The () is the highest Order of Denmark . The order is of ancient origin, but was instituted in its current form on December 1 1693 by King Christian V . The statute of the order was amended in 1958 by a Royal Ordinance so that both men and women could be members of the order.
The Danish monarch is the head of the order. The order is worn by members of the royal family, and may also be bestowed on foreign heads of state. In very exceptional circumstances the order may also be bestowed on a commoner. The only living holder of the order, who is neither a former head of state nor royal born, is Mr. Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller , a leading industrialist and philanthropist.
The order of the Elephant has one class: Knight of the Elephant (''Ridder af Elefantordenen'').
wearing insignia of the Order of the Elephant and the Order Of The Dannebrog .]]
- The ''collar'' of the order is of gold. It consists of alternating elephants and towers. On the cover of the elephants there is a D which stands for ''Dania'', mediaeval Latin for Denmark.
- The ''badge'' of the order is the elephant made of white-enamelled gold. It is about 5 cm high. On its back the elephant is bearing a watch tower; in front of the tower a Moor is sitting, holding a golden spear; on the right side of the elephant there is a cross of diamonds and on the left the elephant bears the monogram of the bestowing monarch.
- The ''star'' of the order is an eight-pointed silver star. At its center there is a red disc with a cross, surrounded by a laurel wreath in silver. It is worn on the left side of the chest.
- The ''sash'' of the order is of light-blue silk moiré and 10 cm wide. It is placed on the left shoulder with the elephant resting against the right hip. The collar is not worn when the sash is used.
Women's sash is about 6-7 cm wide.
Upon the death of a Knight of the Elephant, the insignia of the order must be returned.
- HE Martti Ahtisaari , former President of the Republic of Finland
- HIM Akihito , Emperor of Japan
- HM Albert II , King of The Belgians
- HE Alexandra , Countess of Frederiksborg
- HM Anna-Maria , Queen of The Hellenes
- HM Beatrix , Queen of The Netherlands
- HRH Benedikte , Princess of Denmark
- HM Bhumibol Adulyadej , King of Thailand
- HE Algirdas Brazauskas , former President of the Republic of Lithuania
- HE Fernando Henrique Cardoso , former President of the Federative Republic of Brazil
- HM Carl XVI Gustaf , King of Sweden
- HE Carl Johan Bernadotte , Count of Wisborg, former Prince of Sweden
- HRH Charles , Prince of The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Prince of Wales
- HE Christian, Count of Rosenborg, former Prince of Denmark
- HE Princess Christina , Mrs Magnuson, Princess of Sweden
- HM Constantine II , King of The Hellenes
- HE Emil Constantinescu , former President of Romania
- HH Elisabeth , Princess of Denmark
- HM Elizabeth II , Queen of The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- HIM Farah Pahlavi , Empress of Iran (deposed)
- HE Vigdís Finnbogadóttir , former President of the Republic of Iceland
- HRH Frederik , Crown Prince of Denmark
- HE Valéry Giscard D'Estaing , former President of the French Republic
- HE Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson , President of the Republic of Iceland
- HRH Haakon , Crown Prince of Norway
- HE Tarja Halonen , President of the Republic of Finland
- HM Harald V , King of Norway
- HRH Henri , Grand Duke of Luxembourg
- HRH Henrik , Prince Consort of Denmark
- HIH Hitachi , Prince of Japan
- HE Ion Iliescu , former President of Romania
- HE Ingolf, Count of Rosenborg, former Prince of Denmark
- HRH Jean , Grand Duke of Luxembourg
- HRH Joachim , Prince of Denmark
- HM Juan Carlos , King of Spain
- HE Mauno Koivisto , former President of the Republic of Finland
- HE Milan Kučan , former President of the Republic of Slovenia
- HE Nelson Mandela , former President of the Republic of South Africa
- HRH Maria Teresa , Grand Duchess of Luxembourg
- HH Princess Märtha Louise , Princess of Norway
- HRH Mary , Crown Princess of Denmark
- HRH Michael , Prince of Greece and Denmark
- HIM Michiko , Empress of Japan
- HIH Mikasa , Prince of Japan
- HE Don Simón Morón de Borbón, Spain
- HE Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller
- HE Hosni Mubarak , President of the Arab Republic of Egypt
- HIH Naruhito , Crown Prince of Japan
- HM Noor Al-Hussein , Queen of Jordan
- HM Paola , Queen of The Belgians
- HE Georgi Parvanov , President of the Republic of Bulgaria
- HRH Pavlos , Crown Prince of Greece, Prince of Denmark
