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Queen Elizabeth II

The Queen leads The Royal Family at Garter Day ceremony in Windsor Castle

The Queen led members of The Royal Family at the traditional annual GarterDayy ceremony at Windsor Castle on Monday. They were joined also by the knights and ladies of the Order for the service which took place at St George’s chapel.

The Order of the Garter was established by Edward III in 1348 and is the oldest British Order of Chivalry.

Each year, on the Monday of Royal Ascot week, known as Garter Day, the Knights come together with The Queen. Any new knights take the oath and are invested with the insignia.

This year saw two new appointments to the order. Her Majesty appointed Dame Mary Fagan to be a Lady Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, and the Viscount Brookeborough to be a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.

There can only be 24 appointees at any one time. The appointment of Dame Mary and Viscount Brookeborough brings the total number up to 22 meaning there are only two further vacancies.

Dame Mary Fagan, DCVO served as Lord-Lieutenant of Hampshire between 1994 and 2014 and was also Chancellor of the University of Winchester from 2006 until 2014.

Alan Henry Brooke, 3rd Viscount Brookeborough has served as Personal Lord in Waiting to The Queen since 1997 and has been Lord Lieutenant of Co. Fermanagh, Northern Ireland since 2012. He served with HM Armed Forces between 1971 and 1994, with 17th/21st Lancers, the Ulster Defence Regiment and the Royal Irish Regiment.

Missing from Monday’s service was the Duke of Edinburgh who turned 97-years-old last week.

As expected, the Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex also missed the occasion.

The Royal Knights and Ladies walked the route 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.