The Order of Merit () is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by Edward VII, admission into the order remains the personal gift of its Sovereign—currently Edward VII's great-great-grandson Charles III—and is restricted to a maximum of 24 living recipients from the Commonwealth realms, plus honorary members. While all members are awarded the right to use the post-nominal letters OM and wear the badge of the order, the Order of Merit's precedence among other honours differs between countries.
History
In around 1773, George III considered establishing an order of knighthood to be called the "Order of Minerva" with membership restricted to 24 distinguished artists and authors. Knights would be entitled to the post-nominal letters KM, and would wear a silver nine-pointed breast star with the image of Minerva at its centre, along with a "straw-coloured" sash worn across the chest from the right shoulder. Following the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, First Lord of the Admiralty Charles Middleton, 1st Baron Barham and William Pitt exchanged correspondence concerning the possible creation of an order of merit, though nothing came of the idea.
Later, Queen Victoria, her courtiers, and politicians alike, thought that a new order, based on the Prussian order Pour le Mérite, would make up for the insufficient recognition offered by the established honours system to achievement outside public service, in fields such as art, music, literature, industry and science.
Though nothing came of the idea at the time, the concept did not wither and, more than 40 years later, on 5 January 1888, Prime Minister Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury submitted to the by then long-widowed Queen a draft constitution for an Order of Merit in Science and Art, consisting of one grade split into two branches of knighthood: the Order of Scientific Merit, for Knights of Merit in Science, with the post-nominal letters KMS, and the Order of Artistic Merit, for Knights of Merit in Art, with the post-nominal letters KMA. However, Frederic Leighton, President of the Royal Academy of Arts, advised against the new order, primarily because of its selection process.
left|thumb|King [[Edward VII, founder of the Order of Merit]]
It was Victoria's son Edward VII who eventually founded the Order of Merit on 26 June 1902 (the date for which his coronation had been originally scheduled) as a means to acknowledge "exceptionally meritorious service in Our Navy and Our Army, or who may have rendered exceptionally meritorious service towards the advancement of Art, Literature and Science". All modern aspects of the order were established under his direction, including the division for military figures. The order's statutes were amended in 1935 to include members of the Royal Air Force and, in 1969, the definition of honorary recipients was expanded to include members of the Commonwealth of Nations that are not realms.
The order has always been open to women, Florence Nightingale being the first woman to receive the honour, in 1907. Several individuals have refused admission into the Order of Merit, including Rudyard Kipling, A. E. Housman, and George Bernard Shaw. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, remains the youngest person ever inducted into the Order, having been admitted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1968, when he was 47 years old.
Eligibility and appointment
All citizens of the Commonwealth realms are eligible for appointment to the Order of Merit. Within the limited membership is a designated military division, with its own unique insignia; though it has not been abolished, it is currently unpopulated, Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma having been the last person so honoured. The obverse of the badge's central disk bears the words FOR MERIT in gold lettering, while the reverse bears the royal cypher of the reigning monarch in gold. The insignia for the military grouping is distinguished by a pair of crossed swords behind the central disk. Men wear their badges on a neck ribbon (as a necklet), while women wear theirs on a ribbon bow pinned to the left shoulder, and aides-de-camp may wear the insignia on their aiguillettes.
