The strange, sudden, uncontested end of serious republicanism in Australia

This photo explains much, but not all of what has happened. Let me explain.

The Cambridge family signs off after the most extensive royal tour of Australia and New Zealand in decades.

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Who will be the next knights and dames in Australia?

Now that knighthoods have been restored to the Order of Australia, the question that is next asked is - who (and what) next?

The Prime Minister has said that there will be no more than four Knights and Dames of the Order of Australia each year.  Presumably that excludes the ex-officio appointment of the Governor-General as the Principal Knight or Dame of the Order.

If so, we might see two recipients in the next Queen's Birthday list, due in early June - just two months away.  What do we know about Tony Abbott's history and passions, and what might they tell us?  After all, the nominations of AKs and ADs to the Queen are solely in the hands of the PM, although the Chairman of the Order of Australia Council will be consulted.

First, Tony Abbott was the founding executive director of Australians for Constitutional Monarchy, the organisation that provided much (though not all) of the structure for the successful No campaign during the republican referendum of 1999.

Second, Abbott is passionate about indigenous issues.  He volunteers in remote indigenous communities every year, and strongly supports recognition of first peoples in the Australian Constitution.

Third, Abbott's education at Australia's most prestigious Jesuit-run school and training as a Catholic seminarian inform his hybrid of social activism and muscular Catholic traditionalism. His detractors have previously nicknamed him as "Captain Catholic".

While little or none of this is immediately relevant to "The Monarchist", in my opinion these areas give us some insights into who Abbott might recommend for receiving titles in the future.

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The return of the George Cross, DSO and others to Australia?

The George Cross (G.C.)

I've already broken the news about how knights and dames are once again part of the Order of Australia, and this is big, exciting stuff for those traditionally-minded.  The Prime Minister's been under attack for the decision though, and I expect the weekend papers full of backgrounding against this by anonymous Liberal republican colleagues who were unhappy about the threshold question, and about not being consulted.

But one other story relating to honours has broken this week - and it's received surprisingly little attention.

Prime Minister Abbott is now open to the idea of the George Cross, and senior traditional military awards, such as the DSO, DSC, MC, DFC and AFC making a return to the Australian honours system.

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Knights and Dames are back in Australia

The Prime Minister and Governor-General of Australia

Today, the big news for monarchists in Australia and right across the Commonwealth is that the Prime Minister of Australia, the Hon. Tony Abbott M.P., has announced that clauses to enable the creation of new Knights and Dames have been restored to the statutes of the Order of Australia today.  As of today, the first titular honour bestowed on an Australian by the Queen on the advice of an Australian government in almost a quarter of a century is now the outgoing Governor-General, Her Excellency, the Hon. Dame Quentin Bryce, A.D., C.V.O.  Dame Quentin departs Canberra tomorrow.

You can read the Prime Minister's press release here.  Fact sheet on the restoration from the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet can be accessed at the Australian honours system website here.  The transcript of the Prime Minister's press conference where he made the announcement can be found here.   You can taste the bitterness of the press gallery, just by reading it.

The breast badge of Knights and Dames of the Order of Australia

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What now, Prime Minister?

During the last visit by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh to Australia in 2011, I mused on what might happen if Tony Abbott was to become our prime minister.  Specifically, I raised the possibility that as prime minister he may look to restoring titular honours to the Order of Australia.

In 1975, then prime minister Gough Whitlam advised the Queen to create the Order of Australia, precisely on the model of the Order of Canada - three classes, no titular honours, two with insignia worn around the neck.  Next year, the Order was expanded to include the rank of Knight/Dame and  the addition of a Medal of the Order.  By default, Australia effectively then had an indigenous five class order, with titular honours reserved for the first (Knight/Dame) rank.  The last Knight of the Order was created in 1983, none have been made since, and the means to create more were removed from the Order's statutes in 1986.  Since 1990,  when the awarding of imperial honours ended in Australia, no resident Australian has received a titular honour on an Australian honours list.

