Royal Victorian Order

Queen Victoria in 1897, the year after she founded the Royal Victorian Order

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[4]). 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.[1][2][5][6] The organisation was founded a year preceding 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.[6]

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.[7] It is today distinct from the order, though it is officially issued by the chancery of the Royal Victorian Order.

After 1931, when the Statute of Westminster came into being and the Dominions of the British Empire became independent states, equal in status to Britain,[8][9] the Royal Victorian Order remained an honour open to all the King's realms; thus, as with the monarch who conferred it, the order ceased to be purely British.[1] The order was open to foreigners from its inception, the Prefect of Alpes-Maritimes and the Mayor of Nice being the first to receive the honour in 1896.[1]

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,[10] 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 Queen; the Registrar, held by the Secretary to the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood; the Chaplain, held by the Chaplain of the Queen's Chapel of the Savoy; and the Genealogist.[11]

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 either gold, silver or bronze.[2] 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.[11]

Grades of the Royal Victorian Order
Grade	Knight/Dame Grand Cross	Knight/Dame Commander	Commander	Lieutenant	Member	Medal (associated)
Prefix	Sir/Dame	Sir/Dame
Post-nominal letters	GCVO	KCVO/DCVO	CVO	LVO	MVO	RVM
Insignia

Mantle of the order bearing the star of a Knight Grand Cross

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—and surmounted by a Tudor crown.[11] However, there are variations on the badge for each grade of the order: Knights and Dames Grand Cross wear the badge on a sash passing from the right shoulder to the left hip; Knight Commanders wear the badge on a ribbon at the neck; male Commanders, Lieutenants, and Members wear the badge from a ribbon on the left chest;[6] 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 and Members is in silver.[6] 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 Countess of Wessex (right) wearing the riband of a Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order

The medal bears the effigy and name of the reigning sovereign at the time of its awarding, as well as the phrase DEI • GRATIA • REGINA (or REX) • F.D. (by the grace of God, Queen (or King), 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 bearing an additional central white stripe. For Knights Grand Cross, the ribbon is 82.5 millimetres (3.25 in) wide, for Dames Grand Cross 57.1 millimetres (2.25 in), for Knights and Dames Commander 44.4 millimetres (1.75 in), and for all other members 31.7 millimetres (1.25 in).[11]

At formal events, or collar days, of which there are 34 throughout the year, such as New Year's Day and royal anniversaries,[10] 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. (fidei defensor, 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.[10][11] 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.[11]

The Queen's Chapel of the Savoy, which acts as the chapel of the Royal Victorian Order

Since 1938, the chapel of the Royal Victorian Order has been the Queen's Chapel of the Savoy,[1] 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.[1][10]

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. There is insufficient space in the chapel for the display of knights' and dames' banners and other heraldic devices.

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.[13] Founded by Michael Jackson,[14] the group has, since 2008, gathered biennially.[13]

Coat of arms of the Lord Baden-Powell, showing the ribbon of the Royal Victorian Order around the escutcheon and the order's insignia suspended at bottom

The visible part of the Royal Victorian Order circlet laid out

Membership in the Royal Victorian Order is conferred by the reigning monarch without ministerial advice on those who have performed personal service for the sovereign,[10] 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: 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,[15] 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;[2] officials within the provincial spheres being included after 1984.[16] Originally, the Queen chose inductees herself, though the Governor General of Canada and the Canadian Secretary to the Queen 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.[16]

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.[2] In Canada, the order has come to be colloquially dubbed as the "Royal Visit Order", as the majority of appointments are made by the sovereign during her tours of the country.[2]

Foreign members will generally be admitted as honorary members of the Royal Victorian Order when the Queen is making a state visit to the individual's country or a head of state is paying a state visit to the United Kingdom.[10]

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 USSR. Also, William 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.