Current members
Sovereign
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; background:white; border:#01796f solid;"
!Name
!Year of appointment
!Present age
|-
|King Charles III (ex officio)
|2002 as The Prince of Wales; sovereign since 2022
|
|}
Substantive members
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%; background:white; border:#01796f solid;"
!Member
number
!Name
!Known for
!Year of appointment
!Present age
|-
|1 (169)
|Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank
|Architect and Pritzker laureate
|1997
|
|-
|2 (175)
|Sir Roger Penrose
|Mathematical physicist and Nobel laureate
|2000
|
|-
|3 (180)
|Sir David Attenborough ,
|Television broadcaster and conservationist
|2005
|
|-
|4 (183)
|Robin Eames, Baron Eames
|Primate of All Ireland and Archbishop of Armagh
| rowspan="3" |2007
|
|-
|5 (184)
|Sir Tim Berners-Lee
|Inventor of the World Wide Web, Founder of the World Wide Web Foundation and Director of the World Wide Web Consortium
|
|-
|6 (185)
|Martin Rees, Baron Rees of Ludlow
|Astronomer Royal and President of the Royal Society
|
|-
|7 (186)
|Jean Chrétien
|Prime Minister of Canada
|2009
|
|-
|8 (187)
|Neil MacGregor
|Art historian and Director of the British Museum
|2010
|
|-
|9 (188)
|David Hockney
|Artist
| rowspan="2" |2012
|
|-
|10 (189)
|John Howard
|Prime Minister of Australia
|
|-
|11 (190)
|Sir Simon Rattle
|Conductor
| rowspan="2" |2014
|
|-
|12 (192)
|Sir Magdi Yacoub
|Cardiothoracic surgeon
|
|-
|13 (193)
|Ara Darzi, Baron Darzi of Denham
|Surgeon
| rowspan="3" |2016
|
|-
|14 (194)
|Dame Ann Dowling
|Mechanical engineer
|
|-
|15 (195)
|Sir James Dyson
|Inventor and industrial designer
|
|-
|16 (196)
|Dame Elizabeth Anionwu
|Nurse
| rowspan="6" |2022
|
|-
|17 (197)
|Floella Benjamin, Baroness Benjamin
|Broadcaster
|
|-
|18 (198)
|Margaret MacMillan
|Author and Provost of Trinity College, Toronto
|
|-
|19 (199)
|Sir David Adjaye
|Architect
|
|-
|20 (200)
|Sir Paul Nurse
|Geneticist and Nobel laureate
|
|-
|21 (201)
|Venki Ramakrishnan
|Structural biologist and Nobel laureate
|
|-
|22
|Vacant
|
|
|
|-
|23
|Vacant
|
|
|
|-
|24
|Vacant
|
|
|
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|- class="sortbottom"
| colspan="6" |
|}
Honorary members
There have been no honorary members of the Order of Merit since the death of the last such member, Nelson Mandela, in December 2013.
Officers
Secretary and Registrar: Robin Janvrin, Baron Janvrin
Order of wear
As the Order of Merit is open to the citizens of 15 countries, each with their own system of orders, decorations, and medals, the order's place of precedence varies from country to country. While, in the United Kingdom, the order's postnominal letters follow those of Knights and Dames Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, membership in the Order of Merit itself gives members no place in any of the orders of precedence in the United Kingdom. However, Stanley Martin says in his book The Order of Merit 1902–2002: One Hundred Years of Matchless Honour, that the Order of Merit is the pinnacle of the British honours system. Christopher McCreery, an expert on Canadian honours and secretary to the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, stated that the Order of Merit was the highest civilian award for merit a Canadian could receive.
Some orders of precedence are as follows:
{| class="wikitable"
! Country !! Preceding !! Following
|-
! Australia<br/><small>Order of wear</small>
| Knight/Lady of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle <small>(KT/LT)</small>
| Knight/Dame of the Order of Australia <small>(AK/AD)</small>
|-
! Canada<br/><small>Order of wear</small>
| Cross of Valour <small>(CV)</small>
| Companion of the Order of Canada <small>(CC)</small>
|-
! New Zealand<br/><small>Order of wear</small>
| Knight/Dame Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath <small>(GCB)</small>
| Member of the Order of New Zealand <small>(ONZ)</small>
|-
! United Kingdom
<small>Order of wear</small>
| Knight/Dame Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath <small>(GCB)</small>
| Baronet's Badge <small>(Bt)</small>
|}
Notes
Citations
References
Further reading
External links
- Order of Merit – Royal Household website
- What is the Order of Merit? – The Gazette
- The Order of Merit – UK Cabinet Office
- World Awards – Order of Merit