John Howard, prime minister from 1996 to 2007, acknowledged in his memoirs that there were strong arguments for restoring knighthoods in Australia, but did not as he felt he had "bigger fish to fry" in this space.  Victory for the "no" case in the 1999 republican referendum (and binding the wounds on this issue in his party thereafter) is a good example.  So although there was no action by conservatives for many years, they had never dismissed the idea - it just wasn't important enough.

Until now.

Tony Abbott is likely to be the most traditionally-minded prime minister of Australia in this space for a very long time.  Already, the epicentre of republicanism in Australia's public life, the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, is sprouting new portraits of the Queen at its Canberra HQ.  Abbott has reinserted allegiance to the Queen into the oath of office for ministers.  Within a month of taking office, he has already hosted his first official royal visit - by Prince Harry.  And at a state level, Queensland has also offered the QC honorific to existing Senior Counsel - with almost all but three or four taking up the offer.  There are plans to replicate this federally too.

In this vein, then, it is hardly surprising that the PM is thought to be thinking about emulating his NZ counterpart John Key, and returning to titular honours.  Spasmodic chat surrounding the Abbott camp about knighthoods was suddenly given public credibility when former foreign minister Alexander Downer recently wrote that he thinks the return of the accolade is a real possibility.  My understanding is that people surrounding the Prime Minister have been trying to work out how this proposal should work, without referring it immediately to "PM&C" for advice for fear that they will undermine the idea, and worse still, leak it to journalists with a view to discrediting it.  Media attention before Abbott was ready to move might give republican ministers within the Government time to try and stop such a move.

So what exactly should the changes be and how should they work?

I largely agree with Rafe Heydel-Mankoo that the New Zealand model should be closely copied, but I would add a political reason for this that Rafe alludes to but does not address directly.  The genius of the NZ system is the Order of New Zealand.  Its exclusivity guarantees its position as top of the pile, and its non-titular nature without any overt symbolism of the Crown on its insignia acts as a sop to republican elites not content with conceding defeat in the republican debate and accepting a title.  Former PMs Helen Clark, Mike Moore and Jim Bolger are examples of this in action.  It also reflects an older tradition of prime ministers in Australia and New Zealand both being made Companions of Honour (the model for the ONZ) while in office.

If the Order of Australia is to return to being a titular order, its best chance of surviving the inevitable return of a republican, Labor prime minister is to do the following.  First, Abbott should create an exclusive, single-class Order like the ONZ or the Companion of Honour.  Limit it to thirty people, and if necessary, overload it at the start with former Labor politicians to give it credibility with them.  This should reduce some of the pressure on reverting to a non-titular Order of Australia because the most senior award will already bring with it no title.

Second, I would change the statutes of the Order of Australia to make it possible for a conservative state government to continue awarding knighthoods while there was a Labor federal government.  If the Order of Australia is intended to be a federal Order, with states able to make nominations directly to the Order's council, then this should be reflected in who can be admitted to what level in the Order.  Canberra should not "own" the Order of Australia - or else a subversive state government could theoretically go down the path of state government honours, similar to Canada, if its wishes were blocked.   I consider this to be an unattractive option, and I suspect I am not alone in thinking that.

All of this is essentially speculation - but as the saying goes, where there is smoke, there is fire.  People I know close to Abbott have been puffing like chimneys about this on and off for a few years now.  One or two of the people most enthusiastic about the idea are the ones you would least expect, I'm told.  It's amazing what one's own looming retirement from public life can do to one's outlook on these sorts of issues.  It also confirms my view that making knighthoods instantly available to republican elites would, all things being equal, do much to secure the monarchy's future indefinitely.  Ultimately, that is the reason I would like to see this happen.

So - as they say, watch this space.  Let's see what has been announced by Australia Day, or the Cambridges' visit by the latest, shall we?

