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In the United Kingdom and the British Overseas Territories, personal bravery, achievement, or service are rewarded with honours. The honours system consists of three types of award:
- Honours are used to recognise merit in terms of achievement and service;
- Decorations tend to be used to recognise specific deeds;
- Medals are used to recognise service on a particular operation or in a specific theatre, long or valuable service, and good conduct.
Appointments to the various orders and awards of other honours are usually published in The London Gazette.
Brief history
Although the Anglo-Saxon monarchs are known to have rewarded their loyal subjects with rings and other symbols of favour, it was the Normans who introduced knighthoods as part of their feudal government. The first English order of chivalry, the Order of the Garter, was created in 1348 by Edward III. Since then, the system has evolved to address the changing need to recognise other forms of service to the United Kingdom.
Modern honours
As the head of state, the Sovereign is the fount of honour,[1] but the system for identifying and recognising candidates to honour has changed considerably over time. Various orders of knighthood have been created (see below) as well as awards for military service, bravery, merit, and achievement which take the form of decorations or medals. Most medals are not graded. Each one recognises specific service so there are normally set criteria which must be met. These criteria may include a period of time and will often delimit a particular geographic region. Medals are not normally presented by the Sovereign. A full list is printed in the "order of wear", published (infrequently) by the London Gazette.
Orders of honours
Honours are split into classes ("orders") and are graded to distinguish different degrees of achievement or service, according to various criteria.[2] Nominations are reviewed by honours committees made up of government officials and private citizens from different fields, who meet twice a year to discuss the candidates and make recommendations for appropriate honours to be awarded by the King.[3]
New Year and Birthday honours
A list of approximately 1,350 names are published twice a year, at the New Year and on the date of the Sovereign's (official) birthday. Since decisions are inevitably subjective, the twice-yearly honours lists often provoke criticism from those who feel strongly about particular cases.[4][5] Candidates are identified by public or private bodies, by government departments, or are nominated by members of the public. Depending on their roles, those people selected by the honours committee are submitted either to the Prime Minister, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, or Secretary of State for Defence for their approval before being sent to the Sovereign for final approval. Certain honours are conferred solely at the Sovereign's discretion, such as appointments to the Order of the Garter,[6] the Order of the Thistle, the Royal Victorian Order,[7] and the Order of Merit.[8] The honours' insignia are then presented by the Sovereign or his representative at investitures held at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle or the Palace of Holyroodhouse; Prince William and Princess Anne deputised for Queen Elizabeth II and continue to do so for King Charles III.[9]
Prime Minister's Resignation Honours
By convention, a departing prime minister is allowed to nominate Prime Minister's Resignation Honours, to reward political and personal service. In recent history, only Tony Blair and Gordon Brown have not taken up this privilege (although Brown did issue the 2010 Dissolution Honours to similar effect).
Special Honours
As part of the British honours system, Special Honours are issued at the Monarch's pleasure at any given time. The Special Honours refer to the awards made within royal prerogative, operational honours, political honours and other honours awarded outside the New Years Honours and Birthday Honours.
Crown Honours Lists
Current orders of chivalry
The current system is made up of six orders of chivalry and four orders of merit. The statutes of each order specify matters such as the size of the order, the use of post-nominal letters and insignia design and display. These are ordered by date of formation, which does not necessarily correspond to order of wear.
