Prince Harry KCVO

It's been quite a while since I updated any of my Royals in Medals posts, but I've just done so for Prince Harry.   He's been made KCVO just in time for the Birthday Parade.

Here's a photo of the #KCVO Insignia that The Queen presented to Prince Harry privately at #BuckinghamPalace today pic.twitter.com/u3jlMB5Kio

— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) June 4, 2015

Royals in Medals: Prince Philip's New Order

Prince Phillip's insignia

It's been quite a while since I made a Royals in Medals post and I recently received a slight rebuke for not mentioning the controversy over the Duke of Edinburgh's appointment as a Knight of the Order of Australia.

The controversy is down to three points.

First, there is the political dispute over the grade of Knight/Dame itself.  When the Order was created in February 1975 (under a Labor government), the Order consisted of three grades: Companion, Officer and Member.  Just under a year later (under a Liberal government) the grade of Knight/Dame and the Medal of the Order were created, only for it to be abolished in March 1986 (under a Labor government).  In 2014 the Liberal Prime Minister Tony Abbott recommended to the Queen that the grade be re-established, and Letters Patent were issued to that effect.  As one can quickly guess from these to-ings and fro-ings, the whole matter is tied up in party politics: the Labor Party has said it will again abolish the grade when it is next elected.

Secondly, there is the matter of the announcement of Prince Phillip's appointment.  The announcement itself was made on Australia Day, 26 January,  2015: this was the first that senior government ministers had heard of the matter and they felt aggrieved to be included in the backlash (and ridicule) which followed Mr Abbott's unilateral action.  The upshot is that A.bbott was forced to relinquish the Prime Minister's power of patronage in the Order - which is now held by an independent body.

The third point is a more fundamental one.  The criteria for appointment to the Knight grade of the Order is 'extraordinary and pre-eminent achievement and merit of the highest degree in service to Australia or to humanity at large'.  Does the Prince meet that criteria for his long service as consort to the Queen of Australia?

All questions aside, the Queen presented the Duke with the insignia of the knighthood on 22 April.

...having first checked it was genuine.

BRF: Generations, Niggles and "What If..."

It's been quite a while since there were three generation of direct heirs to the British throne.  The last time was the birth of Prince Edward of Wales (later Edward VIII and then Duke of Windsor) in June 1894.  Then the running order was

Queen Victoria - The Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) - The Duke of York (later George V) - Prince Edward

Edward's childhood coincided with the Golden Age of Postcards, so I thought it would be nice to show some examples from my collection.  Particularly popular were 'Generations' portraits.  They range from the compilations to actual portraits.  Some, you will see are pretty ropey!

[When I wrote the above, I thought I had a card of Edward sitting on Victoria's lap, but I must be imagining it.]

After this, they shot the artist who'd drawn Edward VII and came out with...

And then there's early photoshop....

And let's throw in a gratuitous naval shot...

A small niggle

These references to  'the baby who will be the future king' were getting jar with me slightly.  Let's not forget that to become king, Prince Bert and/or Ernie has to outlive the current Queen, the Prince of Wales and Prince William.  Although we do of course hope that happens, it's not a certainty - there is a reason that they're called 'heirs presumptive' after all.  Princelings might be less likely to die of typhoid these days, but stuff happens in life.

We've had bad luck with heirs in the last couple of hundred years - the death of Frederick, Prince of Wales, left the Hanovers all over the place and the circumstances that led to Victoria ascending the throne meant it was touch and go for the monarchy for a while (and lost us a chunk of Germany).  There is a history of younger sons being thrust into the limelight - the death of the much-maligned Prince Albert Victor led to the then Duke of York acquiring his fiancee and the mantle of King-Emperor (would we have had a First World War if it'd been King Albert and Queen Mary rather than George V?  Who knows).  Another Prince Albert and Duke of York became another King George on Edward VIII's abdication - another huge 'What if...' question.

Edit

Not one of mine, and slightly pre-postcard, but this gives you the idea

Garter Day Ceremony

Next Monday, 17 June 2013, sees this year's Garter Day Ceremony at Windsor Castle.

