The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the monarch. The present monarch, King Charles III, is the sovereign of the order. The order's motto is Victoria. The order's official day is 20 June. The order's chapel is the Savoy Chapel in London.
There is no limit on the number of individuals honoured at any grade. Admission is at the sole discretion of the monarch.). Queen Victoria thus established on 21 April 1896 the Royal Victorian Order as a junior and personal order of knighthood that allowed her to bestow directly to an empire-wide community honours for personal services. The organisation was founded a year before Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, so as to give the Queen time to complete a list of first inductees. The order's official day was made 20 June of each year, marking the anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession to the throne. It is today distinct from the order, though it is officially issued by the chancery of the Royal Victorian Order.
The order was open to foreigners from its inception, with the Prefect of Alpes-Maritimes and the Mayor of Nice being the first foreigners to receive the honour in 1896. to the position in 2007. Below the Grand Master are five officials of the organisation: the Chancellor, held by the Lord Chamberlain; the Secretary, held by the Keeper of the Privy Purse and Treasurer to the King; the Registrar, held by the Secretary to the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood; the Chaplain, held by the Chaplain of the King's Chapel of the Savoy; and the Genealogist.
Thereafter follow those honoured with different grades of the order, divided into five levels: the highest two conferring accolades of knighthood and all having post-nominal letters and, lastly, the holders of the Royal Victorian Medal in gold, silver or bronze.
Eligibility and appointment
thumb|right|Coat of arms of [[Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell|Lord Baden-Powell, showing the circlet of the Royal Victorian Order around the escutcheon and the order's insignia suspended underneath]]
alt=The Royal Victorian Order circlet laid out|thumb|The Royal Victorian Order's heraldic [[circlet, as viewed when laid out flat]]
Membership in the Royal Victorian Order is conferred by the monarch without ministerial advice on those who have performed personal service for the sovereign. Founded by D. Michael Jackson (1940–2022), the group has, since 2008, gathered biennially. when prior to the 1990s, the higher grades would have been conferred, such as the GCVO to governors-general Sir Zelman Cowen (1980) and Sir Ninian Stephen (1982), and the KCVO to governors of states on the occasion of a visit by then Queen. Awards are generally made following a royal visit to Australia, to vice-regal representatives at the Commonwealth, state and territory level, or more generally in "acknowledgment of exceptional service to Vice Regal representatives" (such as to the staff assisting royal visits, or of the various viceregal offices and households).
Precedence
As the Royal Victorian Order is open to the citizens of fifteen countries, each with their own system of orders, decorations, and medals, the RVO's place of precedence varies from country to country. Some are as follows:
{| border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background:white; border: 1px #0047AB solid; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
!colspan="2" | Country || Preceding || RVO grade || Following
|-
| rowspan="6" colspan="2" bgcolor="#A9A9A9" | <span style="color:#f9f9f9;">Australia</span><br><small>Order of precedence</small>
| Knight/Dame of the Order of Australia <small>(AK/AD)</small>
| bgcolor="#191970" | <span style="color:#f9f9f9;">Knight/Dame Grand Cross</span> <!-- force minimum column width -->
| Companion of the Order of Australia <small>(AC)</small>
|-
| Companion of the Order of Australia <small>(AC)</small>
| bgcolor="#000080" | <span style="color:#f9f9f9;">Knight/Dame Commander </span>
| Officer of the Order of Australia <small>(AO)</small>
|-
| Officer of the Order of Australia <small>(AO)</small>
| bgcolor="#0000CD" | <span style="color:#f9f9f9;">Commander </span>
| Star of Gallantry <small>(SG)</small>
