Order of the Crown (Netherlands)

Order of the Crown
*Kroonorde*
Order of the Crown; Kroonorde ;
	Cross of honour of the Order of the Crown
Awarded by King of the Netherlands
Type	House Order
Established	30 November 1969
Motto	JE MAINTIENDRAI
Eligibility	Foreigners
Awarded for	Special service to the Dutch Sovereign or Royal House
Status	Currently constituted
Sovereign	King Willem-Alexander
Chancellor	Jaap Leeuwenburg
Grades	Grand Cross; Grand Honorary Cross with Star; Grand Honorary Cross; Honorary Cross with Rosette; Honorary Cross; Medal in Gold; Medal in Silver; Medal in Bronze
Precedence
Next (higher)	Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau
Next (lower)	Honorable Mention,; Bronze Lion
Equivalent	Order of the House of Orange,; Order for Loyalty and Merit
	; Ribbon bar of the Order of the Crown; ;

The Order of the Crown (Dutch: Kroonorde) is a house order of the Dutch Royal House. The order came into being as a result of Queen Juliana's reorganization of the Order of the House of Orange (Huisorde van Oranje) in 1969. The 18 classes of the house order were no longer felt to be appropriate in the ever more egalitarian Dutch society of the 1960s. The Order was divided into five subdivisions. As a house order it is not subject to ministerial responsibility or influence, but is awarded at the discretion of the Dutch monarch alone.

The Order of the Crown is intended for "foreigners who have rendered special service to the Dutch King or his House".^[2] The former queen, Beatrix, instituted a silver medal to commemorate state visits.

Grades and insignia

The Order of the Crown has the traditional five grades and three medals. This allows the Dutch monarch to dispense the decorations according to rank especially during state visits. The following five grades and medals with insignia:

Grand Cross (Grootkruis) - badge may be worn on a sash on the right shoulder, plus a 4-pointed star on the left chest;
Grand Honorary Cross with Star (Groot erekruis met Plaque) - wears the badge on a necklet, plus a 4-pointed star on the left chest;
Grand Honorary Cross (Groot erekruis) - wears the badge on a necklet;
Honorary Cross with Rosette (Erekruis met Rozette) - wears the badge on a ribbon with a rosette on the left chest;
Honorary Cross (Erekruis) - wears the badge on a ribbon on the left chest;
Medals in Gold, Silver and Bronze (Medaille in goud, zilver en brons) - wears the medal on a ribbon on the left chest.