Garter Day, 1948

Given that the order was founded by Edward III in 1348, the ceremony is oddly modern: it dates only to 1948.  That was the date in which George VI re-instituted the formal investiture ceremony, which had been in abeyance since 1805, marking the order's 600th anniversary.  At that investiture, which took place on 23 April, St George's Day, six new members, including the current Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, were invested as companions of the order.

At the same time, the order was reinstated as the personal gift of the monarch - it had previously been an appointment made on the advice of ministers.

The ceremony now customarily takes place in June - for some reason the first day of Royal Ascot Week (presumably on the basis that most members would therefore be within traveling distance of Windsor!).

As we have seen, new members are named on St George's Day - this year there only being one, Lord Stirrup.  The Queen formally invests new companions of the order with the insignia in the Throne Room of Windsor Castle.  The insignia are proffered by the Garter King of Arms, the Usher of the Order (better known as Black Rod) and the Secretary of the Order.  The admonitions addressed to the new companions are in turn read by the prelate (always the Bishop of Winchester) and chancellor (currently the Duke of Abercorn) of the order.  These admonitions and oaths date back at least as far as Henry VIII's time, probably even further.  Two senior knights will assist in the vesting of the new knight.

Afterwards the Queen entertains the members and officers of the order, with their spouses, at a lunch in the Waterloo Chamber.  A group photo will be taken.

After lunch the Knights process on foot to a service in St. George's Chapel, wearing their blue velvet mantels, and black velvet hats with white plumes.  The processional route is through the Upper, Middle and Lower Wards of the castle to St. George's Chapel. The procession is led by the Constable and Governor of Windsor Castle and the Military Knights of Windsor.

Crests and Banners of the KGs - the kiwi with the
ice axe is that of Sir Edmund Hiliary

In St George's a religious service is held and the companion is literally installed - assigned a stall in the choir of the chapel.  This stall is identified by a heraldic display: a sword below a helm topped with a crest, and above, a banner emblazoned with the companion's arms.  For more information on these devices, take at look at the website of Ian G Brennan, woodcarver to the Royal Household who creates them.   A brass stall plate is attached to the back of the stall displaying its member's name, arms and date of installation. On a member's death, these symbols are removed - the Military Knights of Windsor carry the banner of the deceased member and offer it to the Dean of Windsor, who places it on the altar.  The stall plates, however, are not removed; rather, they remain permanently affixed somewhere about the stall, so the stalls of the chapel provide a sense of continuity.

A Knight of the Garter in full fig

After the service, the members of the order return to the Upper Ward by carriage, presumably for tea and buns.

Garter insignia, temp Charles I

Prince Phillip and the Order of New Zealand

The Queen presents the Duke of Edinburgh with New Zealand's  highest
honour, the Order of New Zealand in the presence of Sir Lockwood Smith,
High Commissioner for New Zealand, at Buckingham Palace

In case anyone needed to know why I haven't done a Royals in Medals post for the Duke of Edinburgh, here's an answer - his already complex rack just keeps on growing!

Only five weeks on from receiving Canadian honours, Prince Phillip was today invested with the insignia of the Order of New Zealand by the Queen, as sovereign of the order.  To be fair though, this award (as an additional member) was one of four made in the Jubilee Honours List last year.

Sadly, the official photos didn't include one of the insignia.  Let me meet that need...

The Order of New Zealand was established on Waitangi Day 1987 "to recognise outstanding service to the Crown and people of New Zealand in a civil or military capacity,” and was based on the Order of Merit. 

The insignia (manufactured by Spink & Son) is the same for all grades of membership: an oval medallion in gold and coloured enamels, bearing in the centre the design of the shield of the New Zealand Coat of Arms within a Kowhaiwhai rafter pattern. It was were designed by Phillip O’Shea, New Zealand Herald of Arms Extraordinary to The Queen, who has done several nice pieces of work for the New Zealand honours system.

A man's badge is worn from a neck ribbon.  A woman's badge is worn on a ribbon bow on her left shoulder.  The ribbon is red ochre (kôkôwai) with a narrow white stripe towards either edge.  Kôkôwai has also been used in the ribbons of  NZ Order of Merit and The Queen’s Service Order and Medal. This colour has a spiritual significance for Maori. The badge must be returned to the Crown on the death of the holder or on the holder ceasing to be a member of the Order; it is then passed to another appointee to the order. 

