadian service personnel remained eligible to receive the imperial Victoria Cross until 1993, when a Canadian version was instituted.

In 1975, the Australian government established its own honours system with the creation of the Order of Australia, also creating its own system of bravery decorations in that year. Indigenous police and fire service decorations followed from 1986, with a new system of military decorations created in 1991. Imperial honours continued to be conferred on Australians through 1989, when the last recommendations were made. With effect from 5 October 1992, the Australian government discontinued the awarding of imperial honours.[25] Also in 1975, New Zealand instituted its first indigenous honour, the Queen's Service Order, followed by the Order of New Zealand in 1987. In 1996, it replaced imperial honours with the New Zealand Order of Merit, and replaced imperial gallantry and bravery decorations with New Zealand decorations in 1999.

Other Commonwealth realms have continued to apply the imperial honours system together with their own honours systems. Jamaica established its own honours system in 1969 with the passage of the National Honours and Awards Act, followed by Barbados and Saint Lucia in 1980, the Solomon Islands in 1981, Belize in 1991, Antigua and Barbuda in 1998, Papua New Guinea in 2004 and Grenada in 2007. The government of the Bahamas continues to solely utilise imperial honours. In 2007, it passed a National Honours Act which established a Bahamian honours system; however, it had not come into effect as of 2015.[26][27]

In practice, legislation across the Commonwealth realms regulating the awarding of imperial honours to citizens of a realm, including knighthoods and damehoods, does not necessarily prevent a citizen of a Commonwealth realm from receiving a substantive award of an imperial honour for service in the United Kingdom or to its government. There continue to be numerous examples of Canadians, New Zealanders and Australians who have been honoured by the British government and are permitted to use the honour or its accompanying style whether they are resident in their own nation or in the United Kingdom.

Citizens of countries that do not have the Queen as their head of state sometimes have honours conferred upon them, in which case the awards are "honorary". In the case of knighthoods, the holders are entitled to place initials after their name but not style themselves "Sir" as they are not entitled to receive the accolade.[28][29] Examples of foreigners with honorary knighthoods are Billy Graham, Bill Gates, Bob Geldof, Bono and Rudolph Giuliani, while Arsène Wenger and Gérard Houllier are honorary OBEs. Honorary knighthoods are of Orders of Chivalry rather than as Knights Bachelor as the latter confers no postnominal letters.

Recipients of honorary awards who later become subjects of Her Majesty may apply to convert their awards to substantive ones.[30] Examples of this are Marjorie Scardino, American CEO of Pearson PLC, and Yehudi Menuhin, the American-born violinist and conductor. They were granted an honorary damehood and knighthood respectively while still American citizens, and converted them to substantive awards after they assumed British nationality, becoming Dame Marjorie and Sir Yehudi. Menuhin later accepted a life peerage with the title Lord Menuhin.

Sir Tony O'Reilly, who holds both British and Irish nationality,[31] uses the style "Sir", but has also gained approval from the Irish Government to accept the award as is necessary under the Irish Constitution.[32] Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, the German soprano, became entitled to be known as "Dame Elisabeth" when she took British nationality. Irish-born Sir Terry Wogan was initially awarded an honorary knighthood, but by the time he collected the accolade from the Queen in December 2005, he had obtained dual nationality[31] and the award was upgraded to a substantive knighthood.

Bob Geldof is often erroneously referred to as "Sir Bob"; he is not entitled to this style as an honorary knight as he is a citizen of the Republic of Ireland (i.e., he is not a citizen of a Commonwealth realm).

There is no law in the UK preventing foreigners from holding a peerage (e.g., Newburgh), though only Commonwealth and Irish citizens may sit in the House of Lords. This has yet to be tested under the new arrangements. However, some other countries have laws restricting the acceptances of awards granted to would-be recipients by foreign powers. In Canada, where the House of Commons of Canada (but not necessarily the Senate of Canada) has opposed the granting of titular honours with its (non-binding) Nickle Resolution, then Prime Minister Jean Chrétien advised the Queen not to grant Conrad Black a titular honour while he remained a Canadian citizen.[33]

Each year, around 2,600 people receive their awards personally from The Queen or a member of the Royal Family. The majority of investitures take place at Buckingham Palace, but some also take place at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh and at Windsor Castle. There are approximately 120 recipients at each Investiture. The Queen usually conducts the investitures, although the Prince of Wales, The Princess Royal or, more recently, the Duke of Cambridge also hold some investitures on behalf of the Queen.

During the ceremony, the Queen enters the ballroom of Buckingham Palace attended by two Gurkha orderly officers, a tradition begun in 1876 by Queen Victoria. On duty on the dais are five members of the Queen's Body Guard of the Yeomen of the Guard, which was created in 1485 by Henry VII; they are the oldest, but not most senior, military corps in the United Kingdom. Four gentlemen ushers are on duty to help look after the recipients and their guests.

