Duchess Camilla to receive Order of the Garter, the ‘oldest and most senior’ honor in Britain

Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla Parker-Bowles is set to be installed as a Royal Lady of the Order of the Garter. The Order of the Garter is the oldest and most senior Order of Chivalry in Britain and was inspired by the legend of King Arthur. Camilla will be installed to the order during the first Garter Day to take place in person since 2019. 

• Duchess Camilla will be installed as a Royal Lady of the Order of the Garter on Monday, in the first Garter Day service since 2019 at Windsor Castle.
• The honor is one of the most prestigious titles held in Britain and dates back to the 1300s.
• In other royal news, Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla made some very sweet friends at this 230-year-old Cornish food festival.

Members of the Royal Family will walk in procession to St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle and, after the service, will depart by carriages.

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall will see herself bestowed with one of Britain’s greatest honors, as she is installed as a Royal Lady of the Order of the Garter.

Camilla will receive the honor at Windsor Castle, the new permanent residence of Her Majesty the Queen, on Monday, June 13, when the traditional Garter Day returns in person for the first time since 2019.

Garter Day is steeped in tradition with the royals dressing up in ceremonial robes for the event and honoring a tradition that dates back to the 1300s, and the legend of King Arthur.

What is the Order of the Garter?

The Order of the Garter, as explained by the official website for the Royal Family, is "a group of honorable knights” thought to be "the oldest and most senior Order of Chivalry in Britain."

The Order was created in 1348 by King Edward III, who was said to be fascinated with the legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. According to Windsor Castle's College of St. George, it was in 1344 that Edward "promised to renew King Arthur’s celebrated fraternity of knights, the Round Table, with its complement of 300 men."

Though this didn’t quite come to be, the king did install a smaller group of 26 knights – and the tradition has continued to this day.

Queen Elizabeth, as Sovereign of the Garter, is responsible for appointing Knights to the Order. Knights are chosen from a variety of backgrounds, “in recognition for their public service."

The Order of the Garter is named after the symbol of the garter worn by its members and bears its own motto,"Honi soit qui mal y pense," which translates to, "Shame on him who thinks this evil."

Who is in the Order of the Garter?

Garter Day used to take place annually, disrupted only by the coronavirus pandemic, and is described on the Royal Family’s website as being “one of the most traditional ceremonies in the Queen’s calendar.”

The ceremony unites many of the Knights – wearing “velvet robes, glistening insignia, and plumed hats” – who will witness any new appointments by the Queen.

The current Order of the Garter is made up of different types of members, with Stranger Knights being introduced so that non-Brits could be bestowed the honor.

Members ex officio (or “by position” of birth) are the Queen and Prince Charles.

Appointed Knights and Ladies Companion are:

• James Hamilton, the Duke of Abercorn
• Peter Inge, a lord and former head of the armed forces
• Robin Butler, Baron Butler of Brockwell
• John Morris, Baron Morris of Aberavon
• Sir John Major
• Lord Richard Napier Luce
• Sir Thomas Dunne
• Nicholas Addison Phillips, The Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers
• Admiral of the Fleet, the Lord Boyce
• Marshal of the Royal Air Force, the Lord Stirrup
• The Baroness Manningham-Buller
• The Lord King of Lothbury
• The Lord Shuttleworth
• Sir David Brewer
• The Viscount Brookeborough
• Lady Mary Fagan
• The Marquess of Salisbury
• Lady Mary Peters
• The Baroness Amos
• Sir Tony Blair

Royal Knights and Ladies Companion include:

• Prince Edward, Duke of Kent
• Anne, the Princess Royal
• Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester
• Princess Alexandra
• Prince Andrew, Duke of York
• Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
• Prince William
• Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall

Her Majesty has also honored noble families from outside of Britain with titles of the Garter. These Stranger Knights and Ladies Companion include:

• The Queen of Denmark
• The King of Sweden
• King Emeritus Juan Carlos I of Spain
• Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands
• Emperor Emeritus Akihito of Japan
• The King of Norway
• King Felipe VI of Spain
• King of the Netherlands