Ordinary membership of the order is limited to 20 members.  Additional members can be appointed on special occasions (this happened in 1990 for the 150th anniversary of the Treaty of Waitangi, in 2002 for the Golden Jubilee, in 2007 for the 20th anniversary of the institution of the order and last year for the Diamond Jubilee). Honorary membership includes citizens of nations of which the Queen is not Head of State.




After this investiture and a garden party, the Duke has been admitted to hospital for 'an exploratory operation following abdominal investigations'. He is expected to stay in hospital for up to two weeks.  Naturally, at his age, any admission to hospital (let alone an operation) is a cause for concern.

Royals in Medals #11: Prince George, Duke of Kent

For Prince Edward, Duke of Kent (1935-) - click here

Prince George, Duke of Kent, Earl of St Andrews
and Baron Downpatrick 

Prince George Edward Alexander Edmund, Duke of Kent, was born on 20 December 1902 at York Cottage, Sandringham, the fourth son and fitfh child of King George V and Queen Mary (then the Prince and Princess of Wales).  He was therefore fifth in line of succession to the throne at the time of his birth.  He was educated privately and at the naval colleges at Osborne and Dartmouth.

Passing out of Darmouth as a Midshipman in 1921, he served in the Royal Navy until 1929 and was then attached to the Foreign Office and Home Office.  He accompanied his brother Edward on his tours of Canada (1927) and South America (1931).  In 1934 he undertook a tour of his own through Africa.  He was designated governor-general of Australia in 1938, but this appointment was cancelled due to the outbreak of war.

During the war he initially served in the naval intelligence section of the Admiralty with the rank of Captain (later promoted to Rear-Admiral), but wanting a more active role, transferred to the Royal Air Force where he took the rank of Group Captain (later Air Commodre)  in the Training Command.  Here he was involved in welfare and morale-raising, visiting many RAF establishments.  He also toured Canada and the USA during 1941.

On 25 August 1942, the Duke was en-route to visit RAF forces in Iceland when his Sunderland aircraft crashed at the Eagle's Rock, near Dunbeath in Caithness.  All 15 people on board were killed.  He was buried at Windsor.

Marriage and Family

The royal wedding November 1934

Prince George married Princess Marina, daughter of Prince Nicholas of Greece on 29 November 1934 - to mark this he had been created Duke of Kent, Earl of St Andrews and Baron Downpatrick.  (Princess Marina will have her own 'Royals in Medals' post.)

The couple had three children

• Prince Edward (the current Duke of Kent), b. 1935. 
• Princess Alexandra, b. 1936
• Prince Michael of Kent, b. 1942

The Kents photographed in 1934
by Dorothy Wilding

According to the Dictionary of National Biography, the marriage was a turning point in his life, 'strengthening his character and making his purpose in life more definite'.  Certainly, his lifestyle was less dissolute publicly, and his alleged drug used seems to have stopped; yet he appears to have continued to have affairs.  He is believed to have been bisexual, and those it is claimed he slept with are said to include Jessie Matthews, Barbara Cartland and Noël Coward. 

Orders, Decorations and Medals

Orders



Order of the Garter
Royal Knight (KG), 1923

Order of the Thistle
Extra Knight (KT) 1935










Order of St Michael and St George
Knight Grand Cross (GCVO), 1934

Royal Victorian Order
Knight Grand Cross (GCVO), 1924








 
Most Venerable Order of St John

Decorations

Royal Victorian Chain
1937








Campaign Medals

Prince George's next-of-kin could have applied for campaign medals to mark his service during World War II.  As his medals have never to the best of my knowledge been on display, it is impossible to know whether any medals were issued.  It is also unclear what they would have been.  The following entitlement is therefore my best guess.

1939-1945 Star


Defence Medal


War Medal 1939-1945



Commemorative Medals

 King George V Coronation Medal, 1911



   King George V Silver Jubilee Medal, 1935
King George VI Coronation Medal, 1937

Foreign Awards

• Norway.  Royal Norwegian Order of St Olav
• Denmark.  Order of the Elephant

Prince Philip's New Canadian Honours

Prince Philip accepts the insignia of the Order of Canada from David
Johnston, the Governor-General

During a short visit to Canada the Duke of Edinburgh has been awarded two new decorations by the Governor General.