- HRH Philip , Prince of The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Duke of Edinburgh
- HRH Philippe , Prince of Belgium, Duke of Brabant
- HE António Ramalho Eanes , former President of the Portuguese Republic
- HSH Richard , Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg
- HE Oscar Luigi Scalfaro , former President of Italian Republic
- HM Silvia , Queen of Sweden
- HM Sirikit , Queen of Thailand
- HE Mário Soares , former President of the Portuguese Republic
- HM Sofía , Queen of Spain
- HM Sonja , Queen of Norway
- HE Petar Stoyanov , former President of the Republic of Bulgaria
- HE Guntis Ulmanis , former President of the Republic of Latvia
- HRH Vajiralongkorn , Crown Prince of Thailand
- HRH Victoria , Crown Princess of Sweden, Duchess of Västergötland
- HE Lech Wałęsa , former President of the Republic of Poland
- HE Richard von Weizsäcker , former President of the Federal Republic of Germany
- HRH Willem-Alexander , Prince of The Netherlands, Prince of Orange
- 21 May 1935 : HE Count Carl Johan Bernadotte of Wisborg, former Prince of Sweden
- 20 April 1947 : HRH Princess Benedikte of Denmark
- 20 April 1947 : HM Queen Anne-Marie, former Queen of the Hellenes, Princess of Denmark
- 16 November 1947 : HM Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- 16 November 1947 : HRH Prince Philip of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Duke of Edinburgh
- 8 August 1953 : HIM Emperor Akihito of Japan
- 5 March 1957 : HIH Prince Mikasa of Japan
- 21 February 1958 : HM King Harald V of Norway
- 21 April 1958 : HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand
- 6 September 1960 : HM Queen Sirikit of Thailand
- 17 February 1961 : HE Count Ingolf of Rosenborg, former Prince of Denmark
- 4 January 1962 : HM King Constantine II, former King of the Hellenes, Prince of Denmark
- 11 March 1962 : HH Princess Elisabeth of Denmark
- 3 May 1963 : HIM Empress Farah Pahlavi, former Empress of Iran
- 20 October 1963 : HE Count Christian of Rosenborg, former Prince of Denmark
- 12 January 1965 : HM King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
- 28 September 1965 : HIH Prince Hitachi of Japan
- 11 September 1964 : HRH Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark
- 10 June 1967 : HRH Prince Henrik of Denmark
- 3 February 1968 : HH Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg
- 18 June 1968 : HM King Albert II of the Belgians
- 14 January 1972 : HRH Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark
- 14 January 1972 : HRH Prince Joachim of Denmark
- 16 January 1973 : Princess Christina, Mrs Magnusson
- 12 February 1973 : HM Queen Sonja of Norway
- 16 April 1974 : HH Princess Anne of Denmark
- 30 April 1974 : HRH Prince Charles of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Prince of Wales
- 29 October 1975 : HM Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands
- 22 November 1976 : HRH Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg
- 12 October 1978 : HE Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, former President of the French Republic
- 17 March 1980 : HM King Juan Carlos I of Spain
- 17 March 1980 : HM Queen Sofía of Spain
- 25 February 1981 : HE Vigdís Finnbogadottír, former President of the Republic of Iceland
- 20 April 1983 : HE Mauno Henrik Koivisto, former President of the Republic of Finland
- 25 June 1984 : HE António Santos Ramalho Eanes, former President of the Portuguese Republic
- 3 September 1985 : HM Queen Silvia of Sweden
- 19 February 1986 : HE Mohamed Hosni Mubarak, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt
- 25 April 1989 : HE Richard von Weizsäcker, former President of the Federal Republic of Germany
- 20 July 1991 : HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway
- 6 May 1992 : HE Mário Alberto Nobre Lopes Soares, former President of the Portuguese Republic
- 13 October 1992 : Princess Märtha Louise of Norway
- 5 July 1993 : HE Lech Wałęsa, former President of the Republic of Poland
- 19 October 1993 : HE Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, former President of the Italian Republic
- 7 September 1994 : HE Matti Ahtisaari, former President of the Republic of Finland
- 16 May 1995 : HM Queen Paola of the Belgians
- 14 July 1995 : HRH Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden
- 17 November 1995 : HE Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg
- 18 February 1996 : HE Nelson Mandela, former President of the Rebpublic of South Africa
- 9 October 1996 : HE Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas, former President of the Republic of Lithuania
