Service of the Most Noble Order of the Garter 2014
Her Majesty Queen of Great Britain Elizabeth II and His Highness Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh
On Monday, 16th of June, 2014, at the residency of Her Majesty Queen of the United Kingdom Elizabeth II, at Windsor Castle, there was another solemn Service of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, where the newly chosen Knights of the Order were handed their ceremonial Garters and Stars – the Order’s insignia. In the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries this day is also called the Garter Day.
Tickets to the Service of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, 2014
My colleague Alexander Ishutin and I for the third time were privileged to have the honour of being present at the solemn Service of the Most Noble Order of the Garter in Saint George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. To participate in the Service of the Most Noble Order of the Garter and to be at the center of this historic event on the world’s scale was a great honour and privilege for us.
Eliza Manninghem-Buller and Mervin King
This year, the former Governor of the Bank of England Mervin King and ex-Director General of the British Internal Security Service Eliza Manninghem-Buller became the Knights of the Most Noble Order of the Garter. According to the tradition, the procession of the Knights of the Most Noble Order of the Garter to the Chapel of Saint George was led by the newly chosen Knights.
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge
Among the participants of the present ceremony one could see Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II with Prince Consort Philip, Duke of Edinburgh; Prince Charles of Wales; Prince William, Duke of Cambridge; Princess Anna; Prince Andrew, Duke of York; Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex; Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester; Princess Alexandra, the Honourable Lady Ogilvy; Prince Edward, Duke of Kent; Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge; Sophie, Countess of Wessex; Brigitte, Duchess of Gloucester and other members of the Royal family, as well as the Knights of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge
This year the Service of the Order was missing the daughter of Winston Churchill Lady Soames, who died recently; also, the Duchess of Cornwall Camilla was absent due to unknown reasons.
The Order of the Garter is the highest order of Chivalry in the United Kingdom, and one of the oldest orders of the world. It was established by glorious King Edward III. It is traditionally believed that the Order was established in 1348, but in the genealogy book of British gentry – The Complete Peerage, it is stated that the Order of the Garter was founded on April 23 of 1344. In the same source among the founder knights Sir Sanchet D’Abrichecourt, a French knight, is also mentioned, who died on October 20 of 1345, which adds to the veracity of this version. Anyway, the archives of the royal dressmakers indicate that the first vestments of the Order were made in 1348.
Members of the Royal Family at the Service of the Order of the Garter, 16.06.2014
There are several legends about the origin of the Order and of its motto. According to the most popular one, King Edward III was dancing at a ball with Catherine Montacute, Countess of Salisbury. While they were dancing, a stocking garter slipped from her leg. Everyone laughed when they saw this incident, but the King picked up this garter and returned it to the countess, saying, “Honi soit qui mal y pense,” which means, “Shamed be the person who thinks evil of it.” These words became the motto of the Order.
According to another legend, King Richard I the Lion Heart on a Crusade according to the instruction of Saint Martyr George before an important battle tied a garter to his leg. Hisknightsdidthesame. Thebattlewaswon. Two hundred years later King Edward III, pretending for the French throne, remembered this legend and founded the Order, as a sign of his continental claims.
Royal Colours above the Round Tower of the Windsor Castle
The membership in the Order of the Garter is limited. It includes the British Monarch – the Order’s Sovereign, the Prince of Wales, and no more than twenty four members, Knights Companions. There are also the so-called supernumerary Knights and Ladies of the Order. Usually, these are the members of the British reigning dynasty and members of the foreign reigning families. The Sovereign alone makes the decision to grant the membership of the Order of the Garter.
Only those who already have the rank of a knight can become Knights Companions of the Order of the Garter, with the exception of Knights Bachelors, that is, persons made knights, although they do not belong to any of the Knights Orders.
When accepted to the Most Noble Order of the Garter, the member takes upon himself to follow all the rules of the Order, the most important one of which is to protect the Order’s Sovereign.
Just like any other Order, the Order of the Garter also has its insignia. They include the Garter – a ribbon of dark-blue velvet with a gold fringe and the motto written on it in gold in Old French, “Honi soit qui mal y pense” (men wear it under their knee on the left leg, women – on their left arm above the elbow); the Order’s collar made of golden medallions; the badge of gold decorated with diamonds with the image of Saint George; the silver star with a red Saint George’s Cross, which is worn pinned to the left breast; and the mantle, the bonnet with a plume, and the broad blue Garter riband worn over the left shoulder.
Among the Knights of the Most Noble Order of the Garter there were Russian Emperors Alexander I, Nicholas I, Alexander II, Alexander III, and Nicholas II, as well as the Great Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich.
In the history of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, there were known cases when the Knights were “degraded” (expelled) for their failure to abide by the organization’s principles. For example, on May 13 of 1915, due to the aggression against the Great Britain in the First World War, around eight knights were stripped of the Order of the Garter. Among them there was the Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria (754th Knight), German Emperor Wilhelm II (767th Knight), and Ernst August of Hanover (769th Knight) who were deprived of their title.