He has been made an Extraordinary Companion of the Order of Canada and a Commander of the Order of Military Merit.

The Order of Canada was established in 1967 to mark the centenary of Canadian Confederation.  There are three grades - Companion, Officer and Member.

Prince Philip was offered appointment to the order as an Honorary Companion (ie, the grade given to non-Canadians) in 1982, but he refused on the grounds that, as the consort of the Queen, he was a Canadian and thus entitled to a substantive appointment (as is the case with his Australian honours).  In 1993,  an amendment to the constitution of the Order was proposed, making the sovereign's spouse automatically a Companion, but Prince Philip again refused, stating that if he was to be appointed, it should be on his merits.  The grade of Extraordinary Companion is a new one, apparently created along the lines of the 1993 proposal.

The Companion's insignia is a neck-badge in the form of a stylized snowflake of six points, with a red annulus at its centre which bears a stylized maple leaf circumscribed with the motto of the Order, DESIDERANTES MELIOREM PATRIAM (They desire a better country), surmounted by St Edward’s Crown.

The Order of Military Merit is, as its name suggests, a military honour. It is open to all members of the Canadian Forces, whether regular or reserves, who have displaced extraordinary devotion or merit.  It was established in 1972 and has three grades - Commander, Officer and Member.

The Commanders' insignia is a neck-badge, a blue-enamelled, straight-end cross (four arms, narrow at the centre, wider at the ends) with an annulus in red surmounted by St Edward’s Crown. The annulus bears the inscription MERIT.MÉRITE.CANADA. 









EDIT

And here's the OC in wear...

A New Knight of the Garter

 

Today is St George's Day, the celebration of the patron of the Order of the Garter, and the day on which new companions of the order are traditionally named.

Admission to the order is a rare honour.  In addition to the Queen and Prince of Wales (who are ex officio members) there are only 24 Knight (or Lady) Companions.  Other, supernumerary members, may be made up of the members of the royal family and overseas members.  Appointments are in the personal gift of the Queen, who in this acts without the advice of her ministers go (this privilege was restored to the Crown in 1946 - I will go into the whys and whyfores when I blog on the history of the order).

There had been three vacancies in the membership (one them caused by Lady Thatcher's death last week), but today one of them was filled by the appointment of Lord Stirrup.  He will be instituted in June on Garter Day, the annual gathering of knights at Windsor Castle.  The new knight will take his oaths and be vested in his insignia in the throne room before the companions process in their velvet mantles and plumed hats to a service in St George's Chapel.

The annual Garter Day parade

The membership of the order is currently as follows:-

Knights and Ladies Companion

1. Lord Carrington KG, GCMG, CH, MC  (1985)
2. The Duke of Wellington KG, LVO, OBE, MC (1990)
3. Field Marshal Lord Bramall KG, GCB, OBE, MC (1990)
4. The Lord Sainsbury of Preston Candover KG (1992)
5. The Lord Ashburton KG, KCVO (1994)
6. The Lord Kingsdown KG (1994)
7. Sir Ninian Stephen KG, AK, GCMG, GCVO, KBE (1994)
8. Sir Timothy Colman KG (1996)
9. The Duke of Abercorn KG(1999)
10. Sir William Gladstone Bt, KG (1999)
11. Field Marshal Lord Inge KG, GCB (2001)
12. Sir Antony Acland KG, GCMG, GCVO (2001)
13. The Duke of Westminster KG, CB, CVO, OBE, TD, CD (2003)
14. Lord Butler of Brockwell KG, GCB, CVO (2003)
15. Lord Morris of Aberavon KG  (2003)
16. Lady Soames LG, DBE (2005)
17. Sir John Major KG, CH (2005)
18. The Lord Luce KG, GCVO  (2008)
19. Sir Thomas Dunne KG, KCVO (2008)
20. Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers KG (2011)
21. Admiral Lord Boyce KG, GCB, OBE  (2011)
22. Air Chief Marshal Lord Stirrup KG, GCB, AFC (2013)
23. Vacant
24. Vacant

Royal Knights and Ladies

1. The Duke of Edinburgh (1947) 
2. The Duke of Kent (1985)
3. The Princess Royal (1994)
4. The Duke of Gloucester (1996)
5. Princess Alexandra, Lady Ogilvy (2003)
6. The Duke of York (2006)
7. The Earl of Wessex (2006)
8. The Duke of Cambridge (2008)

Stranger Knights and Ladies

1. Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg (1972)
2. The Queen of Denmark (1979)
3. The King of Sweden (1983)
4. The King of Spain (1988)
5. The Queen of the Netherlands (1989)
6. The Emperor of Japan (1998)
7. The King of Norway (2001)

Lord Stirrup will join a distinguished group

Lord Stirrup (right)

Lord Stirrup was Chief of the Defence Staff, the professional head of Britain's armed forces, from 2006 to 2010.