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Elizabeth, Queen of Scots

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh attend a Service for the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle in St. Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh, 15 July 2010. The Order represents the highest honour in Scotland and is awarded to Scottish men and women who have held public office or who have contributed in a particular way to national life.
© Press Association

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Doing the Honours

Now we have the UK New Year's Honours List for 2010 as well. A pretty unremarkable list, without many ornaments of public life getting a gong. Hence the gags on Twitter about Sir Patrick Stewart's knighthood: "the Queen makes it so", etc.

A couple of observations about the contemporary state of UK honours:

1. Virtually no KBEs are created anymore it seems. The allocation at the K/DBE level seems to be almost entirely allocated to women these days, as there is no female equivalent to Knights Bachelor.

2. The CBE is with the very rare exceptions of knights and dames, essentially the top honour for which 98%+ of Britons are eligible. Reading this list (in conjunction with other years), the Bath and St Michael & St George are truly niche public service honours, not unlike Canada's order for police.

3. The Commonwealth list continues, albeit much smaller. Judging by the frequency with which statelets like St Kitts and Nevis appear, every second citizen must have an MBE by now!

4. Sadly, no Imperial Service Order awards are listed under Papua New Guinea's name. Since the UK ceased making recommendations for the ISO in 1993, the only country that has continued to award the ISO has been PNG. It is possible that with the passage of time the ISO will consist of purely the Sovereign and citizens of Papua New Guinea - a country that was never a British colony and petitioned the Queen to become Sovereign upon gaining independence in 1975. Irony of ironies....

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God Defend New Zealand

We now know the details of New Zealand's 2010 , New Year's Honours List and I thought it might be worth reflecting on the New Zealand honours system. (This article links to a good graphic of images of NZ honours.)

Like the UK and Canada, NZ has an elaborate array of orders. However, unlike Canada, or the honours systems of Carribean realms such as Barbados or Jamaica, they seek to replicate the types of awards available to British subjects available in UK territories.

The Order of New Zealand, for example, seeks to replicate the Order of Companions of Honour. More particularly, the ONZ has become an honour like the CH that New Zealand knew. Most Kiwi recipients of the CH in the second half of the 20th century were former PMs - Holyoake, Marshall, Muldoon, Lange, etc. So it is in that tradition we see that Helen Clark, the former Labour PM and the woman who ended knighthoods from 2000 to 2009, has been made ONZ today. She joins other former living PMs such as Jim Bolger and Mike Moore.

The backbone of the system is the New Zealand Order of Merit. A full five-class order, its insignia remind one of the Order of the British Empire, and also covers awards previously given under the Orders of the Bath and St Michael & St George after a 1996 review. Titular knights and dames were restored in 2009 by Prime Minister Key. Perhaps today's most famous new KNZM is Sir Peter Jackson, director of "The Lord of the Rings".

Finally, the Queen's Service Order (QSO) and its medal (QSM) is the oldest NZ order, founded in 1975. It is similar to the old Imperial Service Order, although it has a broader remit than the old ISO. Awarded for public and community services, its distinctive zigzag Maori-based ribbon stands out when worn by members of the royal family in uniform. The QSO has in the past also been awarded to a number of former private secretaries to the Queen. We await the UK list.

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Queen awards Chrétien Order of Merit

Former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, accompanied by Mrs. Chretien, is presented with the Order of Merit by The Queen at Buckingham Palace, 20 October 2009. "It is a big honour because there are very few of us — 24, including Prince Philip and Prince Charles — and very few people from political background," Chrétien told CBC News.


The honour, created by King Edward VII in 1902 and awarded in the sole gift of the Sovereign, is bestowed on "individuals of exceptional distinction in the arts, learning, sciences and other areas such as public service". Above is the Insignia of the Order of Merit awarded by The Queen to the former Canadian Prime Minister today at an audience at Buckingham Palace.

Photos © Press Association

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A Letter from Burke's Peerage and Gentry

My dear Monarchist,

Thank you for your most welcome email and kind words.

The issue you raise has required formal consideration for some time. Unfortunately, as LB Pearson was the last Canadian to hold the OM and the powers-that-be at RH no doubt thought it unlikely that another Canadian would be appointed, the OM was not included in the modern/revised Order of Precedence. I suspect, however, that the official position of the Government would be that, post 1972, the CC outranks the OM.

