The Order of the Garter ceremony will see two new royal knights join the procession for the first time. King Felipe VI of Spain and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands will be invested at Windsor following their recent appointments to the order. The Queen made King Felipe a Supernumerary Knight in 2017 and conferred the same honour on King Willem-Alexander in 2018.
The two men will join a select band of ‘extra’ knights and ladies companion of the garter and the faces will be very familiar as they include Felipe’s father and Willem-Alexander’s mother. The supernumerary knights are chosen by the Queen from her royal counterparts and several of Europe’s reigning houses are currently featured. Here they are, in order of appointment.
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark
Appointed 1979
King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
Appointed 1983
King Juan Carlos I of Spain
Appointed 1988
Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands
Appointed 1989
Emperor Emeritus Akihito of Japan
Appointed 1998
King Harald V of Norway
Appointed 2001
And the newest appointments are….
King Felipe VI of Spain
Appointed 2017
King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands
Appointed 2018
The Order of the Garter ceremony where King Felipe and King Willem-Alexander will be invested takes place on Monday June 17th at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor. Royal Central will bring you all the details as they happen on the day.