|-
| Member of the Order of Australia <small>(AM)</small>
| bgcolor="#4169E1" | <span style="color:#f9f9f9;">Lieutenant </span>
| Member of the Royal Victorian Order <small>(MVO)</small>
|-
| Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order <small>(LVO)</small>
| bgcolor="#1E90FF" | <span style="color:#f9f9f9;">Member </span>
| Conspicuous Service Cross <small>(CSC)</small>
|-
| Australian Antarctic Medal <small>(AAM)</small>
| bgcolor="#6495ED" | <span style="color:#f9f9f9;">Medal </span>
| Commendation for Gallantry
|-
|colspan=5|
|-
| rowspan="4" colspan="2" bgcolor="#A9A9A9" | <span style="color:#f9f9f9;">Canada</span><br><small>Order of precedence</small>
| Commander of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces <small>(COM)</small>
| bgcolor="#0000CD" | <span style="color:#f9f9f9;">Commander </span>
| Officer of the Order of Military Merit <small>(OMM)</small>
|-
| Officer of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces <small>(OOM)</small>
| bgcolor="#4169E1" | <span style="color:#f9f9f9;">Lieutenant </span>
| Member of the Order of Military Merit <small>(MMM)</small>
|-
| Member of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces <small>(MOM)</small>
| bgcolor="#1E90FF" | <span style="color:#f9f9f9;">Member </span>
| Venerable Order of Saint John <small>(GC/K/D/C/O/M/SB/SSStJ)</small>
|-
| Meritorious Service Medal <small>(MSM)</small>
| bgcolor="#6495ED" | <span style="color:#f9f9f9;">Medal </span>
| Sacrifice Medal
|-
|colspan=5|
|-
| rowspan="6" colspan="2" bgcolor="#A9A9A9" | <span style="color:#f9f9f9;">New Zealand</span><br><small>Order of precedence</small>
| Knight/Dame Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George <small>(GCMG)</small>
| bgcolor="#191970" | <span style="color:#f9f9f9;">Knight/Dame Grand Cross</span>
| Knight/Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire <small>(GBE)</small>
|-
| Knight/Dame Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George <small>(KCMG/DCMG)</small>
| bgcolor="#000080" | <span style="color:#f9f9f9;">Knight/Dame Commander</span>
| Knight/Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire <small>(KBE/DBE)</small>
|-
| Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George <small>(CMG)</small>
| bgcolor="#0000CD" | <span style="color:#f9f9f9;">Commander</span>
| Commander of the Order of the British Empire <small>(CBE)</small>
|-
| Companion of the Distinguished Service Order <small>(DSO)</small>
| bgcolor="#4169E1" | <span style="color:#f9f9f9;">Lieutenant</span>
| Companion of the Queen's Service Order <small>(QSO)</small>
|-
| Companion of the Imperial Service Order <small>(ISO)</small>
| bgcolor="#1E90FF" | <span style="color:#f9f9f9;">Member </span>
| Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit <small>(MNZM)</small>
|-
| New Zealand Bravery Medal <small>(NZBM)</small>
| bgcolor="#6495ED" | <span style="color:#f9f9f9;">Medal</span>
| Queen's Service Medal <small>(QSM)</small>
|-
|colspan=5|
|-
| rowspan="17" bgcolor="#A9A9A9" | <span style="color:#f9f9f9;">United Kingdom</span>
| rowspan="5" bgcolor="#A9A9A9" | <span style="color:#f9f9f9;">England</span> <span style="color:#f9f9f9;">and</span><br> <span style="color:#f9f9f9;">Wales</span><br><small>Order of precedence</small>
| Knight/Dame Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire <small>(GCIE)</small>
| bgcolor="#191970" | <span style="color:#f9f9f9;">Knight/Dame Grand Cross </span>
| Knight/Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire <small>(GBE)</small>
|-
| Knight/Dame Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire <small>(KCIE/DCIE)</small>
| bgcolor="#000080" | <span style="color:#f9f9f9;">Knight/Dame Commander </span>
| Knight/Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire <small>(KBE/DBE)</small>
|-
| Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire <small>(CIE)</small>
| bgcolor="#0000CD" | <span style="color:#f9f9f9;">Commander </span>
| Commander of the Order of the British Empire <small>(CBE)</small>
|-
| Companion of the Distinguished Service Order <small>(DSO)</small>
| bgcolor="#4169E1" | <span style="color:#f9f9f9;">Lieutenant </span>
| Officer of the Order of the British Empire <small>(OBE)</small>
|-