The Queen is escorted by either the Lord Chamberlain or the Lord Steward. After the National Anthem has been played, he stands to the right of the Queen and announces the name of each recipient and the achievement for which they are being decorated. The Queen is provided with a brief background for each recipient by her equerry as they approach to receive their decorations.

Those who are to be knighted kneel on an investiture stool to receive the accolade, which is bestowed by the Queen using the sword used by her father, George VI as Duke of York and Colonel of the Scots Guards. Occasionally an award for gallantry may be made posthumously and in this case the Queen presents the decoration or medal to the recipient's next-of-kin in private before the public investiture begins.

After the investiture ceremony, those honoured are ushered out of the ballroom into the Inner Quadrangle of Buckingham Palace, where the royal rota of photographers are stationed. Here recipients are photographed with their awards. In some cases, members of the press may interview some of the more well-known people who have been honoured.

In 2003, Sunday Times published a list of almost 300 people who had declined an honour between 1951 and 1999. In 2020, the Guardian reported based on a Freedom of Information request, that the number of people refusing an honour had more than doubled in the previous nine years.[34]

Honours are sometimes revoked (forfeited), for example if a recipient is subsequently convicted of a serious criminal offence. The Honours Forfeiture Committee is an ad hoc committee convened under the chairmanship of the Head of the Home Civil Service,[37] to consider cases where information has been received which indicates an individual is unsuitable to hold an award. Sometimes the original decision to grant an honour was made on the basis of inaccurate information (including through manipulation of the public nominations system), but normally cases relate to actions that took place after the award was made. Recommendations are made to The Monarch of the United Kingdom, who has the sole authority to rescind an honour.[38]

In 2009, Gordon Brown confirmed[39] that the process remains as set out in 1994 by the then Prime Minister John Major in a written answer to the House of Commons:

The statutes of most orders of knighthood and the royal warrants of decorations and medals include provision for the Queen to "cancel and annul" appointments and awards. Cancellation is considered in cases where retention of the appointment or award would bring the honours system into disrepute. There are no set guidelines for cancellations, which are considered on a case-by-case basis. Since 1979, the London Gazette has published details of cancellations of 15 appointments and awards—three knighthoods, one CBE, five OBEs, four MBEs and two BEMs.

— John Major, House of Commons Hansard, 2 December 1994, vol 250 c923W[40]

In October 2016, the House of Commons approved a motion to ask the Honours Forfeiture Committee to strip Sir Philip Green of his knighthood for his role in the downfall of British Home Stores. It was the first time MPs voted to recommend rescinding a knighthood.[41]

Honours, decorations and medals are arranged in the "Order of Wear", an official list which describes the order in which they should be worn.[43] Updates to the Order of Wear are published in The London Gazette when necessary. The current Order of Wear was published on 11 January 2019.[44] Additional information on the social events at which an award may be worn is contained in the insignia case given to each recipient.

The list places the Victoria Cross and George Cross at the top, followed by the orders of knighthood arranged in order of date of creation. Below the Knights of the Garter and Thistle, individuals of a higher rank precede those of a lower rank. For instance, a Knight Grand Cross of any order precedes any Knight Commander. For those of equal rank, members of the higher-ranked Order take precedence. Within the same Order, precedence is accorded to that individual who received the honour earlier.

Not all orders have the same number of ranks. The Order of Merit, the Order of the Companions of Honour, the Distinguished Service Order and the Imperial Service Order are slightly different, being single-rank honours, and have been placed at appropriate positions of seniority. The precedence of Knight Bachelor is below the knights of the different orders and above those with the rank of Commander or lower.

Decorations are followed by medals of various categories, being arranged in date order within each section. These are followed by Commonwealth and honorary foreign awards of any level. Miscellaneous details are explained in notes at the bottom of the list.

The order of wear is not connected to and should not be confused with the order of precedence.

For peers, see Forms of address in the United Kingdom.

For baronets, the style Sir John Smith, Bt (or Bart) is used. Their wives are styled Lady Smith. A baronetess is styled Dame Jane Smith, Btss.

For knights, the style Sir John Smith, [ postnominals ] is used, attaching the proper postnominal letters depending on rank and order (for knights bachelor, no postnominal letters are used). Their wives are styled Lady Smith, with no postnominal letters. A dame is styled Dame Jane Smith, [postnominals]. More familiar references or oral addresses use the first name only, e.g. Sir John, or Dame Joan.

Wives of knights and baronets are styled Lady Smith, although customarily no courtesy title is automatically reciprocated to male consorts.

