trueroyals:

Family Orders 

Royal family orders in Britain originated during George IV’s reign; you will see them on British royal ladies at gala occasions, and rarely at other occasions. A rare other occasion was the Queen and other ladies of the royal family wearing them at George VI’s funeral.

Above is Queen Elizabeth II’s Family Order. Queen Elizabeth II’s order is a portrait of herself painted on ivory in a diamond frame topped by a Tudor crown and set on a pale yellow silk bow. Her cypher adorns the back side.

When the Queen gives this out, it is a private award. There is no announcement; the only way to know if a certain lady has the royal family order is to see her wear it in public. Which members of the family receive the honor, and when they receive it, is entirely up to the Queen. 

Living members of the royal family that we know to have the Queen’s order are Camilla, Sophie, Princess Anne, the Duchess of Gloucester, the Duchess of Kent, and Princess Alexandra of Kent. Diana received the order during her marriage; Sarah, Duchess of York, never did.

The Queen herself wears the orders of her father, George VI, and her grandfather, George V. 

A unique thing with the British Royals (and another thing that separates us from the European Royals and other RF’s) is that the color of the bow changes with each reign.

This is unlike other RF’s that have the same bow and just a different ‘painting’. 

Norway

Sweden 

Denmark

Sashes

Sashes are part of the insignia that accompanies membership in an order of chivalry or merit. Most countries (even ones that don’t have a monarchy) have some sort of honours to bestow to people. Each order has its own specific rules regarding who can award it, what it can be awarded for, and who can receive it. 

Each order has its own story as well. Founded in 1348 by King Edward III, Britain’s Most Noble Order of the Garter is one of the most famous orders still in use. The legend has it that the garter of a lady the King was dancing with slipped to the floor, prompting the King to pick it up and tie it on his own leg. To those that snickered, he proclaimed: “Honi soit qui mal y pense”, or “shame upon him who thinks evil upon it”, which became the order’s motto. It has been in continuous use since then. Prince William is the 1000th Knight of the Garter; he was inducted in 2008. 

The ribbon used for the sashes is unique to the order, and it is the easiest way to tell orders apart. Below, is a selection of royal ladies wearing some of the sashes we most commonly see. All of these orders come from the same country these women are representing. 

(not my work)

Some countries only have one order to give out, and others have multiple orders that are ranked by precedence. Most of these are the highest orders available to royals from these countries; Sophie and Letizia are the exceptions.

(not my work)

A sash is not all that is given to those within an Order but is the most obvious way to recognize and member. A sash is worn with a badge at the hip, and a star at the chest or waist. Many orders have different ranks within them, and insignia can vary with rank. The highest and most formal mark of an order is typically the collar.

When do you get them? Policies for awarding orders vary from country to country. Sometimes it’s automatic, when a royal comes of age or when a new member marries into the family. (Example: Crown Princess Victoria became a member of the Order of the Seraphim when she turned 18, and her husband received the order immediately after they were married.) In other countries, orders are very hard to come by. 

The United Kingdom is one such country: Queen Elizabeth rarely gives out orders. The highest order in Britain is the Order of the Garter, and it is also the most exclusive. While the Prince of Wales is automatically a member, the Queen’s three youngest children were in their 40s before they were inducted. She never awarded the Garter to her sister, Princess Margaret, and she’s never given it to anyone that married into the family.

The Countess of Wessex received her first sash in 2010 when she was given the Royal Victorian Order (a lesser order) after ten years of marriage and several years of solid service to the Queen. She also has the Order of Saint John - again, lower in significance.

When are they worn

The easiest answer would be when the dress code says so, but that’s not helpful. So here are some ground rules:

• Men wear orders with white tie in the evening and with military uniforms, as prescribed by the military guidelines for the specific uniform they happen to be wearing (for example, some uniforms may require only the star).
• Women wear orders when the men are in white tie, meaning they are in gowns and tiaras (usually); they would also wear them if and when they wear military uniforms, with the same guidelines.

Extra Info

When a royal is a member of more than one order, they can mix the insignia for maximum representation. This Prince Charles pic is a great source of info:

(Still not my work)

The order of highest rank gets the prime insignia spots: the Order of the Garter is his most important order, so he wears the sash, badge and the star in the highest position on his uniform. Moving down in precedence, Scotland’s Order of the Thistle gets the second star place, and then the Order of the Bath takes the neck badge spot. His other decorations (the badge from the military Order of Merit, and various medals of commemoration) assume their regular uniform locations.