| Eldest son of Knight Bachelor
| bgcolor="#1E90FF" | <span style="color:#f9f9f9;">Member </span>
| Member of the Order of the British Empire <small>(MBE)</small>
|-
|colspan=4|
|-
| rowspan="5" bgcolor="#A9A9A9" | <span style="color:#f9f9f9;">Scotland</span><br><small>Order of precedence</small>
| Knight/Dame Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire <small>(GCIE)</small>
| bgcolor="#191970" | <span style="color:#f9f9f9;">Knight/Dame Grand Cross </span>
| Knight/Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire <small>(GBE)</small>
|-
| Knight/Dame Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire <small>(KCIE/DCIE)</small>
| bgcolor="#000080" | <span style="color:#f9f9f9;">Knight/Dame Commander </span>
| Knight/Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire <small>(KBE/DBE)</small>
|-
| Sheriffs
| bgcolor="#0000CD" | <span style="color:#f9f9f9;">Commander </span>
| Companion of the Order of the Bath <small>(CB)</small>
|-
| Commander of the Order of the British Empire <small>(CBE)</small>
| bgcolor="#4169E1" | <span style="color:#f9f9f9;">Lieutenant </span>
| Companion of the Distinguished Service Order <small>(DSO)</small>
|-
| Eldest son of Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
| bgcolor="#1E90FF" | <span style="color:#f9f9f9;">Member </span>
| Member of the Order of the British Empire <small>(MBE)</small>
|-
|colspan=4|
|-
| rowspan="5" bgcolor="#A9A9A9" | <span style="color:#f9f9f9;">Northern Ireland</span><br><small>Order of precedence</small>
| Knight/Dame Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire <small>(GCIE)</small>
| bgcolor="#191970" | <span style="color:#f9f9f9;">Knight/Dame Grand Cross </span>
| Knight/Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire <small>(GBE)</small>
|-
| Knight/Dame Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire <small>(KCIE/DCIE)</small>
| bgcolor="#000080" | <span style="color:#f9f9f9;">Knight/Dame Commander </span>
| Knight/Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire <small>(KBE/DBE)</small>
|-
| Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire <small>(CIE)</small>
| bgcolor="#0000CD" | <span style="color:#f9f9f9;">Commander </span>
| Commander of the Order of the British Empire <small>(CBE)</small>
|-
| Companion of the Distinguished Service Order <small>(DSO)</small>
| bgcolor="#4169E1" | <span style="color:#f9f9f9;">Lieutenant </span>
| Officer of the Order of the British Empire <small>(OBE)</small>
|-
| Eldest son of Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
| bgcolor="#1E90FF" | <span style="color:#f9f9f9;">Member </span>
| Member of the Order of the British Empire <small>(MBE)</small>
|-
| colspan="5" | <sub></sub>
|}
In the United Kingdom, the wives of male members of all classes also feature on the order of precedence, as do sons, daughters and daughters-in-law of Knights Grand Cross and Knights Commander; relatives of Dames, however, are not assigned any special precedence. As a general rule, individuals can derive precedence from their fathers or husbands, but not from their mothers or wives.
Current Knights and Dames Grand Cross
Sovereign and Grand Master
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; background:white; border:#01796f solid;"
!Name
!Year of appointment
!Present age
|-
|Charles III (ex officio)
|Sovereign since 2022
|
|-
|Anne, Princess Royal
|1974 as Dame Grand Cross; Grand Master since 2007
|
|}
Knights and Dames Grand Cross
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%; background:white; border:#01796f solid;"
!Name
!Known for
!Year of appointment
!Present age
|-
|Prince Edward, Duke of Kent
| rowspan="4" |Royal Family
| rowspan="2" |1960
|
|-
|Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy
|
|-
|Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester
|1974
|
|-
|Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester
|1989
|
|-
|Sir William Heseltine
|Private Secretary to the Sovereign
|1990
|
|-
|Sir Brian Fall
|Ambassador to Russia and High Commissioner to Canada
|1994
|
|-
|Major General Sir Simon Cooper
|Master of the Household
| rowspan="2" |2000
|
|-
|Richard Luce, Baron Luce
|Lord Chamberlain and Governor of Gibraltar
|
|-
|Vice Admiral Jeffrey Sterling, Baron Sterling of Plaistow
