The Queen has granted a special honour to her daughter-in-law. The Duchess of Cornwall has been made a Royal Lady of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.
The appointment of Royal Knights and Ladies is entirely in the gift of The Queen.
Camilla’s appointment takes effect from January 1st 2022.
She joins a select group of Royal Ladies of the Order of the Garter. The Princess Royal was appointed a Royal Lady in 1994 and Princess Alexandra was given the honour in 2003. There are also five Royal Knights of the Garter – the Duke of Kent, the Duke of Gloucester, the Duke of York, the Earl of Wessex and the Duke of Cambridge. The Queen is an ex officio member of the Order, as is the Prince of Wales.
There is no limit on the number of Royal Knights and Ladies that can be appointed.
The Queen has also appointed two new members to the Order of the Garter. Baroness Amos is made a Lady Companion while former Prime Minister, Tony Blair, becomes a Knight Companion. Their appointments bring the number of companions to 21 – there can only be 24 at any one time.
The Order of the Garter was formed in 1348 by King Edward III as an order of chivalry. It is based at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor where it traditionally meets once a year in June. It has as its motto ”Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense’, usually translated as ”shame on him who thinks evil of it’, which legend has it is a reference to the king putting down court gossips who began whispers after he picked up the garter of his dancing companion when it fell to the floor.