- 18 November 1996 : HE Ólafur Ragnar Grímson, President of the Republic of Iceland
- 14 January 1997 : HRH Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece, Prince of Denmark
- 18 March 1997 : HE Guntis Ulmanis, former President of the Republic of Latvia
- 31 January 1998 : HRH Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, Prince of Orange
- 27 April 1998 : HM Queen Noor al-Hussain of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
- 2 June 1998 : HIM Empress Michiko of Japan
- 3 May 1999 : HE Fernando Henrique Cardoso, former President of the Federative Republic of Brazil
- 23 May 2000 : HE Emil Constantinescu, former President of Romania
- 17 October 2000 : HE Petar Stefanov Stoyanov, former President of the Republic of Bulgaria
- 15 December 2000 : HE Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller
- 7 February 2001 : HRH Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn of Thailand
- 3 April 2001 : HE Tarja Halonen, President of the Republic of Finland
- 10 October 2001 : HE Milan Kučan, former President of the Republic of Slovenia
- 28 May 2002 : HRH Prince Philippe of Belgium, Duke of Brabant
- 20 October 2003 : HRH Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg
- 20 October 2003 : HRH Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg
- 16 March 2004 : HE Ion Iliescu, former President of Romania
- 9 April 2004 : HRH Crown Princess Mary of Denmark
- 16 November 2004 : HIH Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan
- Chancellor: HRH Prince Henrik , The Prince Consort
- Secretary: Mr Niels Eilschou Holm, LL.D., Chamberlain, Private Secretary to HM The Queen
- Treasurer: Ambassador Paul Fischer, LL.D., Chamberlain
- Secretary of the Chapter: Mr Per Thornit, Chamberlain, Chief of TRH The Crown Prince and The Crown Princess's Household
- Historiographer of the Chapter: Professor Knud J.V. Jespersen, Dr. Phil.
- HE Lennart Meri , President of the Republic of Estonia (d. 2006)
- HM Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud , King of Saudi Arabia (d. 2005)
- HRH Joséphine-Charlotte , Grand Duchess of Luxembourg (d. 2005)
- HRH Bernhard , Prince of The Netherlands (d. 2004)
- HM Juliana , Queen of The Netherlands (d. 2004)
- HE Carl , Prince Bernadotte, former Prince of Sweden (d. 2003)
- HRH Claus , Prince of the Netherlands (d. 2002)
- HE Flemming, Count of Rosenborg, former Prince of Denmark (d. 2002)
- HE Sigvard Bernadotte , Count of Wisborg, former Prince of Sweden (d. 2002)
- HRH Friedrich Franz, Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (d. 2001)
- HM Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev , King of Nepal (d. 2001)
- HM Ingrid , Queen of Denmark (d. 2000)
- HIM Kōjun , Empress of Japan (d. 2000)
- HE Habib Bourguiba , President of the Tunisian Republic (d. 2000)
- HE Rudolf Kirchschläger , President of the Republic of Austria (d. 2000)
Previous non-royal knights have included:
- Tycho Brahe , astronomer (1578) Salmonsens Konversationsleksikon , entry "Tycho Brahe"
- Heinrich Rantzau , German-Danish humanist writer and statesman (1580)
- Jacob Van Wassenaer Obdam , Dutch lieutenant-admiral (1659)
- Egbert Bartholomeusz Kortenaer , Dutch vice-admiral (1659)
- Cornelis Tromp , Dutch and Danish admiral-general (1676)
- J.B.S. Estrup , Danish landowner, politician and President of the Council of State (1878)
- Vilhelm Thomsen , Professor, Dr. Phil., Danish linguist (1912)
- H.N. Andersen , Danish businessman, Consul-General, titular Councilor of State (1919)
- C.G.E. Mannerheim , President of the Republic of Finland, Marshal of Finland (1919)
- Stanisław Wojciechowski , President of the Republic of Poland (1923)
- Tomáš Masaryk , President of the Czechoslovak Republic (1925)
- Miklós Horthy , Austro-Hungarian vice-admiral, Regent of the Kingdom of Hungary (1940)
- Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery Of Alamein , British Field Marshal (1945)
- Dwight D. Eisenhower , President of the United States of America, General of the Army (1945)
- Niels Bohr , Professor, Dr. Phil. & Scient. & Techn., Danish physicist and Nobel laureate (1947)
- Sir Winston Churchill , British prime minister and Nobel laureate (1950)
- Julius Nyerere , President of the United Republic of Tanzania (1970)
- Josip Broz Tito , President of the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia (1974)
- , 1989 for the first time in history. The insignia have been returned to Denmark and Ceauşescu's name has been deleted from the official rolls)
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