|Chairman of the Golden Jubilee Weekend Trust
|2002
|
|-
|Prince Michael of Kent
|Royal Family
|2003
|
|-
|Sir John Holmes
|Ambassador to France
| rowspan="2" |2004
|
|-
|Sir Peter Torry
|Ambassador to Germany and Ambassador to Spain
|
|-
|William Peel, 3rd Earl Peel
|Lord Chamberlain
|2006
|
|-
|Robin Janvrin, Baron Janvrin
|Private Secretary to the Sovereign
|2007
|
|-
|Sir Donald McKinnon
|Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations
|2009
|
|-
|Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh
|Royal Family
| rowspan="2" |2010
|
|-
|Sir Hugh Roberts
|Surveyor of the Queen's Works of Art
|
|-
|Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh
|Royal Family
| rowspan="2" |2011
|
|-
|Sir Michael Peat
|Principal Private Secretary to the Prince of Wales
|
|-
|Sir Alan Reid
|Keeper of the Privy Purse
|rowspan="2"|2012
|
|-
|Queen Camilla
|Royal Family
|
|-
|Susan Hussey, Baroness Hussey of North Bradley
| rowspan="2" |Woman of the Bedchamber
| rowspan="2" |2013
|
|-
|Dame Mary Morrison
|
|-
|Peter Ricketts, Baron Ricketts
|National Security Adviser and Permanent Under-Secretary of State of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
|2014
|
|-
|Christopher Geidt, Baron Geidt
|Private Secretary to the Sovereign
|2017
|
|-
|Sir Stephen Lamport
|Receiver-General of Westminster Abbey
| rowspan="2" |2018
|
|-
|Lieutenant Colonel Sir Andrew Ford
|Comptroller, Lord Chamberlain's Office
|
|-
|Catherine, Princess of Wales
|Royal Family
| rowspan="2" |2019
|
|-
|Richard Chartres, Baron Chartres
|Bishop of London, Dean of the Chapel Royal
|
|-
|Andrew Parker, Baron Parker of Minsmere
|Lord Chamberlain
|2021
|
|-
|Edward Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk
|Earl Marshal
|2022
|
|-
|David Cholmondeley, 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley
|Lord Great Chamberlain
| rowspan="4" |2023
|
|-
|James Ramsay, 17th Earl of Dalhousie
|Lord Steward
|
|-
|Edward Young, Baron Young of Old Windsor
|Private Secretary to the Sovereign
|
|-
|David Conner
|Dean of Windsor
|
|-
|Justin Welby
|Archbishop of Canterbury
| rowspan="2" |2024
|
|-
|Richard Benyon, Baron Benyon
|Lord Chamberlain
|
|-
|Dame Annabel Whitehead
| Woman of the Bedchamber
| rowspan="3" |2025
|
|-
|Sir Michael Stevens
|Keeper of the Privy Purse and Treasurer to HM The King
|
|-
|Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence
|Royal Family
|
|-
|Richard Scott, 10th Duke of Buccleuch
|Chancellor of the Order of the Thistle, Lord Lieutenant of Roxburgh, Ettrick and Lauderdale, and Captain General of the Royal Company of Archers
| rowspan="1" |2026
|
|}
Honorary Knights and Dames Grand Cross
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; background:white; border:#01796f solid;"
!Country
!Name
!Known for
!Year of appointment
!Present age
!Notes
|-
|Japan
|Emperor Akihito of Japan
|Emperor of Japan
|1953 as Crown Prince; Emperor from 1989; abdicated 2019
|
|
|-
|Norway
|King Harald V of Norway
|King of Norway
|1955 as Prince Harald; King since 1991
|
|Recipient of the Royal Victorian Chain; also Honorary Colonel in the Royal Marines and Honorary General in the British Army
|-
|Netherlands
|Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands
|Queen of the Netherlands
|1958 as Princess Beatrix; Queen from 1980; abdicated 2013
|
|Recipient of the Royal Victorian Chain
|-
|Ethiopian Empire
|Prince Mengesha Seyoum
|Prince of Ethiopia
|1965
|
|
|-
|Belgium
|King Albert II of Belgium
|King of the Belgians
|1966 as Prince of Liège; King from 1993; abdicated 2013
|
|
|-
|Luxembourg
|Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg
|Grand Duke of Luxembourg
|1976 as Hereditary Grand Duke; Grand Duke from 2000; abdicated 2025
|
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |Morocco
|King Mohammed VI of Morocco
|King of Morocco
|1980 as Crown Prince; King since 1999
|
|
|-
|Princess Lalla Meryem of Morocco
|Princess of Morocco
|1980
|
|
|-
|Malawi
|Cecilia Kadzamira
|Official Hostess of Malawi
|1985
|
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |Morocco
|Princess Lalla Asma of Morocco
|Princess of Morocco
| rowspan="2" |1987
|
|
|-
|Prince Moulay Rachid of Morocco
|Prince of Morocco
|
|
|-
|Spain
|King Felipe VI of Spain
