Quis Separabit? ("Who will separate us?") The Most Illustrious Order of Saint Patrick Main article: Order of St Patrick Complete name In addition, BEM is used by the Cook Islands and by some other Commonwealth nations. The British Empire Medal was revived however in 2012 with 293 BEMs awarded for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. For example the British Empire Medal 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). Reforms of the system have sometimes made other changes. 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.
Orders were created for particular reasons at particular times. The Most Excellent Order of the British EmpireĪrts, science, politics, industry, religion Military, science, art, literature, cultureĬivil servant for 25 years (in administrative or clerical capacity) The Royal Victorian Medal, The Royal Victorian Chain The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint GeorgeĪuspicium melioris ævi ("Token of a better age") Tria iuncta in uno ("Three joined in one")Ĭivil division: senior civil servants Military division: senior military officers Nemo me impune lacessit ("No one provokes me with impunity") The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle Honi soit qui mal y pense ("Shame upon him who thinks evil of it") 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. The current system is made up of six orders of chivalry and four orders of merit. The Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge and the Princess Royal have deputised for the Queen at investiture ceremonies at Buckingham Palace. The awards are then presented by the Sovereign or her designated representative. Certain honours are awarded solely at the Sovereign's discretion, such as the Order of the Garter, the Order of the Thistle, the Royal Victorian Order, the Order of Merit and the Royal Family Order. Depending on their roles, those people selected by committee are submitted either to the Prime Minister, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, or Secretary of State for Defence for their approval before being sent to the Sovereign for final approval. Candidates are identified by public or private bodies, by government departments or are nominated by members of the public. Since their decisions are inevitably subjective, the twice-yearly honours lists often provoke criticism from those who feel strongly about particular cases. New Year and Birthday HonoursĪ complete list of approximately 1350 names is published twice a year, at New Year and on the date of the Sovereign's (official) birthday. There are no criteria to determine these levels various honours committees meet to discuss the candidates and decide which ones deserve which type of award and at what level. Honours are split into classes ("orders") and are graded to distinguish different degrees of achievement or service.
A full list is printed in the "order of wear", published infrequently by the London Gazette. Medals are not normally presented by the Sovereign. These criteria may include a period of time and will often delimit a particular geographic region. Each one recognises specific service and as such there are normally set criteria which must be met. 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.
Since then the system has evolved to address the changing need to recognise other forms of service to the United Kingdom.Īs the head of state, the Sovereign remains the " fount of honour", but the system for identifying and recognising candidates to honour has changed considerably over time. The first English order of chivalry, the Order of the Garter, was created in 1348 by Edward III. 5 Orders formerly associated with the British monarchĪlthough 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.2.5 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours.