"is headed by the Grand Chancellor, usually a retired general, and the Secretary General, a civilian administrator. The Grand Chancery also regulates the National Order of Merit and the ' (Military Medal). There are several structures funded by and operated under the authority of the Grand Chancery, like the Legion of Honour Schools (') and the Legion of Honour Museum ('). The Legion of Honour Schools are élite boarding schools in Saint-Denis and Les Loges in the forest of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. Study there is restricted to daughters, granddaughters, and great-granddaughters of members of the order, the ' or the "". There"
"is strictly limited and includes the Monarch, the Prince of Wales, not more than 24 companion members, and various supernumerary members. The monarch alone can grant membership. He or she is known as the ""Sovereign of the Garter"", and the Prince of Wales is known as a ""Royal Knight Companion of the Garter"". Male members of the Order are titled ""Knights Companion"" and female members are called ""Ladies Companion"". Formerly, the Sovereign filled vacancies upon the nomination of the members. Each member would nominate nine candidates, of whom three had to have the rank of earl or higher, three the"
"of age. All citizens of the Commonwealth realms are eligible for appointment to the Order of Merit. There may be, however, only 24 living individuals in the order at any given time, not including honorary appointees, and new members are personally selected by the reigning monarch of the realms, currently Queen Elizabeth II, with the assistance of her private secretaries; the order has thus been described as ""quite possibly, the most prestigious honour one can receive on planet Earth."" Within the limited membership is a designated military division, with its own unique insignia; though it has not been abolished, it"
"last surviving former member (now Sovereign) of the Order. Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester was the last ordinary member at the time of her death in 2004. Order of the Crown of India The Imperial Order of the Crown of India is an order in the British honours system. The Order was established by Queen Victoria in 1878, when she became Empress of India. The Order is open only to women; no new appointments have been made after the Partition of India in 1947. The Order was limited to British princesses, wives or female relatives of Indian princes and wives"
"is currently unpopulated, Lord Mountbatten of Burma having been the last person so honoured. Honorary members form another group, to which there is no numerical limit, though such appointments are rare; individuals from countries in the Commonwealth of Nations that are not headed by Elizabeth II are therefore considered foreigners, and thus are granted only honorary admissions, such as Nelson Mandela (South Africa) and Mother Teresa (India). Upon admission into the Order of Merit, members are entitled to use the post-nominal letters ""OM"" and are entrusted with the badge of the order, consisting of a golden crown from which is"
"convention, on the advice of the Government). The next-most senior member is the Grand Master. The office was formerly filled by the Lord High Commissioner of the Ionian Islands; now, however, Grand Masters are chosen by the Sovereign. Grand Masters include: The Order originally included 15 Knights Grand Cross, 20 Knights Commanders, and 25 Companions but has since been expanded and the current limits on membership are 125, 375, and 1,750 respectively. Members of the Royal Family who are appointed to the Order do not count towards the limit, nor do foreign members appointed as ""honorary members"". The Order has"
"of the Order (by convention, on the advice of the governments of the United Kingdom and some Commonwealth realms). The next most senior member is the Grand Master, of whom there have been three: Prince Edward, the Prince of Wales (1917–1936); Queen Mary (1936–1953); and the current Grand Master, the Duke of Edinburgh (since 1953). The Order is limited to 300 Knights and Dames Grand Cross, 845 Knights and Dames Commander, and 8,960 Commanders. There are no limits applied to the total number of members of the fourth and fifth classes, but no more than 858 Officers and 1,464 Members"
"the order had four principal officers, whose duties were to administer its affairs: A reform of August 17, 1827, limited these duties to certain ceremonial roles at the installation of knights, and no successors were appointed to the then-holders of these offices. The order continues to be awarded today by the two claimants to the headship of the royal House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Prince Pedro, Duke of Calabria and Prince Carlo, Duke of Castro. Since 1960, the order has been awarded sparingly and total membership has not exceeded eighty, most of the knights being members of royal houses, senior officers"
"Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch of the Commonwealth realms, members of the monarch's family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the monarch. The present monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, is the Sovereign of the order, its motto is ""Victoria"", and its official day is 20 June. The order's chapel is the Savoy Chapel in London. There is no limit on the number honoured at any grade, and admission remains at the sole discretion of the monarch,"
"those inducted into the single-class order are entitled to use the post-nominal letters ""CH"". Appointments can be made on the advice of Commonwealth realm prime ministers. For Canadians, the advice to the Sovereign can come from a variety of officials. Originally, the order was limited to 50 ordinary members, but in 1943 it was enlarged to 65, with a quota of 45 members for the United Kingdom, seven for Australia, two each for New Zealand and South Africa, and 9 for India, Burma, and the other British colonies. The quota numbers were altered in 1970 to 47 for the United"
"(SSIS) can only be awarded to two people at one time and the maximum number of recipients is 40 people. Dato' Setia Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah (DSIS) can be awarded up to 20 people at one time and the maximum number of recipients is 600 people. Male recipients of Dato' Seri Setia Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah (SSIS) will carry the title Dato' Setia and their female spouse Datin Setia. Female recipients of the order will carry the title Datin Paduka Setia. Husband to the female recipients will not carry any title. Male recipients of Dato' Setia Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah"
"current form on 1 December 1693 by King Christian V as having only one class consisting of only 30 noble knights in addition to the Grand Master (i.e., the king) and his sons. The statutes of the order were amended in 1958 by a Royal Ordinance so that both men and women could be members of the order. The elephant and castle design derives from an elephant carrying a howdah, the familiar castle replacing the unfamiliar howdah, and finds use elsewhere in European iconography, as discussed at howdah. The Danish monarch is the head of the order. The members of"
"Order of the Direkgunabhorn The Most Admirable Order of the Direkgunabhorn (; ) was established by King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) on 22 July 1991 (B.E. 2534) to be bestowed upon those who have rendered devotional services to the Kingdom of Thailand. The title ""Direkgunabhorn"" (ดิเรกคุณาภรณ์) roughly translates as ""Noble order of abundance and quality."" The Order consists of seven classes. Originally, the ribbon for each class was the same, with no device to distinguish the different level. On 31 January 2538 B.E. (1995 CE) the regulations were amended to include a device on the ribbon distinguishing the class. Membership"
"personal bestowal of the Queen. The membership of the Order of the Garter is limited to 24 at any one time, and this number excludes the British Royal Family and foreign royal families who are members. The Order currently includes one former British Prime Minister, Sir John Major, as well as numerous British government ministers and senior members of the Royal Household. On 26 April 2012 Lord Luce was appointed by David Cameron, the Prime Minister, as the Chair of the Crown Nominations Commission for the See of Canterbury, the commission set up to nominate the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury."
"as Sovereigns of the Order. When James VII revived the Order, the statutes stated that the Order would continue the ancient number of Knights, which was described in the preceding warrant as ""the Sovereign and twelve Knights-Brethren in allusion to the Blessed Saviour and his Twelve Apostles"". In 1827, George IV augmented the Order to sixteen members. Women (other than Queens regnant) were originally excluded from the Order; George VI created his wife Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon a Lady of the Thistle in 1937 via a special statute, and in 1987 Elizabeth II allowed the regular admission of women to both the"
"the Order but a maximum of four people may receive the honour each year. The Order is administered by a council who are appointed by the board of Clans of Ireland. The Order's statutes dictate that three members of council, including the chair must be drawn from the board of Clans of Ireland and a further two must be independent. Once appointed the Order's council is completely autonomous in its decisions and feedback is not given on unsuccessful nominations. Each year the Order's council convenes in the Spring to consider all nominations which have been presented by Clans or the"