Such a position, if it is ever formally expressed, will have been based upon wholly political and pseudo-nationalist considerations and would be as unconvincing and nonsensical as the decision to group all the grades of the Order of Canada together, ranking a lowly Member of the Order of Canada above Companions of the Order of Military Merit, the Order of Merit of the Police Forces and of the Royal Victorian Order.

It is my view that the OM, as an exclusive award in the personal gift of Her Majesty, clearly outranks the far less exclusive CC. The Government's agenda notwithstanding, I do not see how one can arrive at any other conclusion. The New Zealand Royal Honours System (which, after that of the UK, is the most finely crafted honours system in the Commonwealth) has ranked the OM correctly.

Kind regards,

Rafal (Rafe) Heydel-Mankoo
Editor
Burke's Peerage & Gentry:
World Orders of Knighthood and Merit
http://www.wokm.co.uk/

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I'm sorry, but the Order of Merit takes precedence over the Order of Canada

The recent granting of the Order of Merit by the Queen to Jean Chretien has created a stir in monarchist ranks

Having pretty much completely abolished titular honours from the Canadian landscape (apart from the odd anomoly), it was surely the intent of the Government of Canada to ensure that the highest honour bestowed upon Canadians (save those rewarded for the most conspicuous acts of bravery) be the Order of Canada, whatever the rank. By refusing to resurrect the old knighthoods, the Order of Canada would never have to compete with the likes of the Garter, the Thistle or the Bath.

This is clear from the Governor General's website regarding the modern orders of precedence. All three ranks of the Order of Canada take precedence in the orders of wear after the Victoria Cross (V.C.) and the Cross of Valour (C.V.).

The problem is they forgot about the non-titular orders that are in the personal gift of the Sovereign, such as the highly prestigious Companions of Honour (1917) and the even more exclusive Order of Merit (1902), both of which rank ahead of the Order of Canada (1967) if bestowed prior to June 1, 1972. Presumably these honours are so rare, no room was ever made for them in the new Canadian honours system, though the Royal Victorian Order was, probably because it conveniently ranked after the Order of Canada.

If bestowed after June 1, 1972, the Governor General's site instructs that "Commonwealth orders, decorations and medals...are worn after the Canadian orders, decorations and medals..."

This would mean that the Order of Merit, the most exclusive non-titular honour the Queen can bestow upon Canadians (limited to 24 British and Commonwealth members), now ranks after the likes of the Alberta Centennial Medal, the Saskatchewan Volunteer Medal and a whole slew of U.N. medals, which are handed out ad infinitum.

But that would be absurd. Let's read that section again:

"Commonwealth orders, decorations and medals, the award of which is approved by the Government of Canada, are worn after the Canadian orders, decorations and medals..."

Yes, but the Order of Merit is not approved by the Government of Canada, it is awarded and approved by the Sovereign. Thus, it stands to reason that the Order of Merit and the Order of the Companions of Honour still rank ahead of the Order of Canada, until such time as an official pronouncement is made definitively declaring otherwise.

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Her Majesty honours Jean Chrétien

I did my job as best I could and Her Majesty was gracious enough to recognize that.

— Former prime minister Jean Chrétien

The man who did more than any other prime minister to deny Canadians the right to receive honours from their Queen (he did his job as best he could), has been so honoured by Her Majesty. Haters of the Nickle Resolution will be a little bemused at Her Majesty's latest choice for the very prestigious and exclusive Order of Merit:

The Queen has appointed the Right Honourable Jean Chrétien, former Prime Minister of Canada, to the exclusive Order of Merit.

The honour is restricted to 24 living members and few foreigners. It puts Mr. Chrétien's name alongside such esteemed figures as Albert Schweitzer, Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela.

Mr. Chrétien said he was surprised, honoured and grateful.

