Garter Day – United Kingdom

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

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Each year in June, the Monday before Royal Ascot is known as Garter Day. Founded in 1348 by King Edward III, The Most Noble Order of the Garter is the oldest and most senior order of chivalry in the United Kingdom. Unlike many of the other orders and honours which are awarded on governmental advice, The Order of the Garter is solely in the gift of the Sovereign. New members are traditionally announced on St. George’s Day, April 23rd, as St. George is the patron saint of England. On Garter Day, new members are invested with the insignia of the order, and an installation service is held at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.

 

By the 1800s, the services were only held occasionally, and at various times of the year. In 1948, the 600th anniversary of the founding of the Order, King George VI revived the tradition of an annual service and it has been held every year since.

Membership in The Order of the Garter is limited to the Sovereign, The Prince of Wales, and 24 Knights and Ladies Companion. In the early years of the order, women were admitted as Ladies of the Garter but were not considered Companions. This practice ended in 1488 after King Henry VII appointed his mother as the last Lady of the Garter. Over 400 years later, King Edward VII created his consort, Queen Alexandra, a Lady of the Garter in 1901, beginning a tradition that continued with Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth in 1910 and 1936 respectively. Finally, in 1987, the statutes were revised to allow women to be Ladies Companion.

There are currently three open positions.  The current members of the order (as of 2024), in order of seniority:

  1. The Duke of Abercorn (1999)
  2. The Lord Butler of Brockwell (2003)
  3. Sir John Major (2005)
  4. The Lord Luce (2008)
  5. Sir Thomas Dunne (2008)
  6. The Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers (2011)
  7. Marshal of the Royal Air Force The Lord Stirrup (2013)
  8. The Baroness Manningham-Buller (2014)
  9. The Lord King of Lothbury (2014)
  10. The Lord Shuttleworth (2016)
  11. Viscount Brookeborough (2018)
  12. Lady Mary Fagan (2018)
  13. The Marquess of Salisbury (2019)
  14. Lady Mary Peters (2019)
  15. The Baroness Amos (2022)
  16. Sir Tony Blair (2022)
  17. The Baroness Ashton of Upholland (2023)
  18. The Lord Patton of Barnes (2023)
  19. The Baron Peach (2024)
  20. The Baron Kakkar (2024)
  21. The Lord Lloyd-Webber (2024)

In addition to the limited membership, there are two additional categories – Royal Knights and Ladies, and Stranger Knights and Ladies. The Royal Knights and Ladies of the Garter are members of the British Royal Family. This category was added by King George III in 1786 so that he could bestow the order on his many sons without infringing upon the statutory limit of 24 members. By statute, this group is limited to descendants of King George I. Currently, the Royal Knights and Ladies of the Garter are:

The Stranger Knights and Ladies of the Garter are foreign sovereigns who have been awarded the Order, the first being Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia in 1813. Currently, there are eight Stranger Knights and Ladies, three of whom are former reigning monarchs:

And finally, there are six officers of the Order:

source: Wikipedia

Garter Day begins with an Investment ceremony for any new members, followed by a luncheon for the members and their spouses. After lunch, they all process, on foot, through the wards of Windsor Castle to St. George’s Chapel where a service is held, and new members are formally installed. Following the service, they all return, by carriage and car, to the castle.

Inside St. George’s Chapel, each companion is assigned a stall, over which is displayed a banner of his or her Arms, along with a helmet, crest and sword and a brass enameled stall plate. Upon the companions’ death, these are all removed, but the stall plate remains. Today, the walls of St. George’s Chapel are adorned with the stall plates of most of the members of the Order since its creation.

The Investment Ceremony
If there are any new members of the order, the day begins with an Investiture ceremony held in the Throne Room at Windsor Castle. The Knights are assembled (with their spouses seated at the rear of the room), and The Sovereign, followed by the Royal Knights, is led into the Throne Room by the Garter King of Arms and Black Rod.

Each new knight is called forward and stands before The Sovereign. While the Prelate reads out the oath and admonitions of the order, the new member is invested with the various insignia. A Page of Honour attaches the garter to the recipient’s leg. The Sovereign places the Riband over the left shoulder and then pins on the Star of the Order. With the assistance of two current Knights (chosen by the new member), the mantle is placed on the new member, followed by the Collar of the Order.

Once all new members have been invested with the insignia, the ceremony is over and they all proceed to the Waterloo Chamber where The Sovereign hosts a luncheon for the members and officers of the Order and their spouses.  (You can read more about the insignia of the Order of the Garter, as well as the other British Orders and Honours, here.)

 

Procession to St. George’s Chapel
Following the luncheon, the members of the Order process to St. George’s Chapel, in the lower ward of Windsor Castle, for the Garter service. Led by the Military Knights of Windsor, the Knights and Ladies Companion head the procession, followed by the Stranger Knights (who rarely attend) and the Royal Knights and Ladies in order of precedence. The officers then process, followed by The Sovereign.

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