|King of Spain
|1988 as Prince of Asturias; King since 2014
|
|
|-
|Kuwait
|Khaled Al-Duwaisan
|Kuwaiti diplomat
|1995
|
|
|-
| rowspan="3" |Thailand
|King Vajiralongkorn of Thailand
|King of Thailand
|1996 as Crown Prince; King since 2016
|
|
|-
|Princess Sirindhorn, Princess Royal of Thailand
|Princess Royal of Thailand
| rowspan="2" |1996
|
|
|-
|Princess Chulabhorn of Thailand
|Princess of Thailand
|
|
|-
|Brunei
|Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah, Crown Prince of Brunei
|Crown Prince of Brunei
|1998
|
|
|-
|Nigeria
|Emeka Anyaoku
|Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations
|2000
|
|
|-
|Oman
|Sultan Haitham bin Tariq of Oman
|Sultan of Oman
|2010 as Sayyid Haitham bin Tariq bin Taimur Al Said; Sultan since 2020
|
|
|-
|India
|Kamalesh Sharma
|Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations
|2016
|
|
|-
|Jordan
|King Abdullah II of Jordan
|King of Jordan
| rowspan="2" |2024
|
|
|-
|Bahrain
|King Hamad bin Isa of Bahrain
|King of Bahrain
|
|
|}
Honorary Knights and Dames Commander
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; background:white; border:#01796f solid;"
!Country
!Name
!Known for
!Year of appointment
!Present age
!Notes
|-
|Indonesia
|Teuku Mohammad Hamzah Thayeb
|Ambassador to the United Kingdom
|2012
|
|
|-
|South Korea
|Lim Sung-nam
|Ambassador to the United Kingdom
| rowspan="2" |2013
|
|
|-
|Singapore
|Foo Chi Hsia
|High Commissioner to the United Kingdom
|
|
|-
|France
|Bernard Émié
|Ambassador to the United Kingdom
|2014
|
|
|-
|Mexico
|Diego Gómez Pickering
|Ambassador to the United Kingdom
|2015
|
|
|}
Officers
- Chaplain: The Reverend Canon Thomas Woodhouse, as Chaplain of the King's Chapel of the Savoy, since 2019
- Chancellor: Richard Benyon, Baron Benyon , as Lord Chamberlain, since November 2024
- Secretary: James Chalmers, as Keeper of the Privy Purse, since July 2025
- Registrar: Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Segrave, as Secretary of the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood, since 2019
See also
thumb|right|Star and riband of a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
thumb|right|A detailed view of a [[stumpwork and goldwork embroidered star of a Knight or Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order]]
- List of knights grand cross of the Royal Victorian Order appointed by Victoria
- List of knights commander of the Royal Victorian Order appointed by Victoria
- List of knights grand cross of the Royal Victorian Order appointed by Edward VII
- List of knights commander of the Royal Victorian Order appointed by Edward VII
- List of knights grand cross of the Royal Victorian Order appointed by George V
- List of knights commander of the Royal Victorian Order appointed by George V
- List of knights and dames of the Royal Victorian Order appointed by Edward VIII
- List of knights and dames grand cross of the Royal Victorian Order appointed by George VI
- List of knights and dames commander of the Royal Victorian Order appointed by George VI
- List of knights and dames grand cross of the Royal Victorian Order appointed by Elizabeth II (1952–1977)
- List of knights and dames grand cross of the Royal Victorian Order appointed by Elizabeth II (1978–2002)
- List of knights and dames grand cross of the Royal Victorian Order appointed by Elizabeth II (2003–2022)
- List of knights and dames commander of the Royal Victorian Order appointed by Elizabeth II (1952–1977)
- List of knights and dames commander of the Royal Victorian Order appointed by Elizabeth II (1978–2002)
- List of knights and dames commander of the Royal Victorian Order appointed by Elizabeth II (2003–2022)
- List of knights and dames grand cross of the Royal Victorian Order appointed by Charles III
- List of knights and dames commander of the Royal Victorian Order appointed by Charles III
- Royal Victorian Chain
- Royal Victorian Medal
- List of people who have declined a British honour
Notes
References
Citations
Sources
Further reading
External links
- Royal Victorian Order – Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood
- The Royal Victorian Order – UK Cabinet Office
- The King and Honours – Royal Household website
- The British honours system – UK Government