“What can I say?” he told The Canadian Press on Monday. “I take it as a great compliment and I accept it with some humility.

“I did my job as best I could and Her Majesty was gracious enough to recognize that.”

Mr. Chrétien, 75, is just the third Canadian named to the order, after former prime ministers MacKenzie King, at 21 years the longest-serving prime minister in the Commonwealth, and Lester Pearson, a Nobel laureate who brought universal health care, the flag and a federal pension plan to Canada.

All are Liberals.

The Queen's website calls the Order of Merit, founded in 1902 by King Edward VII, a “gift from the sovereign.”

It is given to people “of exceptional distinction in the arts, learning, sciences and other areas such as public service.”

You can take it from me that Jean Chrétien is no monarchist. He would have turned Canada into a republic had he seen the opportunity to do so.

Peter Donolo, who was the prime minister's director of communications back in the late 1990s, had frankly suggested the dumping of the monarchy as a worthwhile Canadian millenium project to the media. As soon as it was discovered that this little off the record tale was indeed going to be front page news in the morning press, Mr. Donolo went to the prime minister to apologize for causing an impending controversy for the government, to which the prime minister gladly directed his communication's director to see where it would lead with the public.

We also remember the lengths to which the former prime minister went to deny Lord Black his peerage, and how hot under the collar he became when he learned that two Canadians were going to be knighted by the Queen above his strenuous objections (because they were also British citizens, the prime minister was told by the British government to get stuffed.)

On the other hand, the Queen has known Jean Chrétien longer than any other current living prime minister, including Margaret Thatcher. Mr. Chrétien first became a Minister of the Crown in the early 1960s under Lester Pearson and he was Minister of Justice during the 1982 patriation of the Constitution under Trudeau, before his lengthy tenure of prime minister began in 1993 and ended in 2004. So the Queen has established a lengthy rapport with the former prime minister, unmatched in tenure by any other serving or former Commonwealth head of government at the present time.

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Her Majesty Knights New Zealand's Governor General

When you bleat on about equality, you destroy real honour. A month ago, the Governor General of New Zealand would not have been eligible for this knighthood, because the former Prime Minister of New Zealand "deeply detests social distinction and snobbery".

Needless to say, The Monarchist deeply detests the enemies of honour and distinction wherever they reside - so thankfully Helen Clark has gone to the U.N. where she belongs, and New Zealand has been restored of her gentle senses and cavalier tastes. Therefore rise Sir Anand, and join the ancient fellowship of knights!

The Queen knights the Governor-General of New Zealand, The Hon. Sir Anand Satyanand, at Buckingham Palace, 29 April 2009. Her Majesty conferred upon him the honour of Knighthood as a Knight Grand Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. © Press Association

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George Medal And Bar

Not a posthumous VC, but two George Medals basically equates to the same thing.

THE QUEEN HAS AWARDED A SECOND GEORGE MEDAL to a bomb disposal expert killed in Afghanistan last year. This is the first time a second George Medal, known as a Bar, has been awarded in 26 years. Warrant Officer 2nd Class Gary O'Donnell, 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment Royal Logistic Corps, was killed defusing an improvised explosive device in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan, on 10 September 2008.

The posthumous award to Warrant Officer O'Donnell, who died whilst attempting to disarm an improvised explosive device, was announced in the presence of his widow Mrs Toni O'Donnell. The George Medal is awarded for acts of great bravery.

WO2 O'Donnell, who at the time of his death already held the George Medal for his work defusing bombs in Iraq, was recommended for the further honour in recognition of his remarkable actions in two separate incidents, in May and July 2008.

On both occasions WO2 O'Donnell - who during his last tour in Afghanistan disposed of more than 50 IEDs - placed himself in immense personal danger in order to protect his comrades.

Commonwealth Note: The George Cross and Medal are no longer awarded to Canadians and Australians. The Queen of both countries replaced the George Cross with the Cross of Valour back in the 1970s, though still retaining the honour as the highest civil decoration, second in order of precedence only to the Victoria Cross. Both the Victoria Cross and the Cross of Valour/George Cross are awarded for acts of great bravery, however in order to qualify for the Victoria Cross, military personnel (or civilans operating under military command), must demonstrate conspicuous acts of bravery in the presence of the enemy.