As the Royal Victorian Order is open to the citizens of sixteen 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		Preceding	RVO grade	Following
Australia Order of precedence[* 1]		Knight/Dame of the Order of Australia (AK/AD)	Knight/Dame Grand Cross	Companion of the Order of Australia (AC)
		Companion of the Order of Australia (AC)	Knight/Dame Commander	Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)
		Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)	Commander	Star of Gallantry (SG)
		Member of the Order of Australia (AM)	Lieutenant	Member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO)
		Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO)	Member	Conspicuous Service Cross (CSC)
		Australian Antarctic Medal (AAM)	Medal	Commendation for Gallantry
Canada Order of precedence[* 2]		Commander of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces (COM)	Commander	Officer of the Order of Military Merit (OMM)
		Officer of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces (OOM)	Lieutenant	Member of the Order of Military Merit (MMM)
		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)
		Meritorious Service Medal (MSM)	Medal	Sacrifice Medal
New Zealand Order 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)
		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)
		Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG)	Commander	Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
		Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO)	Lieutenant	Companion of the Queen's Service Order (QSO)
		Companion of the Imperial Service Order (ISO)	Member	Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM)
		New Zealand Bravery Medal (NZBM)	Medal	Queen's Service Medal (QSM)
United Kingdom	England and Wales Order 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)
		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)
		Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE)	Commander	Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
		Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO)	Lieutenant	Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
		Eldest son of Knight Bachelor	Member	Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
	Scotland Order 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)
		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)
		Sheriffs	Commander	Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB)
		Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)	Lieutenant	Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO)
		Eldest son of Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire	Member	Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
	Northern Ireland Order 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)
		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)
		Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE)	Commander	Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
		Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO)	Lieutenant	Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
		Eldest son of Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire	Member	Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
The order is different for honours received prior to 6 October 1992. The order is different for honours received prior to 1 June 1972.

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.

A detailed view of a stumpwork and goldwork embroidered star of a Knight or Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order

Star and riband of a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order

• Sovereign: Queen Elizabeth II
• Grand Master: Anne, Princess Royal KG KT GCVO QSO GCL CD FRCVS FRS, appointed Dame Grand Cross in 1974; Grand Master since 2007.

Knights and Dames Grand Cross

Name	Post-Nominals	Known for	Year Appointed
The Duke of Kent	KG GCMG GCVO ADC	Royal Family	1960
Princess Alexandra	KG GCVO CD	Royal Family	1960
The Duke of Gloucester	KG GCVO SSI	Royal Family	1974
The Duchess of Kent	GCVO	Royal Family	1977
The Dowager Duchess of Grafton	GCVO	Mistress of the Robes to Queen Elizabeth II	1980
The Earl of Airlie	KT GCVO PC JP	Lord Chamberlain	1984
The Duchess of Gloucester	GCVO CD	Royal Family	1989
Sir William Heseltine	GCB GCVO AC QSO PC	Principal Private Secretary to the Queen	1990
Sir Antony Acland	KG GCMG GCVO	British Diplomat	1991
Sir Christopher Mallaby	GCMG GCVO	British Diplomat	1992
Sir Brian Fall	GCVO KCMG	British Diplomat	1994
Sir Matthew Farrer	GCVO	Private solicitor to the Queen	1994
Dame Catherine Tizard	ONZ GCMG GCVO DBE QSO	Governor-General of New Zealand	1995
The Lord Fellowes	GCB GCVO QSO PC	Principal Private Secretary to the Queen	1996
Sir Shane Blewitt	GCVO	Keeper of the Privy Purse	1996
The Lord Camoys	GCVO PC DL	Lord Chamberlain	1998
Major General Sir Simon Cooper	GCVO	Master of the Household	2000[17]
The Lord Luce	KG GCVO PC DL	Lord Chamberlain	2000
Vice Admiral The Lord Sterling of Plaistow	GCVO CBE	Chairman of the Golden Jubilee Weekend Trust	2002
The Earl of Crawford and Balcarres	KT GCVO PC	Lord Chamberlain to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother	2002
Prince Michael of Kent	GCVO CD	Royal Family	2003
Sir John Holmes	GCVO KBE CMG	British Diplomat	2004
Sir Peter Torry	GCVO KCMG	British Diplomat	2004
The Earl Peel	GCVO PC DL	Lord Chamberlain	2006
The Lord Janvrin	GCB GCVO QSO PC	Principal Private Secretary to the Queen	2007[18]
Sir Donald McKinnon	ONZ GCVO	Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations	2009[19]
The Countess of Wessex	GCVO CD	Royal Family	2010[20]
Sir Hugh Roberts	GCVO CBE	Surveyor of the Queen's Works of Art	2010[21]
The Duke of York	KG GCVO CD ADC	Royal Family	2011[22]
The Earl of Wessex	KG GCVO CD ADC	Royal Family	2011[23]
Sir Michael Peat	GCVO	Principal Private Secretary to the Prince of Wales	2011[24]
The Duchess of Cornwall	GCVO PC	Royal Family	2012[25]
Sir Alan Reid	GCVO	Keeper of the Privy Purse	2012
The Lady Hussey of North Bradley	GCVO	Lady-in-Waiting to the Queen	2013
Dame Mary Morrison	GCVO	Woman of the Bedchamber	2013
The Lord Ricketts	GCMG GCVO	British Diplomat	2014
The Lord Geidt	GCB GCVO OBE QSO PC	Principal Private Secretary to the Queen	2017
The Duke of Edinburgh	KG KT OM GCVO ONZ GBE AK QSO GCL CC CMM PC PC (Can) ADC CD	Consort of Queen Elizabeth II	2017[26]
Sir Stephen Lamport	GCVO	Receiver-General of Westminster Abbey (retired)	2018
Lieutenant Colonel Sir Andrew Ford	GCVO	Comptroller, Lord Chamberlain's Office	2018
The Duchess of Cambridge	GCVO	Royal Family	2019[27]
Field Marshal The Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank	GCB GCVO OBE DL	Gold Stick-in-Waiting	2019[28]
The Lord Chartres	GCVO ChStJ PC FSA	Dean of the Chapels Royal	2019[29]
Sir Michael Oswald	GCVO	National Hunt Racing Adviser	2019

