The Royal Family Order of Elizabeth II is an honour which was bestowed on female members of the British royal family by Queen Elizabeth II. The order is worn by recipients on formal occasions.[1]
| Royal Family Order of Elizabeth II | |
|---|---|
 Insignia | |
| Awarded by Queen Elizabeth II | |
| Type | Royal Family Order |
| Founded | 1952 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Ribbon | Chartreuse yellow |
| Eligibility | Female members of the British royal family |
| Criteria | At Her Majesty's pleasure |
| Status | Not awarded since the death of Elizabeth II |
| Statistics | |
| First induction | 1952 |
| Last induction | 2017 |
 Ribbon of the Order | |
Appearance
editThe Royal Family Order depicts a young Queen Elizabeth II in evening dress wearing the ribbon and star of the Order of the Garter. The miniature, painted on ivory (glass since 2017),[2] is bordered by diamonds and surmounted by a Tudor Crown in diamonds and red enamel. The reverse, in silver-gilt, is patterned with rays and depicts the royal cypher and St Edward's Crown in gold and enamel. The watered silk ribbon is chartreuse yellow and formed into a bow. It is worn pinned to the dress of the recipient on the left shoulder.[3]
It was provided in two different sizes: the larger version was bestowed on the Queen's mother, grandmother and sister, and size two to the other recipients.[3] (After the death of Queen Mary, Princess Margaret began wearing her grandmother's size 1 badge.)[4]
List of known recipients
editThe initial badges were presented at Christmas 1952.[3]
Deceased
editSize 1:[3]
- 1952: Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (mother of Elizabeth II)[5][6]
- 1952: Queen Mary (grandmother of Elizabeth II)[6]
- 1952: Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (younger sister of Elizabeth II)[7]
- 1981: Diana, Princess of Wales (daughter-in-law of Elizabeth II)[8][6]
Size 2:[3]
- 1952: Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood (aunt of Elizabeth II)[6]
- 1952: Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester (aunt of Elizabeth II)[6]
- 1952: Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent (aunt of Elizabeth II)[6]
- 1952: Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone (great-aunt of Elizabeth II)[9]
Living
edit- 1952: Princess Alexandra, The Hon. Lady Ogilvy (first cousin of Elizabeth II)[10]
- 1961: Katharine, Duchess of Kent (wife of Elizabeth II's first cousin)[11]
- 1969: Anne, Princess Royal (daughter of Elizabeth II)[6]
- 1973: Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester (wife of Elizabeth II's first cousin)[12]
- 2004: Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh (daughter-in-law of Elizabeth II)[13]
- 2007: Queen Camilla (daughter-in-law of Elizabeth II)[14]
- 2017: Catherine, Princess of Wales (granddaughter-in-law of Elizabeth II)[15][2]
Gallery
edit-
Princess Alexandra wearing her orders -
Princess Margaret wearing her order -
Diana, Princess of Wales wearing her order -
Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother wearing her orders -
The Duchess of Edinburgh wearing her order -
Queen Camilla wearing her order
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See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Royal Family Orders". Official website of the British monarchy. Royal Household. Archived from the original on 7 March 2013. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
- ^ a b Gonzales, Erica (24 October 2018). "What is the Royal Family Order? Duchess of Cambridge receives an extremely important honor from the Queen". Hearst Communications. Harper's Bazaar. Archived from the original on 24 October 2018. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
- ^ a b c d e Risk, James; Pownall, Henry; Stanley, David; Tamplin, John (2001). Royal Service (Volume II). Lingfield, Surrey: Third Millennium. pp. 34–42.
- ^ Risk, James; Pownall, Henry; Stanley, David; Tamplin, John (2001). Royal Service (Volume II). Lingfield, Surrey: Third Millennium. Photograph on p. 35.
- ^ Shawcroft, William (2009). Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother: The Official Biography. Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-4050-4859-0.
- ^ a b c d e f g Vickers, Hugo (1994). Royal Orders. Boxtree. p. 147. ISBN 9781852835101.
- ^ Vickers, Hugo (1994). Royal Orders. Boxtree. p. 147. ISBN 9781852835101.
The Queen gave her Royal Family Order to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, the late Queen Mary, Princess Margaret, the late Princess Royal...
- ^ "Mailbox". Royal Insight. April 2006. p. 3. Archived from the original on 6 August 2007.
- ^ World Orders of Knighthood and Merit: Volume 1. Burke's Peerage & Gentry. 2006. p. 832.
- ^ Debrett's Peerage & Baronetage 2008. Debrett's. 2008. p. 97. ISBN 9781870520805.
- ^ Vickers, Hugo (1994). Royal Orders. Boxtree. p. 34. ISBN 9781852835101.
- ^ "The Duchess of Gloucester: Honours". Royal Household. Archived from the original on 25 May 2009. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
- ^ "Honours and appointments: The Countess of Wessex". Royal Household. Archived from the original on 2 January 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
- ^ "HRH The Duchess of Cornwall". The Prince of Wales website. 10 November 2018. Archived from the original on 10 November 2018. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
- ^ "Kate Middleton Debuted a New Royal Honor with Her Tiara on Tuesday Ni…". 10 November 2018. Archived from the original on 10 November 2018. Retrieved 10 November 2018.