"16. Count Olsoufieff, 17. Gerebtzoff, 18. Count Strogonoff †, 19. Boutourline, 20. Potemkine †, 21. Tchirikoff †, 22. Prince Khilkoff ‡, 23. Prince Odoevsky †, 24 Prince Youssoupoff †. Key. † Direct Male line from the first Commander extinct. ‡ Direct Male line is extinct, but the family was reinstated via the female line by the Imperium. There were originally 24 Commanders of Families registered in 23 families (with two Commanderies in one family). Under the Imperial Ukase 19.044 of 1799 (July 21 Old Style) it is clear that there can be only one Commander per Commandery. Thus only 24"
"website currently describes the Queen as the fount of honour for ""life peerages, knighthoods and gallantry awards"", with no mention of hereditary titles. Until 1963 peers could not disclaim their peerage in order to sit in the House of Commons, and thus a peerage was sometimes seen as an impediment to a future political career. In 1999, the House of Lords Act abolished the automatic right of hereditary peers to sit in the House of Lords. Out of about 750 hereditary peers, only 92 may sit in the House of Lords. The Act provides that 90 of those 92 seats"
"and nominate his successor. A past president was forced to resign because he “accidentally” allowed this limit to be exceeded that number. Foreigners can become members for an annual fee. However, members are of different categories such as life members, general members, honorary members, special members, and officers of the defense forces. The total number of members of the club in 2016 was 3,120, a figure that is considered as the highest membership limit. The rules and regulations of the remain the same from the times of the Raj. No locals are permitted in the lounge, the bar, the dining"
"be withdrawn or elevated to higher rank. The peerage consists of a prefix signifying the rank ( – ""Bandasakdi"") and an honorific name ( – ""Raja Dinnanam""). Before the Siamese revolution of 1932, the peerage had four groups: royal, civil and military, courtiers and clergy. Enacted by King Narayana the Great, the peer has ""Krom"" for managing their household and staffs. The ranks of royal peerage are: The sovereign may grant titles to other royal-family members: These titles were given only to men and were not inheritable, similar to a life peerage. European equivalents were also used on diplomatic missions."
"described as ""awarded for having a major contribution to the arts, science, medicine, or government lasting over a long period of time"", the first recipients, were all decorated for ""services in connection with the war"" and were listed in ""The London Gazette"" in August 1917 with the award taking effect from 4 June 1917. The Chapel Royal at Hampton Court is now the Chapel of the Order. The order consists of the Sovereign and a maximum 65 members. Additionally, foreigners or Commonwealth citizens from outside the realms may be added as honorary members. Membership confers no title or precedence, but"
"Hereditary peer The hereditary peers form part of the peerage in the United Kingdom. As of 2016 there are 820 hereditary peers. The numbers of peers - of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the UK - whose titles are the highest they hold (i.e. are not subsidiary titles) are: dukes, 24 (non-royal); marquesses, 34; earls, 193; viscounts, 112; barons, 445. Not all hereditary titles are titles of the peerage. For instance, baronets and baronetesses may pass on their titles, but they are not peers. Conversely, the holder of a non-hereditary title may belong to the peerage, as with life"
"may be appointed per year. Foreign appointees, as honorary members, do not contribute to the numbers restricted to the Order as full members do. Although the Order of the British Empire has by far the highest number of members of the British Orders of Chivalry, with over 100,000 living members worldwide, there are fewer appointments to knighthoods than in other orders. Though men can be knighted separately from an order of chivalry, women cannot, and so the rank of Knight/Dame Commander of the Order is the lowest rank of damehood, and second-lowest of knighthood (above Knights Bachelor). Because of this,"
"There is no limit to how many Members can be living at one time, though the Governor General may only appoint up to 136 Members per year. A non-Canadian can be considered for membership in all three grades; however, the Governor General can only make five of these appointments per year. Honorary members are allowed to use post-nominal letters and wear the insignia in public. Once the nomination has been received by the Chancellery of Honours, it will be evaluated by the Advisory Council of the Order of Canada. The members of the Council evaluate and vote on each nomination"
"the order can advance to the next higher class every five years. The number of Saudi conferments is limited annually. The statutes of the order stipulate no more than 20 grand sashes of the distinguished class. Up to 40, 60, 80 and 100 awards can be granted to members of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th classes, respectively. The Classes include: The Saudis avoid words like ""cross"" (as in ""Grand-Cross"") and ""knight"". The order is sometimes referred to as the: Order of King Abdulaziz The Order of King Abdulaziz is a Saudi-Arabian order of merit. The order was named after"