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New Zealand Restores Knighthoods!

News to swell loyal hearts from the happy plot at the bottom of the Earth.

The Queen receives the Prime Minister of New Zealand, the Hon. John Key MP, at Buckingham Palace, 25 November 2008.

This is huge. It is being reported that New Zealand is to restore the rank of Sir and Dame to its honours system nine years after it abolished titles in favour of Republican-style distinctions.

If we called Prime Minister John Key a limousine liberal in the recent past, we do at this moment take it all back. I mean, wow. What a glorious turn of events. Hallelujah for rare political miracles. By George, he did it!

Come on Australia and Canada, do the right thing, and follow New Zealand's lead. If a foreigner like Ted Kennedy is allowed to accept the honour of a knighthood from the Queen, it is only our ancient God-given right as Her Majesty's own subjects to be permitted the same.

Why the fall of Helengrad was a good thing. Happy Commonwealth Day indeed.

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The Sacrifice Medal

The Governor General of Canada today announced a new military medal.

Artistic rendering, creation of the Chancellery of Honours

A new military medal has been inaugurated to commemorate soldiers and civilians who are wounded or killed while serving Canada. This is an innovation away from British tradition, as Canada will now have for the first time something resembling America's Purple Heart. However, while Purple Hearts are often awarded immediately following hostile action, the Sacrifice Medal will come only after an application through military channels by a commanding officer.

"The Sacrifice Medal was created in the context of increased casualties in overseas operations to fulfill the desire of Canadians and the Government to provide formal recognition, through the award of an official medal emanating from the Crown, to those who are killed or wounded by hostile action. This honour replaces the Wound Stripe."

The Sacrifice Medal was created to recognize a member of the Canadian Forces, a member of an allied force, or a Canadian civilian under the authority of Her Majesty's Canadian Forces who, as of  October 7, 2001, died or was wounded under honourable circumstances as a direct result of hostile action. Given the number of Canadian casualties in Afghanistan since 2001, hundreds of soldiers will immediately qualify for the honour.

Description: the Medal consists of a silver circular medal that is 36 mm across, has a claw at the top of it in the form of the Royal Crown, and is attached to a straight slotted bar.

On the obverse of the Medal appears a contemporary effigy of Her Majesty the Queen of Canada, facing right, wearing a Canadian diadem composed alternately of maple leaves and snow flakes, and circumscribed with the inscriptions “ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA” and “CANADA”, separated by small maple leaves, and

on the reverse of the Medal appears a representation of the statue named “Canada” –that forms part of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial – facing right, overlooking the horizon. The inscription “SACRIFICE” appears in the lower right half of the Medal.

The Medal is suspended from a watered ribbon that is 32 mm in width, consisting of a 10-mm black stripe in the middle that is flanked by 11-mm red stripes, on which are centred 1-mm white stripes.

The bar to the Medal is in silver with raised edges and shall bear a centred, single silver maple leaf overall. The Medal shall be engraved on the edge with the service number, rank, forename initials and surname of any military recipient or with the forenames and surname of any civilian recipient.

Wearing: The Medal shall be worn following the Royal Victorian Medal (R.V.M.), in the order of precedence in the Canadian Honours System.

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Ancient Knights of the Thistle

Wearing the distinctive green silk velvet robes and egret-plume hats of the Ancient Order of the Thistle, The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh make their way to St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh for the annual Thistle Service, 2 July 2008, to welcome two new members into the ancient brotherhood of knights.

The highest honour English subjects can receive from their Queen is the Order of the Garter. Across the border in Scotland, however, exemplary service is rewarded with membership of the 11th-century Order of the Thistle. The Thistle represents the highest honour in Scotland and is presented to Scottish men and women who have held public office or who have contributed in a particular way to national life. The service celebrates the Order, its history and its current members.

