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The Most Noble Order of the Garter is a Medieval English Order Of Chivalry or Knighthood , and the pinnacle of the British Honours System . Membership in it is limited to the Sovereign , the Prince Of Wales and no more than than twenty-four members, or Companions; men are known as Knights Companion, women as Ladies Companion. The Order also comprises " Supernumerary " knights and ladies, (e.g. members of the British Royal Family and foreign monarchs). Unlike with most other orders, the Sovereign is not subject to the Prime Minister's Binding Advice when making appointments. Membership is thus in the Sovereign's personal gift. Except for supernumerary membership, only people who have rendered exceptional service to the United Kingdom are awarded membership. The order's emblem, depicted on insignia, is a Garter with the motto ''Honi soit qui mal y pense'' ( Old French : ''shame upon him who thinks evil of it'') in gold lettering. Members of the order wear such a garter on ceremonial occasions. Most British honours encompass the whole United Kingdom, but the top-most three each pertain to one constituent nation. The Order of the Garter, pertaining to England , is senior in age and precedence; The Most Ancient And Most Noble Order Of The Thistle pertains to Scotland ; and the now-dormant The Most Illustrious Order Of St Patrick pertains to Ireland. HISTORY wearing the Garter on her left arm.]] King Edward III founded the Order of the Garter as "a society, fellowship and college of knights."1 The foundation year usually presumed to be 1348, (though dates from 1344 to 1351 have been proposed). The King's wardrobe account shows Garter habits first issued in autumn of 1348. Regardless, the Order probably was not established before 1346; its original statutes required that each member already be a knight (what would now be referred to as a Knight Bachelor ) and some of the initial members were only knighted that year.2 Various legends account for the origin of the Order. The most popular legend involves the "Countess of Salisbury" (possibly Joan Of Kent ). While she was dancing with or near King Edward at Eltham Palace , her garter is said to have slipped from her leg. When the surrounding Courtier s sniggered, the king picked it up and tied it to his leg, exclaiming, "''Honi soit qui mal y pense''," ("Shamed be the person who thinks evil of it."), the phrase that has become the motto of the Order.3 According to another legend, King Richard I was inspired in the 12th century by St George The Martyr while fighting in the Crusades to tie garters around the legs of his knights, who subsequently won the battle. King Edward supposedly recalled the event in the 14th century when he founded the Order. Soon after the founding of the Order, women were appointed "Ladies of the Garter," but were not made companions. King Henry VII discontinued the practice in 1488; his mother, Margaret Beaufort , was the last Lady of the Garter before Queen Alexandra . Except for female sovereigns, the next Lady of the Garter named was Queen Alexandra , by her husband King Edward VII . King George V also made his consort, Queen Mary , a Lady of the Garter and King George VI subsequently did the same for his wife, Queen Elizabeth . Throughout the 20th century, women continued to be associated with the Order, but except for foreign female monarchs, they were not made companions.4 In 1987, however, it became possible to install "Ladies Companion of the Garter" under a statute of Queen Elizabeth II .5 THE ORDER See Also: List of current members of the Order of the Garter Members Membership in the Order is extremely limited and includes the Monarch of the United Kingdom, the Prince Of Wales , not more than 24 companion members, and various supernumerary members. The monarch alone can grant membership.6 He or she is known as the "Sovereign of the Garter", and the Prince of Wales is known as a "Knight Companion of the Garter."7 Male members of the Order are titled "Knights Companion," and female members are called "Ladies Companion." Formerly, the Sovereign filled vacancies upon the nomination of the members. Each member would nominate nine candidates, of whom three had to have the rank of Earl or higher, three the rank of Baron or higher, and three the rank of Knight or higher. The Sovereign would choose as many nominees as were necessary to fill any vacancies in the Order. He or she was not obliged to choose those who received the most nominations. Candidates were last nominated in 1860, and appointments have since been made by the Sovereign acting alone, with no prior nominations. The statutes prescribing the former procedure were not amended, however, until 1953.8 |
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