| Complete name | Ranks (letters) | Ribbon | Established | Founder | Motto | Awarded to/for/by | Associated awards | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Most Noble Order of the Garter | Knight Companion (KG) Lady Companion (LG) |
|
23 April 1348 | King Edward III | Honi soit qui mal y pense ("Shame upon him who thinks evil of it") | Relating to England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Appointments are made at the Sovereign's sole discretion. | None | [10] |
| Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle | Knight (KT) Lady (LT) |
|
29 May 1687 | King James VII & II | Nemo me impune lacessit ("No one provokes me with impunity") | Relating to Scotland. Appointments are made at the Sovereign's sole discretion. | None | [11] |
| Most Honourable Order of the Bath | Knight/Dame Grand Cross (GCB) Knight/Dame Commander (KCB/DCB) Companion (CB) |
|
18 May 1725 | King George I | Tria iuncta in uno ("Three joined in one") | Civil division: senior civil servants; Military division: senior military officers. The Sovereign makes all appointments to the Order on the advice of the Government. | None | [12] |
| Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George | Knight/Dame Grand Cross (GCMG) Knight/Dame Commander (KCMG/DCMG) Companion (CMG) |
|
28 April 1818 | George, Prince Regent | Auspicium melioris ævi ("Token of a better age") | Diplomats and colonial service. The Sovereign makes all appointments to the Order on the advice of the Government. | None | [13] |
| Distinguished Service Order | Companion (DSO) - plus bars | 
|
6 September 1886 | Queen Victoria | None | Military officers for leadership while on active service. The Sovereign makes all appointments to the Order on the advice of the Government. | None | [14] |
| Royal Victorian Order | Knight/Dame Grand Cross (GCVO) Knight/Dame Commander (KCVO/DCVO) Commander (CVO) Lieutenant (LVO) Member (MVO) |
|
21 April 1896 | Queen Victoria | Victoria ("Victory") | Services to the Crown. Appointments are made at the Sovereign's sole discretion. | Royal Victorian Medal, Royal Victorian Chain | [15] |
| Order of Merit | Member (OM) | .svg){kind=small}
|
23 June 1902 | King Edward VII | For merit | Military, science, art, literature, culture. Members are personally appointed by the Sovereign with the assistance of their private secretaries. Limited to 24 members. | None | [16] |
| Imperial Service Order | Companion (ISO) | 
|
8 August 1902 | King Edward VII | For faithful service | Civil servant for 25 years (in administrative or clerical capacity) | Imperial Service Medal | [17] |
| Most Excellent Order of the British Empire | Knight/Dame Grand Cross (GBE) Knight/Dame Commander (KBE/DBE) Commander (CBE) Officer (OBE) Member (MBE) |
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|
4 June 1917 | King George V | For God and the Empire | Miscellaneous (military and civil). The Sovereign makes all appointments to the Order on the advice of the Government. | British Empire Medal | [18] |
| Order of the Companions of Honour | Member (CH) | 
|
4 June 1917 | King George V | In action faithful and in honour clear | Arts, science, politics, industry, religion. The Sovereign makes all appointments to the Order on the advice of the Government. | None | [19] |
Dormant orders of chivalry
Orders were created for particular reasons at particular times. In some cases these reasons have ceased to have any validity and orders have fallen into abeyance, primarily due to the decline of the British Empire during the twentieth century. Reforms of the system have sometimes made other changes. For example, the British Empire Medal temporarily ceased to be awarded in the UK in 1993, as was the companion level award of the Imperial Service Order (although its medal is still used). The British Empire Medal was revived, however, in 2012 with 293 BEMs awarded for the 2012 Birthday Honours, and has continued to be awarded in some other Commonwealth nations.
Order of St Patrick
| Complete name | Ranks (letters) | Ribbon | Established | Founder | Motto | Awarded to/for | Associated awards | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Most Illustrious Order of Saint Patrick | Knight (KP) | 
|
17 March 1783 | King George III | Quis separabit? ("Who will separate us?") | Relating to Ireland |
The Order of St Patrick was founded in 1783 by George III for the Kingdom of Ireland, and after the Acts of Union 1800 continued for Irish peers in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. After the Irish Free State's secession in 1922, only members of the royal family were appointed to the order, the last in 1936. The last surviving knight was Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, who died on 10 June 1974. Although dormant, the order technically still exists, and may be used as an award at any time.