Honorary Knights and Dames Grand Cross

Name	Post-Nominals	Known for	Year Appointed
Crown Prince Akihito (later Emperor Akihito)	KG GCVO	Former Emperor of Japan	1953
Prince Harald (later King Harald V)	KG GCVO	King of Norway	1955[30]
Princess Beatrix (later Queen Beatrix)	LG GCVO	Former Queen of the Netherlands	1958
Mengesha Seyoum	GCVO	Prince of Ethiopia	1965
Albert, Prince of Liège (later King Albert II)	GCVO	Former King of the Belgians	1966[31]
Hereditary Grand Duke Henri (later Grand Duke Henri)	GCVO	Grand Duke of Luxembourg	1976
Crown Prince Mohammed (later King Mohammed VI)	GCVO	King of Morocco	1980
Princess Lalla Meryem of Morocco	GCVO	Princess of Morocco	1980
Prince Muhammad bin Talal	GCVO	Prince of Jordan	1984
Cecilia Kadzamira	GCVO	Former Official Hostess of Malawi	1985
Princess Lalla Asma of Morocco	GCVO	Princess of Morocco	1987
Prince Moulay Rachid of Morocco	GCVO	Prince of Morocco	1987
Prince Felipe (later King Felipe VI)	KG GCVO	King of Spain	1988[32]
Khaled Al-Duwaisan	GCVO	Kuwaiti Diplomat	1995[33]
Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn (later King Rama X)	GCVO	King of Thailand	1996
Princess Sirindhorn	GCVO	Princess of Thailand	1996
Princess Chulabhorn	GCVO	Princess of Thailand	1996
Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah	GCVO	Crown Prince of Brunei	1998
Emeka Anyaoku	GCVO	Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations	2000
Haitham bin Tariq	GCVO	Sultan of Oman	2010
Kamalesh Sharma	GCVO	Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations	2016

Honorary Knights and Dames Commander

Name	Post-Nominals	Known for	Year Appointed
Princess Seble Desta	DCVO	Princess of Ethiopia	1965
Prince Abdullah (later King Abdullah II)	GCB GCMG KCVO	King of Jordan	1984
Teuku Mohammad Hamzah Thayeb	KCVO	Indonesian diplomat	2012
Lim Sung-nam	KCVO	South Korean diplomat	2013
Bernard Émié	KCVO	French diplomat	2014
Foo Chi Hsia	DCVO	Singaporean diplomat	2014
Diego Gómez Pickering	KCVO	Mexican diplomat	2015

• List of Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order appointed by Queen Victoria
• List of Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order appointed by Queen 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 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 (1952-77)
• List of Knights and Dames Grand Cross 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 (1952-77)
• 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 (since 2003)
• Royal Victorian Chain
• Royal Victorian Medal
• List of people who have declined a British honour

• Galloway, P.; Stanley, D.; Martin, S. (1996). Royal Service. I. London: Victorian Publishing. ISBN 0-9528527-0-5.
• Galloway, Peter (2016). The Royal Victorian Order. Spink Books. ISBN 978-1907427763.
• McCreery, Christopher (2008). On Her Majesty's Service; Royal Honours and Recognition in Canada. Toronto: Dundurn Press. ISBN 978-1-55002-742-6.
• "Knighthood and Chivalry". Encyclopædia Britannica. 11. London: Cambridge University Press. 1911.

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