"Order of the Indian Empire The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: No appointments have been made since 1947, the year that India and Pakistan became independent from the British Raj. With the death of the last surviving knight, the Maharaja of Dhrangadhra, the order became dormant in 2010. The motto of the Order is ""Imperatricis auspiciis"", (Latin for ""Under the auspices of the Empress""), a reference to Queen Victoria, the first Empress of India. The Order is the junior British"
"to receive it. The four classes of appointment to the Order are, in descending order of precedence: Seri Paduka Mahkota Selangor (SPMS) can only be awarded to two people at one time and the maximum number of recipients is 40 people. Dato Paduka Mahkota Selangor (DPMS) can be awarded up to 20 people at one time and the maximum number of recipients is 600 people. Male recipients of Seri Paduka Mahkota Selangor (SPMS) will carry the title Dato' Seri and their female spouse Datin Seri. Female recipients of the order will carry the title Datin Paduka Seri. Husband to the"
"each division is also limited. During the 50th anniversary of his accession to the throne, King Bhumibol promoted all recipients of the Order during the reign of his predecessor, King Rama VIII, by one class higher. The Sovereign Grand Master of the order is Knight Grand Cordon but the star is decorated with diamonds The Queen consort is Dame Grand Cross but the star is decorated with diamonds. The First Class of the order is broken into two divisions for men, and one division for women. The Second Class of the order is broken into two divisions for men, and"
"the collar. Clerical inductees of the order may, when officiating, wear over their cassock and surplice a mozzetta of black with red lining, edging, and buttons, a 76mm wide star worn on the left breast and the accordant badge suspended at the neck. When full mantles and sopra vests are worn a black velvet Tudor-style hat is included. The Sovereign Head confirms all appointments to the order as she, in her absolute discretion, shall think fit, though the constitution does impose certain limitations: the maximum number of members is set at 35,000, and appointees as Priory Esquire may not be"
"cross. The order today is estimated to have some 30,000 knights and dames in 60 Lieutenancies around the world, including Monarchs, Crown Princes and their consorts and Heads of State from countries such as Spain, Belgium, Monaco, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein. Membership of the order is by invitation only, to practicing Catholic men and women—laity and clergy—of good character, minimum 25 years of age, who have distinguished themselves for concern of the Christians of the Holy Land. Aspirant members must be recommended by their local bishop with the support of several members of the order, and are required to make a"
"proof of four hundred years of nobility in each of the four quarters and proof that all thirty-two great-great-great grandparents were noble, still rigidly enforced. The statutes were again revised on 11 December 1999 (approved by the present Head of the House, Duke Franz, on 11 January 2000), suppressing the separate clerical class (priests may join the Order as regular members, provided they have the necessary nobiliary qualifications) and simplified the regulations. They have to be at least twenty-one years of age and before admission, are examined by a committee of knights. There was originally a special ""zungen"" (langue or"
"of the House of Windsor has 105 known descendants in five generations. Out of the known descendants, 1 is currently the monarch and 74 family members are in the line of succession. Members who are (1) Catholic or (2) ""illegitimate or legitimated by marriage"" are excluded by peerage regulations. Spouses are not included in the list. Most of the first generation of illegitimate children on this table are all ""legitimatio per matrimonium subsequens"" or ""legitimated by subsequent marriage"". Under British law, they and their descendants are excluded from the line of succession. In some cases they are also excluded from"
"award was limited to 250 living recipients only at any time, excluding foreign citizens who receive it as an honorary award. The badge and the design of the star are similar to that of the Grand Commander but smaller. The riband has a navy blue background and on both the edges are red stripes. In the centre are red stripes (broad) flanked by narrow ones. The lowest class of the order is the Companion of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia (J.S.M.) (). Only 800 living recipients are conferred this award at any time, excluding foreign citizens"