Service of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, 2013

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Accompanied by Prince Charles and Prince William

Service of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, 2013 (Windsor Castle, Great Britain)

One of the most important events of 2013 for me and my colleague Alexander Ishutin was participation in the service of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, which was held in Saint George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on June 17th.

To participate in such an important event, we clad ourselves properly – put on new suits and tied our ties to set off from our London hotel for the Windsor Castle at eight o’clock in the morning sharp.

It takes one hour to get to Windsor from London, and by 9.30 we were already at Windsor. The weather on that day was wonderful. It was cloudy, and the sun came out from time to time, but fortunately there was no rain. They say that on the Garter Day it rains seldom.

Although the castle opens at noon, by the time when we arrived there already was a huge line. I have to mention that this time we arrived two hours earlier, and, as usual, we had the privilege to close the rear – at a gate of one of the service entrances to the castle, where the line ended. And this, as it turned out later, was not that bad, since through the gate of the service entrance Knights of the Order of the Garter and members of the Royal Family drove in once in a while.

Tickets and Instructions for the Service of the Order of the Garter

At about 11 o’clock Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall and wife of Prince Charles, arrived at the castle. The Duchess of Cornwall greeted all those standing at the gates by waving her hand in a manner that is so characteristic of the Royal Family members; and when the gate was opened the car with the Duchess proceeded into the castle. After a little while, the queue was revived again, and everyone was set in motion – it was a true sign that the castle had been opened and guests were admitted into it.

In about twenty minutes, after going through the multi-level security “corridor” and entering upon the territory of the Windsor Castle, we proceeded to our seats in the Grass Area at the walls of Saint George’s Chapel. Before the ceremony started, we were supplied with informative guidelines, which later helped us to see and realize many interesting things.

Your Humble Servant…

Garter Day is an official British ceremony and it is the most important occasion for Her Majesty the Queen, members of the Royal family and British aristocracy. Best members of the British society are invited to watch and participate in the service of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, as well as numerous guests. The Garter Day also cannot do without the display of ladies’ hats and dresses. It is an unforgettable and memorable event.

The ceremony of the Most Noble Order of the Garter started sharply after the striking of the tower clock at 14:30; and it started with a procession. Past the gathered people, paced in an orderly way the whole procession went by. It was headed up by musicians; following them, military men marched in line; then there went heralds, priests and other participants of the ceremony; and the procession was closed by the Knights of the Order of the Garter, whose appearance has not changed since the time when the Order of the Garter itself was founded.

The Order of the Garter was introduced in 1350. English King Edward III was coming back to his homeland after glorious victories, which he won at Calais and Crecy, where the French were defeated. In order to glorify his victorious army, the king decided to found an order for chivalry. One of the main reasons for introducing the order was his desire to add more luster to that endless war, which the king had been waging against the king of France for a long time. Edward III needed the hardships of the war to be perceived as wonderful adventures that noble and valiant knights had to aspire for to defeat the adversary, who unrighteously took from their sovereign his legal right of heritage.

According to some chronicles, when the order was founded, the English king kept in mind the pattern of the Knights of the Round Table. There is much confusion in historical chronicles concerning this point, so, eventually, the moment of the foundation of a new order is mixed into one with a tournament of the Round Table, which was held at Windsor Castle. Chronicler Jean Le Bel tells us that out of his noble heart the king decided to rebuild the castle of Windsor, which had been formerly built by Arthur and where the Round table was first set, in honour of his valiant knights, who were with him at the time and served him so well. The king greatly appreciated their services and considered them to be so noble that, according to his words, no one like them could be found in any other kingdom. And it seemed to him that no matter what honours he would give to them – it would not be too much, such was his love for them (for these knights). And King Edward announced to the whole kingdom that a great feast would be held with a grand reception on the occasion of the founding of this Round table; and he invited noble ladies and dames, knights and armor-bearers to come for this great feast….

Countess of Salisbury lost her blue embroidered garter from her gallant dress during the ball at Windsor. The garter fell on the stone floor and the king, having stopped at it, looked at the cute ribbon studded with precious stones. Many courtiers, though, attributed hidden meaning to the king’s look, for his infatuation with the beautiful countess was no secret to anyone. The dancers stopped, and hushed chuckles were heard on all sides. The king understood the reason for his court’s laughter, but he stooped over, lifted up the garter himself and fixed it onto his sleeve. Then he spoke the words, which later became the Order’s motto, “Shamed be the person who thinks evil of it!”…

This year, because of a scheduled medical examination, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and spouse of Queen Elizabeth II, did not participate in the procession of the Order of the Garter; Catherine Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, spouse of Prince William, also was not there because their first child was expected to be born in the family.

The service of the Order was also without Baroness Margaret Thatcher, who passed away not so long ago.

Among those who participated in the procession one could see Baroness Soames (daughter of Winston Churchill), former prime-minister of the United Kingdom John Major, Princess Anna, Prince Charles, Prince William, Prince Edward, Prince Andrew, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, as well as other members of the Royal Family and Knights of the Most Noble Order of the Garter. Her Majesty the Queen was walking surrounded by Prince Charles and Prince William, and she did not hide her delight in their company; and two little girls, who stood on the lawn, as the Queen approached raised their voices to shout with joy, “God save the Queen! God save the Queen!..”

After the Knights of the Order of the Garter and all the participants of the procession took their places, the service began, and it began with the National Anthem “God Save the Queen!”, which was picked up by all the attendants of the Garter Day; there was a prayer after the anthem, which was followed by a Christian hymn performed by the church choir. After the hymn, the Dean of Saint George’s Chapel read portions from Ephesians chapter 6, verses 10 through 18. After the verses, more Christian hymns were sung. The service ended with the Prayer of the Creed and blessings.

In the conclusion of the Garter Day, as all the Knights of the Order were leaving in carriages and cars, they once again greeted all who were present there, and Alexander and I proceeded to the Vicars’ Hall for Tea.

Events like the Garter Day are traditional for the stable British society, and it is always enjoyable and amusing to participate in them.