Buckingham Palace cancels annual Order of the Garter ceremony

Buckingham Palace cancels annual Order of the Garter ceremony at Windsor Castle and all June investitures as royal coronavirus lockdown is extended

Buckingham Palace said the cancellation is for ‘practical reasons’ amid lockdown
In a statement it said decision was taken to ‘eliminate any uncertainty’ for guests
Order of the Garter is an annual 700-year tradition founded by Edward III in 1348
Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19

Buckingham Palace has cancelled its annual Order of the Garter ceremony at Windsor Castle and all June investitures as the royal coronavirus lockdown is extended.

The Palace said it is making the decision for ‘practical reasons’ under the ‘current circumstances’.

The statement added that such events involve ‘considerable planning’ for guests, explaining the step was taken to ‘eliminate any uncertainty’ for those attending.

The monarch wore a huge velvet cloak as she left the prestigious service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor last year, with two young footmen needed to carry it behind her (file photo)

Buckingham Palace said: ‘For practical reasons in the current circumstances all investitures due to be held at Buckingham Palace in June have been postponed.

‘The annual Garter service at Windsor Castle has been cancelled. Events of this nature often involve considerable planning for attendees.

‘Mindful of current government advice, we have taken this decision to eliminate any uncertainty for guests due to attend.’

The Order of the Garter is a a 700-year tradition founded by Edward III in 1348, and recognises contributions of great public service from those honoured – usually Lords and Ladies of the UK.

It involves the Queen and senior Royals including Prince Charles, Prince William and Princess Anne all donning fine velvet cloaks and feathered hats as they attend a service at Windsor Castle while hundreds of people line the streets.

Although the Order has a limit of 24 members, excluding The Queen and Prince Charles, foreign royals have been given honorary ‘Stranger Knight’ status since 1813, with controversial recipients over the years including Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany before World War I.

Two official appointments made last year were Lady Companion, Lady Mary Peters, and Knight Companion, Robert Gascoyne-Cecil the Marquess of Salisbury, who were both invested with the Order’s insignia by The Queen at Windsor Castle.

Knights of the Garter are chosen personally by the Sovereign to honour those who have held public office, who have contributed in a particular way to national life or who have served the Sovereign personally.

Queen Elizabeth II pictured with King Felipe VI of Spain and Queen Letizia of Spain, after the king was invested as a Supernumerary Knight of the Garter in 2019 (file photo)

Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, and Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, watched on by the Duchess of Cornwall and the Queen of the Netherlands at the ceremony in 2019 (file photo)

Lady Mary is a former Lord Lieutenant of Belfast while the Marquess of Salisbury is a former leader of the House of Lords.

Stranger Knights is a second order bestowed upon foreign royals, with the title not counting towards the official limit of 24 members. The last time a foreign monarch was invested was King Harald of Norway in 2001, with royals often keeping the honour during their reign and then the title being passed on to their successor.

Another order of ‘extra’ members who are not part of the official limit are the Royal Knights and Ladies, which includes Prince Philip, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, Prince Charles, the Princess Royal and Prince William.

Foreign royals have been receiving Stranger Knight status since 1813, when Emperor Alexander I of Russia was invested with Order status.

Other foreign royals who are currently Stranger Knights are Queen Margrethe of Denmark, King Carl Gustaf of Sweden, former King Juan Carlos of Spain, Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands, King Harald of Norway and former Emperor Akihito of Japan.

The appointment of Knights of the Garter is in the Queen’s gift and is made without consulting ministers.

Recipients of the honour are chosen because they have held public office, contributed to national life or served the sovereign personally.

Other members of the order include Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, a past president of the Supreme Court, and Admiral Lord Boyce, a former head of the UK’s armed forces.

What is the Order of the Garter? How King Edward III was so inspired by tales of King Arthur he set up his own group of knights almost 700 years ago

In medieval times, King Edward III was so inspired by tales of King Arthur and the chivalry of the Knights of the Round Table that he set up his own group of honourable knights, called the Order of the Garter.

Nearly 700 years later, the Order is the oldest and most senior Order of Chivalry in Britain. The Knights, now both male and female, used to be limited to aristocracy, but today they are chosen from a variety of backgrounds, in recognition for their public service.

The patron saint of the Order is St George (patron saint of soldiers and also of England) and if there are vacancies in the Order, appointments are announced on St George’s Day (23 April).

The Order of the Garter is a 700-year-old tradition which recognises great public service. Membership is limited to a maximum of 24 and is usually Lords and Ladies with The Queen, left in 2018, naming members as she sees fit. An ‘extra’ group of members who do not count towards the official limit are Royal Knights, including Prince William, far right last year, while Prince Charles, second right in 2018, is an automatic member as first in line to the throne

The spiritual home of the Order is St George’s Chapel, Windsor. Every knight is required to display a banner of his arms in the Chapel, together with a helmet, crest and sword and an enamelled stallplate.

These ‘achievements’ are taken down on the knight’s death and the insignia are returned to the Sovereign. The stallplates remain as a memorial and these now form one of the finest collections of heraldry in the world.

As sovereign and heir, The Queen and Prince Charles are automatically given membership of the Order and are considered ‘ex officio knights’. The Prince of Wales is known as a Royal Knight Companion of the Garter.

The sovereign, known as the Sovereign of the Garter, is the only one with the power to admit new members.

The Garter is open to British and Commonwealth citizens. Notable former members include Sir Winston Churchill, Stanley Baldwin and Sir Edmund Hillary.

Field Marshall, the Lord Bramall, a former Chief of the Defence Staff, the Duke of Abercorn, the Duke of Westminster and Baroness Manningham-Buller, the former Director-General of MI5, are among the current Knights and Ladies of the Garter.

There are also two orders of ‘extra’ knights. Members of the Royal Knights and Ladies include Prince Philip, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, Prince Charles, the Princess Royal and Prince William.

A second order, the Stranger Knights and Ladies, is bestowed on foreign rulers such as Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and Harald V of Norway.

Although new additions are named on St. George’s Day, the 23 April, the initiation ceremony takes place in Junmantle during the traditional Garter Procession, which sees members parade through Windsor.

The annual iconic Garter Day procession, where The Queen and the Knights process in grand velvet robes, glistening insignia and plumed hats, is one of the most traditional ceremonies in the Queen’s calendar.

Every June, a grand procession of the knights takes place at Windsor Castle, accompanied by a marching band and Officers of the Order, all in grand ceremonial dress.

The day begins with The Queen formally investing any new Companions with the Order’s insignia in the Throne Room of the Castle. The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh entertain the members and officers at a lunch, and then all process on foot to a service in St. George’s Chapel.

There is a short service where any new Companions are installed. The Sovereign and other members of the Order then return to the Upper Ward of the castle in carriages and cars.

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