Recipients of orders, decorations and medals receive no styling of Sir or Dame, but they may attach the according postnominal letters to their name, e.g., John Smith, VC. Recipients of gallantry awards may be referred to in Parliament as "gallant", in addition to "honourable", "noble", etc.: The honourable and gallant Gentleman.

Bailiffs or Dames Grand Cross (GCStJ), Knights/Dames of Justice/Grace (KStJ/DStJ), Commander Brothers/Sisters (CStJ), Officer Brothers/Sisters (OStJ), Serving Brothers/Sisters (SBStJ/SSStJ), and Esquires (EsqStJ) of the Order of St John do not receive any special styling with regards to prenominal address i.e. Sir or Dame. They may, however, attach the relevant postnominal initials. In the Priory of Australia and the United States, the rank of Serving Brother/Sister is no longer granted. The rank now awarded is referred to as Member of the Order of St John for both men and women.

For honours bestowed upon those in the entertainment industry (e.g., Anthony Hopkins, Maggie Smith), it is an accepted practice to omit the title for professional credits.[45]

Reforms of the system occur from time to time. In the last century notable changes to the system have included a Royal Commission in 1925 following the scandal in which Prime Minister David Lloyd George was found to be selling honours. The sale of British Honours, including titles, is now prohibited by the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925. There was a further review in 1993 when Prime Minister John Major created the public nominations system.

In July 2004, the Public Administration Select Committee (PASC) of the House of Commons and, concurrently, Sir Hayden Phillips, Permanent Secretary at the Department of Constitutional Affairs, both concluded reviews of the system. The PASC recommended some radical changes; Sir Hayden concentrated on issues of procedure and transparency. In February 2005, the Government responded to both reviews by issuing a Command paper detailing which of the proposed changes it had accepted. These included diversifying and opening up the system of honours selection committees for the Prime Minister's list and also the introduction of a miniature badge. Furthermore, the 2004 review suggested a regular report on the transparency and operation of the system at a suggested frequency of every 3 years. These reviews have taken place in 2008, 2011, 2014 and 2018. The most recent review covers the period 2015 to 2018 and shows a notable shift towards community and voluntary recognition, and a continued emphasis on ensuring that the Honours System reflects British societal diversity.[46]

As of 2012, same-sex civil partners of individual recipients of British honours are not themselves granted honours by way of their partnered relation. In July 2012, Conservative MP Oliver Colvile introduced a private member's bill, titled "Honours (Equality of Titles for Partners) Bill", to amend the honours system to both allow husbands of those made dames and for civil partners of recipients to receive honours by their relationship statuses.[47]

A scandal in the 1920s was the sale by Maundy Gregory of honours and peerages to raise political funds for David Lloyd George.

In 1976, the Harold Wilson era was mired by controversy over the 1976 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours, which became known as the "Lavender List".

In 2006, The Sunday Times newspaper revealed that every donor who had given £1,000,000 or more to the Labour Party since 1997 was given a Knighthood or a Peerage (see Cash-for-Honours scandal). Moreover, the government had given honours to 12 of the 14 individuals who have donated more than £200,000 to Labour and of the 22 who donated more than £100,000, 17 received honours. An investigation by the Crown Prosecution Service did not lead to any charges being made.

The Times published an analysis of the recipients of honours in December 2015 which showed that 46% of those getting knighthoods and above in 2015 had been to fee-paying public schools. In 1955 it was 50%. Only 6.55% of the population attends such schools. 27% had been to Oxford or Cambridge universities (18% in 1955).[48]

The lack of racial diversity continues to attract criticism, with 89.6% of all award recipients identified as white,[49] and only 3.2% of higher award winners (inc Knighthood and Damehoods) identifying as BAME in 2019. Although the trend has been positive, with an increase in ethnic minority recipients between 2014 and 2019 from 6.5% to 10.4%,[49] there continues to be a significant gap in the ethnic diversity of the honours recipients versus corresponding census data at any point in recent years.[50] At the same time, 87.1% of the United Kingdom is composed of white people, according to the 2011 census. This would suggest that the racial diversity of the honours reflects the racial diversity of the United Kingdom.

• British nobility
• Mentioned in dispatches
• Military awards and decorations of the United Kingdom
• Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms
• Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom
• Other honours systems:
  • Orders, decorations, and medals of Australia
  • Orders, decorations, and medals of Canada
  • Orders, decorations, and medals of Hong Kong
  • Orders, decorations, and medals of New Zealand

• The UK Honours System
• London Gazette website
• Ede & Ravenscroft – Orders of Chivalry: Robemakers for the regalia of the various Orders of Chivalry (with photos)