He was born Graham Eric Stirrup on 4 Dec 1949 and is known as 'Jock'.  He was commissioned into the RAF in July 1970 and, on secondment to the Sultan of Oman's Air Force, flew as a fighter pilot during the Dhofar War.

In 1983 he was awarded the Air Force Cross for his coolness and skill in landing his aircraft with one engine on fire following a bird strike.  He was station commander of RAF Marham in Norfolk during the 1991 Gulf War.  He became Assistant Chief of the Air Staff in 1998.  In 2001 he commanded Operation Veritas, the UK Force's operations against the Taliban in Afghanistan.  He was promoted to Air Chief Marshal in Aug 2003 and appointed Chief of the Air Staff.  Three years later he was appointed Chief of the Defence Staff.  During his tenure, he supervised UK operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.   Following criticism of the Ministry of Defence for poor planning and problems in procurement and supply and the election of a new government, Stirrup was replaced earlier than planned.  He was granted a life peerage and entered the House of Lords as a cross-bencher.

More Popery

Over at the Royal Order of Sartorial Splendor blog there's an interesting post on the royal attendees of the Pope Francis' inaugural mass. If anyone is interested in dress code, and in particular the privilège du blanc, then I'd certainly recommend popping over there. Follow the links she posts, there are some nice pics of popes from John XXIII onwards with various royals.

I'm just going to nick a picture of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.  Since it was announced the they were to represent the Queen at the mass, my 'Royals in Medals' profile of them has been held the top spot in the visitor stats, so see this as my cheap attempt to grab more hits!  It's not shown in this photo, but the poor duchess had to sit next to Ken Clarke (which might explain why she's looking a little deafened).

On the 'Royals in Medals' front there's nothing new to add here - the orders and medals are explained in my previous post.  It's interesting to see the duchess choosing the Royal Family Order, GCVO, Diamond Jubilee Medal (on bow) combo - why the last as opposed to anything else?  It looks a little cluttered; but there's no real significance in any of this.

I've just noticed that in my profile post I'd said the duke has the Nepal Coronation medal, but haven't mentioned in the duchess' medals though she is clearly wearing it in the photo.

One other small point of no interest.  When did you last see a UK diplomat (other than the late lamented Rex Hunt) in Levee Dress?  Well, here's one http://www.flickr.com/photos/ukinholysee/8579000797/.  Perhaps when the Ambassador's blog is updated he'll explain why he hasn't mounted up his jubilee medal (or perhaps he's been a naughty boy and didn't get one).

By the way, in her blog post OSS says one of the wisest things I've ever read about ceremonial

I have a personal theory on all issues of protocol, by the way: just when you think you've got the "rules" down, you will find an example to contradict you. Therefore, by the transitive property of meh, you shouldn't worry about it too much.

I shall cite the 'transitive power of meh' in future.

This Week's Interesting Obits

Kenny Ball (d. 7 Mar 2013) - Jazzman
Daily Telegraph, 7 Mar 2013
Independent, 7 Mar 2013

Allan Calhamer (d. 25 Feb 2013) - Inventor of 'Diplomacy'
Daily Telegraph, 12 Mar 2013






Princess Lilian of Sweden (d. 10 Mar 2013)
Daily Telegraph, 10 Mar 2013
Independent, 14 Mar 2013

Royals in Medals #10: Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother

HM Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother
by Cecil Beaton, 1939

Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was born on 4 August 1900, the fourth daughter and ninth child of Lord Glamis (later 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorn) and his wife Cecilia Cavendish-Bentinck.  She spent he childhood in the ancestral home, Glamis Castle (the home of Macbeth), and in London.