Imperial orders
| Complete name | Ranks (letters) | Ribbon | Established | Founder | Motto | Awarded to/for | Associated awards | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Most Exalted Order of the Star of India | Knight Grand Commander (GCSI) Knight Commander (KCSI) Companion (CSI) |
|
25 June 1861 | Queen Victoria | Heaven's light our guide | Indian, Middle Eastern and Asian rulers, Viceroys, Governors and senior administrators, Commanders-in-Chief, senior military officers and Indian civil servants | ||
| Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire | Knight Grand Commander (GCIE) Knight Commander (KCIE) Companion (CIE) |
|
1 January 1878 | Queen Victoria | Imperatricis auspiciis ("Under the auspices of the Empress") | Indian, Middle Eastern and Asian rulers, Viceroys, Governors and senior administrators, Commanders-in-Chief, senior military officers and Indian civil servants | ||
| Imperial Order of the Crown of India | Companion (CI) |
|
1 January 1878 | Queen Victoria | British Princesses, wives or female relatives of Indian Princes and wives or female relatives of any person who holds or held the office of:
|
|||
| Order of Burma | Member (OB) | _-_ribbon_bar.png){kind=small}
|
10 May 1940 | King George VI | Long, faithful and honourable service of members of certain armed forces in Burma |
These orders, relating to the British Raj or the British Indian Empire, are also dormant. The senior order, the Order of the Star of India, was divided into three grades, Knight Grand Commander, Knight Commander and Companion, of which the first and highest was conferred upon the Princes and Chiefs of Indian states and upon important British civil servants working in India. Women were not eligible to receive the award. The junior order, the Order of the Indian Empire, was divided into the same ranks and also excluded women. The third order, the Order of the Crown of India, was used exclusively to honour women. Its members, all sharing a single grade, consisted of the wives and close female relatives of Indian Princes or Chiefs; the Viceroy or Governor-General; the Governors of Bombay, Madras and Bengal; the Principal Secretary of State for India; and the Commander-in-Chief in India. Upon Indian independence in 1947, appointments to all these orders ceased.
HH Maharaja Tej Singh Prabhakar Bahadur of Alwar, who was a KCSI and the last surviving member of the Order of the Star of India, died in February 2009, aged 97. The last surviving member of the Order of the Indian Empire, HH Maharaja Meghrajji III of Dhrangadhra-Halvad, a KCIE died in August 2010, aged 87. Queen Elizabeth II was appointed to the Order of the Crown of India (then as Princess Elizabeth) and was the last surviving former member of that order until her death in September 2022, aged 96. The King still remains the Sovereign of the Indian orders as they have never been abolished.
The Order of Burma was created in May 1940 by King George VI of the United Kingdom to recognise subjects of the British colony of Burma (Myanmar) after it became a distinct colony, separate from British India. This order had one class which entitled the member to the postnominal letters OB but no title. It was originally intended to reward long and faithful service by military and police. In 1945 the Royal Warrant was altered to allow for membership for acts of gallantry as well as meritorious service. The Order was one of the rarest awarded with only 33 appointments by the time appointments were discontinued in 1948 when Burma declared independence.
Orders formerly associated with the British monarch
Royal Guelphic Order
| Complete name | Ranks (letters) | Ribbon | Established | Founder | Motto | Awarded to/for | Associated awards | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Guelphic Order | Knight Grand Cross (GCH) Knight Commander (KCH) Knight (KH) |
|
28 April 1815 Defunct 1841 (British order) Since 1841 (Hanoverian House Order) |
Prince George, Prince Regent | Nec Aspera Terrent ("Not afraid of difficulties") | At the monarch's pleasure |
The Royal Guelphic Order, also known as the Hanoverian Guelphic Order, was an honour founded by George, Prince Regent in the name of his father King George III in 1815. In the United Kingdom, it was used only briefly, until the death of William IV in 1837. That is when the personal union with the Kingdom of Hanover ended due to the Hanover throne succession, which followed Salic Law, unlike the United Kingdom, where women could inherit the throne. The order continued for some time as a national order of Hanover, until the Kingdom of Prussia’s defeat and forced dissolution in 1866. Since then, it has been a house order to be awarded by the House of Hanover. The order's current head is Ernst August Prinz von Hanover, head of the House of Hanover. The Order includes two Divisions, Civil and Military. During the personal union of the United Kingdom and Hanover, it originally had three classes. Today, after several reorganizations since 1841, it is a house order with four classes and an additional Cross of Merit.
Decorations
Current awarded decorations in order of wear:[20]
