Happy Birthday to King Harald V of Norway, who turns 88 today! King Harald V is the Grand Master of the Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav, the highest Norwegian Order of Chivalry awarded to Norwegian Citizens, Foreign Royalty and Heads of State!
The prestigious Order of the Golden Fleece is one of the most illustrious Orders of Chivalry in History, which will be awarded to a Queen Consort for the first time in its 600-year history today when it will be presented to Queen Sofia in a ceremony marking over five decades of service to the Spanish Crown and People!
Today marks the 50th Anniversary of the Death of Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, who was assassinated on this day in 1975! The descendent of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba who was exiled during WWII and became the world’s longest serving Head of State before being deposed by a Soviet-backed coup and assassinated, Emperor Haile Selassie awarded the historic Imperial Ethiopian Orders to Foreign Royalty and Heads of State during his illustrious reign! Continue reading
King Charles and Queen Camilla are set to start their first Visit as Sovereigns to Canada today, and King Charles III will be the first Sovereign to open the Canadian Parliament in almost five decades tomorrow, no doubt wearing the insignia of the Order of Canada!
Later today, King Charles III and the Prince of Wales will attend the Service of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath at Westminster Abbey. The Order of the Bath is the fourth most senior British Orders of Chivalry awarded to Foreign Heads of State, senior military officers, and civil servants, which was founded by King George I 300 years ago!
Happy Birthday to Duarte Pio, the Duke of Braganza, who celebrates his 80th Birthday today! The Head of the House of Braganza for almost five decades, the Duke is also the Sovereign of the historic Dynastic Orders of the House of Braganza!
Happy Birthday to Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, who turned 70 yesterday! The Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau is the illustrious Dynastic Order of the House of Nassau, which is also the highest Honour of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, headed by Grand Duke Henri!
Happy Birthday to King Philippe of the Belgians, who turns 65 today! The two-centuries old Order of Leopold is the oldest and highest honour of the Kingdom of Belgium, which is now headed by King Philippe!
Happy Birthday to Prince Hans Adam II of Liechtenstein, who turns 80 today! Unlike most other reigning and former Monarchies, the small Alpine Principality doesn’t have a large and illustrious Honours system, but to mark their Prince’s birthday, we are featuring the Order of Merit of the Principality of Liechtenstein!
Today marks the 300th Anniversary of the Accession of Empress Catherine I of Russia, who acceded to the Russian Throne on this day in 1725! The illustrious Imperial Order of Saint Catherine was the primary insignia of most European Royal Women for the 19th Century, which instituted on the marriage of Empress Catherine to Peter the Great!
Queen Camilla and the Duke of Edinburgh will be formally invested into the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle, the most senior Honour of Scotland, during today’s biannual Service at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh in the midst of the annual Holyrood Week!
Earlier this week, Queen Camilla debuted the long-awaited Royal Family Order of King Charles III during the Japanese State Banquet at Buckingham Palace, almost two years into the new Reign. The Order is probably the most exclusive Honour of the United Kingdom, a piece of splendid insignia given to select female members of the Royal Family at the sole discretion of the Sovereign.
King Charles III will induct three new Knights and the Duchess of Gloucester into the Most Noble Order of the Garter, the oldest and most senior British Honour, during today’s annual Garter Day Service at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle!
Happy Birthday to King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, who celebrates his 78th Birthday today! King Carl XVI Gustaf’s Portrait Brooch (Kungens Miniatyrporträtt) is the symbolic insignia worn by female members of the Swedish Royal Family, which is a personal gift presented by King Carl XVI Gustaf!
There has been much speculation in recent months about the Royal Family Order of King Charles III, but when Crown Prince Frederik becomes King Frederik X on the Abdication of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark tomorrow, following a 52-year Reign, we can now also await the new King’s Order Portrait ’Ordensportrættet’.
When Crown Prince Frederik becomes King Frederik X on the Abdication of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark this Sunday, he will also become the Sovereign of the 330 year-old Order of the Elephant ‘Elefantordenen’, the highest Danish Honour, which we are featuring today!
Today marks the 160th anniversary of the institution of the Royal Order of Victoria and Albert, which was founded by Queen Victoria on their 22nd Wedding Anniversary, just two months after his passing. What was originally a confirmation gift for their daughters turned into the Royal Family Order that Queen Victoria gave to relatives and courtiers for decades, and while it has not been awarded since her death, the Royal Order of Victoria and Albert continues to pop up to this day! Continue reading
Happy Birthday to Pope Francis, who turns 85 today! The head of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of the Vatican City State, the Popes have received many Royals over the decades, often awarding them with coveted Papal decorations, so to mark his birthday, we are featuring the Papal Royal Orders!
Happy Commonwealth Day! Instead of the annual Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey, due to the ongoing pandemic, the Queen was joined by the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and the Countess of Wessex in ‘A Celebration for Commonwealth Day’, and to mark the day we are going to be featuring the Commonwealth Royal Orders!