The First World War started on her 14th birthday.  Four of her brothers served in the army; one, Fergus, being killed and another becoming a prisoner of war.  Glamis Castle was used as a convalescent home for wounded soldiers, and the young Lady Elizabeth assisted with welfare work.

The Duke and Duchess of York

The Strathmore's were associates of the Royal Family.  In 1922, Lady Elizabeth was a bridesmaid at the wedding of Princess Mary, the only daughter of King George and Queen Mary.  The following January it was announced that she was engaged to the Duke of York (Prince Albert Frederick Arthur George), their second son. The Duke (known as 'Bertie') had proposed to Elizabeth at least twice but she refused, having reservations about royal life.  Queen Mary, however, was a supporter of the idea, and worked behind the scenes to ensure it went ahead.  The  wedding took place on 26 April 1923 in Westminster Abbey.  Elizabeth became Her Royal Highness The Duchess of York.

The couple had two children, Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary (later Queen Elizabeth II), born on 21 April 1926 and Princess Margaret Rose, born on 21 August 1930.

As George V's reign drew to a close, questions began to be asked about the suitability of the Prince of Wales to be king.  George himself  is said to have preferred the idea of succession in the York line, and to have commented that 'I pray God that my eldest son will never marry and that nothing will come between Bertie and Lilibet and the throne'.

Coronation  portrait, May 1937

George died on 20 January 1936 and Edward ascended to the throne as King Edward VII.  Edward's wish to marry the divorcee Wallis Simpson led to a constitutional crisis, and his attempts to do so while remaining King were opposed by the Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin, and the Church of England.  Accordingly, after a reign of just 327 days, Edward abdicated on 10 December 1936 and the Duke of York became King, taking the regnal name of George VI.  Elizabeth never forgave Edward for thrusting her husband to the fore, which she believed shortened his life.

On their coronation on 12 May 1937, Elizabeth became the first British-born Queen Consort since Tudor times and the last Empress of India.

On the outbreak of war in September 1939, the royal family became a symbol of the country's defiance.  Queen Elizabeth resisted proposals that she and the princess be evacuated to the safety of Canada or another colony: 'The children won't go without me. I won't leave the King. And the King will never leave.'   In September 1940 Buckingham Palace was hit by bombs, and the Queen remarked that she could now look the East End of London in the face when she and her husband made one of their many visits to Blitzed areas.

Worn out by the pressures of wartime rule and suffering from cancer after a lifetime's smoking, George VI died at his Norfolk home, Sandringham House, on 6 February 1952.  He was succeeded by his daughter, the current Queen, and Elizabeth began her long period of widowhood, taking the title Queen Mother.  She carried on with public duties, including many tips overseas, until well into her 70s.

In retirement, Elizabeth enjoyed her hobbies of fly-fishing and horse-racing.  She also refurbished Glamis Castle and was a discerning (if discrete) art collector - her extravagent lifestyle led to a large overdraft with the royal bankers.  She was consistently popular with the public - even escaping the backlash against the Windsors following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.

Queen Elizabeth died on 30 March 2002, six weeks after attending the funeral of her youngest daughter, Princess Margaret.  At 101, she was the longest-lived member of the royal family in history; a record she held until the following year, when she was overtaken by Princess Alice, the Duchess of Gloucester.  She lay in state at Westminster Hall for three days before a funeral in Westminster Abbey, and was buried in St George's Chapel, Windsor, alongside her husband.

The Prince of Wales stands vigil at his grandmother's lying-in-state

 

