The origin of the emblem of the Order, a blue garter,
is obscure. It is said to have been inspired by an incident which took
place whilst the King danced with Joan, Countess of Salisbury. The Countess's
garter fell to the floor and after the King retrieved it he tied it to
his own leg. Those watching this were apparently amused, but the King admonished
them saying, 'Honi soit qui mal y pense' (Shame on him who thinks
this evil). This then became the motto of the Order. Modern scholars think
it is more likely that the Order was inspired by the strap used to attach
pieces of armour, and that the motto could well have referred to critics
of Edward's claim to the throne of France.
The patron saint of the Order is St George (patron saint of soldiers and also of England) and the spiritual home of the Order is St George's Chapel, Windsor. Every knight is required to display a banner of his arms in the Chapel, together with a helmet, crest and sword and an enamelled stallplate. These 'achievements' are taken down on the knight's death (and the insignia are returned to the Sovereign), but the stallplates remain as a memorial and these now constitute one of the finest collections of heraldry in the world. Prince
Albert's Garter and George III's diamond Star. The Garter was worn beneath
the left knee: made in 1840. This Garter's motto is set in diamonds on
dark-blue velvet, and the buckle is set with one small and seven large
brilliants. The Star is worn on the left breast. Made in around 1800, George
III's Star had a 13-stone ruby cross centre set amongst diamonds in gold,
encircled by the Garter in blue enamel; the ends of the points still carry
the loops once used to sew the Star on to the wearer's coat
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The insignia of the Order have developed over the centuries: starting with a garter and badge depicting St George and the Dragon. A collar was added in the sixteenth century, and the star and broad riband in the seventeenth century. Although the collar could not be decorated with precious stones (the statutes forbid it), the other insignia could be decorated according to taste and affordability. George IV, well-known for his vanity, left 55 different Garter badges of varying styles. Over the years, a number of knights have been 'degraded' (for the crimes of heresy, treason or cowardice), the most recent example being the Duke of Ormond in 1715, or even executed - such as Lord Scrope of Masham (a childhood friend of Henry V), and the Duke of Buckingham in 1622. Charles I wore his Order (ornamented with over 400 diamonds) to his execution in 1649. From the eighteenth century to 1946, appointments to
the Order (and to the Order of the Thistle) were made on advice from government.
Today, the Order has returned to its original function as a mark of royal
favour; Knights of the Garter are chosen personally by the Sovereign to
honour those who have held public office, who have contributed in a particular
way to national life or who have served the Sovereign personally. The number
of knights is limited to 24 plus royal knights. For much of its history,
the Garter was limited to the aristocracy, but today the knights are from
varied backgrounds. If there are vacancies in the Order, appointments are
announced on St George's Day (23 April).
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Every June, the Knights of the Garter gather at Windsor
Castle, where new knights take the oath and are invested with the insignia.
A lunch is given in the Waterloo Chamber, after which the knights process
to a service in St George's Chapel, wearing their blue velvet robes (with
the badge of the Order - St George's Cross within the Garter surrounded
by radiating silver beams - on the left shoulder) and black velvet hats
with white plumes. The Queen (whose father George VI appointed her and
her husband to the Order in 1947), as Sovereign of the Order, attends the
service along with other members of the Royal family in the Order, including
The Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, The Prince of
Wales and The Queen's daughter, The Princess Royal.
The
Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh ride in a carriage back to Windsor Castle,
after attending the annual Order of the Garter service at St George's Chapel,
Windsor. The Queen and Prince Philip were appointed to the Order by George
VI in 1947
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During the Middle Ages ladies were associated with the Order, although unlike today they did not enjoy full membership. One of the last medieval ladies to be honoured was Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII and grandmother of Henry VIII. After her death in 1509 the Order remained exclusively male, except for reigning queens as Sovereign of the Order, until 1901 when Edward VII made Queen Alexandra a lady of the Order. In 1987, The Queen decided that women should be eligible for the Garter in the same way as men. Women are therefore included in this number and currently Lady Thatcher (formerly Margaret Thatcher, first female Prime Minister of Great Britain) holds this honour. Since the early fourteenth century, foreign monarchs
have been appointed to the Order, as a means of marking and securing alliances
- one of the earliest such appointments was that of the Duke of Urbino
by Edward IV in 1474. Such appointments were and are occasionally made
to non-Christian rulers (for example, the Shah of Persia in 1902), which
prompted some debate over removing Christian imagery (the cross of St George)
from the Order when it is given to non-Christian recipients; in the end,
the design remained unchanged. Foreign monarchs in the Order are known
as 'Stranger Knights'. These knights are in addition to the number allowed
by statute, and they include the kings of Spain and Sweden and the emperor
of Japan.
© Royal Collection
For further information visit also the official home page of the Royals. Here you will find information on everything about the Royal families up to present day as well as much of the History of England. Visit the site now, but be sure to come back! |
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