Honorary Military Appointments

United Kingdom

• Colonel-in-Chief of the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (1927-1968)
• Honorary Colonel the Hertfordshire Regiment (1930-1961)
• Colonel-in-Chief of the Queen's Bays (2nd Dragoon Guards) (1930-1959)
• Royal Honorary Colonel, The London Scottish (1935-2002)
• Colonel-in-Chief of the Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) (1937-2002)
• Colonel-in-Chief of the 7th (Queen's Own) Hussars (1947-1958)
• Colonel-in-Chief of the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment (1947-2002)
• Colonel-in-Chief of the Manchester Regiment (1947-2002)
• Commandant-in-Chief of the Women's Royal Army Corps (1949-2002)
• Royal Honorary Colonel of the City of London Yeomanry (Rough Riders) (1952-2002)
• Colonel-in-Chief of the 9th Queen's Royal Lancers (1953-2002)
• Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Army Medical Corps (1942-2002)
• Colonel-in-Chief of the Inns of Court Regiment (1957-1961)
• Colonel-in-Chief of the 3rd East Anglian Regiment (1958-2002)
• Royal Honorary Colonel of the University of London OTC (1958-2002)
• Colonel-in-Chief of the King's Regiment (1958-2002)
• Colonel-in-Chief of the Queen's Own Hussars (1958-2002)
• Colonel-in-Chief of the 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards (1959-2002)
• Colonel-in-Chief of the 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's) (1960-2002)
• Royal Honorary Colonel of the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment (1961-2002)
• Royal Honorary Colonel of the Inns of Court and City Yeomanry (1961-2002)
• Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Anglian Regiment (1964-2002)
• Royal Honorary Colonel of the Royal Yeomanry (1967-2002)
• Colonel-in-Chief of the Light Infantry (1968-2002)
• Colonel-in-Chief of the Queen's Own Hussars (The Queen's Own and Royal Irish) (1993-2002)
• Royal Honorary Colonel of the King's Own Yorkshire Yeomanry (Light Infantry) (1996-2002)
• Commandant-in-Chief of the Women's Royal Air Force, (1949-1994)
• Commandant-in-Chief of the RAF Central Flying School (1960-20020
• Commandant-in-Chief of the Women, Royal Air Force (1994-2002)

Australia

• Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Australian Army Medical Corps (1953-2002)

Canada

• Colonel-in-Chief of the Toronto Scottish Regiment (Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother's Own) (1938-2002)
• Colonel-in-Chief of the Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada (1947-2002)
• Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (1953-1974)
• Colonel-in-Chief of the Canadian Forces Medical Service (1977-2002)

New Zealand

• Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal New Zealand Army Medical Corps (1977-2002)

South Africa

• Colonel-in-Chief of the Witwatersrand Rifles (1947-1961)
• Colonel-in-Chief of the Queen's Own Cape Town Highlanders (1947-1961)
• Colonel-in-Chief of the Transvaal Scottish (1956-1961)

Southern Rhodesia

• Honorary Commissioner of the British South Africa Police (1955-1965)

Wearing the insignia of the Order of the Garter.
As a lady she wears the garter on her arm

Orders, Decorations and Medals

Orders



Order of the Garter
Royal Lady (LG), 1936

Order of the Thistle
Lady (LT), 1937
Queen Elizabeth was the first female member of the order.









Order of the British Empire
Dame Grand Cross (GBE), 1927

Royal Victorian Order
Dame Grand Cross (GCVO), 1937, and Grand Master, 1937-2002

Venerable Order of St John of Jerusalem
Dame Grand Cross (DGStJ), 1926

Order of the Crown of India
Companion (CI), 1931

Royal Family Order of King George V
1923

Royal Family Order of King George VI
1937










Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II
1952

Commonwealth Orders

Canada.  Order of Canada
Honorary Companion (CC), 2000












New Zealand. Order of New Zealand
Additional Member (ONZ), 1990









Decorations


Royal Victorian Chain
1937










Royal Red Cross (RRC), 1936










Canadian Forces Decoration (CD) and five bars










Commemorative Medals

   King George V Silver Jubilee Medal, 1935
King George VI Coronation Medal, 1937
Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal 1953  
  Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal 1977

Foreign Awards

• Yugoslavia.  Order of St. Sava - Grand Cross, 1923
• Afghanistan. Order of the Supreme Sun - Member First Class, 1928
• Japan.  Order of the Precious Crown - Grand Cordon, 1937
• France.  National Order of the Legion of Honour - Grand Cordon, 1937
• Romania. Order of the Crown of Romania - Grand Cross, 1938
• France. Red Cross Medal, 1945
• Norway. Norwegian War Cross, 1945
• Nepal.  Order of the Ojaswi Rajanya - Grand Cross, 1948
• Netherlands. Order of the Netherlands Lion - Knight Grand Cross, 1950
• Greece. Order of St Olga and St Sophia - Member, 1950
• Peru. Order of the Sun - Grand Cross, 1960
• Tunisia.  Order of Independence  - Grand Cordon, 1961