Like the monarch, the Duke of Edinburgh was dressed in a green, white silk-lined gown, outsize gold and silver tassels and the order's badge, for the ceremony in the chivalric brotherhood's chapel at Edinbugh's St Giles Cathedral.

In line with the Order's original medieval roots - it later fell into disuse but was revived in the 17th century by James II - the royal couple were welcomed by a fanfare from the Household Trumpeters. Accompanied by the Princess Royal, and a green-clad page, they then proceeded through the cathedral into the Thistle Chapel where the historic ceremony was being held.

The recipents of the Order - who take for their motto the words 'Nemo me impune lacessit' - No one provokes me with impunity - were senior retired judge Lord Cullen, and East Lothian Lord Lieutenant Sir Garth Morrison.

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KNIGHTS OF THE GARTER

The Order of the Garter is 660 years old today. The ancient Order was founded by King Edward III on St. George's Day in 1348*.

The Knights of the Most Noble Order of the Garter are pictured at Windsor Castle in 2004, where they gather on an annual basis. The Garter is one of only three orders whose members are appointed at the sole discretion of Her Majesty. Current members can be viewed here.

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh will attend a Service of Thanksgiving at St. George's Chapel today to mark the 660th anniversary of the Founding of the Order of the Garter and the College of St. George and the 60th anniversary of the reintroduction of the annual Garter service by King George VI.

The Order was founded as "a society, fellowship and college of knights" and has the motto 'Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense' (Old French: "shame upon him who thinks evil of it"). Back from a successful campaign in France and inspired by tales of Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, Edward III decided to form a band of distinguished soldiers to inspire loyalty, encourage military excellence and reflect the ideal manifestation of Christian chivalry.

The Garter pertaining to England, is the highest ranking order in the United Kingdom and the oldest surviving order of chivalry in the world. Next to the Victoria Cross, it is the most prestigious honour for Commonwealth subjects.

*The foundation year is presumed to be 1348, although dates from 1344 to 1351 have also been proposed.

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The Venerable Order of Saint John

Commemorating the 125th Anniversary of the Hospital of St. John



The Duke of Gloucester (right), Grand Prior of the Order of St. John, inside Priory House. Her Majesty is centrally depicted in portrait as Sovereign of the Order.

The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem is the 19th century revival in Britain of the ancient Knights Hospitaller, the military religious order that was charged with the care and defense of the Holy Land during the First Crusade. The revived order received a Royal Charter from Queen Victoria in 1888 and spread across the United Kingdom, the British Commonwealth, and the United States of America.

Today it is one of the five "Mutually Recognised Orders of St. John" - one Catholic with four in Protestant Alliance - bringing together a spirit of Christian unity in the Order not seen since the loss of Malta to Napolean in 1798, when the Hospitallers were dispersed from their last military stronghold.

The Order of St. John in the English-speaking world is not a state order, but a royal order of chivalry. Her Majesty the Queen is Sovereign Head of the Order, and His Royal Highness, the Duke of Gloucester, is the Order's Grand Prior. Their Excellencies, the Governors-General, head each of the eight national Priories, and form part of the Grand Council with the other Great Officers of the Order. The Priory in the United States is headed by a gentleman by the name of John R Drexel IV, Esq.

The Duke of Gloucester has been Grand Prior of the Order of St. John since 1974. The Order, one of whose motto is 'PRO UTILITATE HOMINUM - In the service of humanity', cares for the sick and promotes its international ideals through its work with the St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem and the St John Ambulance Foundation, of which there are some 30 Commonwealth associations worldwide. His Royal Highness recently marked the 125th anniversary of the Hospital of St John in Jerusalem.

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"Any bloody fool can lay a wreath at the thingamy"

Yes, your Royal Highness, but nobody does it with quite the touch of elegance and gentlemanly demeanor as you have consistently done for the past 60 years.

Having long enjoyed a high profile and immensely successful role on the world stage since your marriage to Princess Elizabeth in 1947, we nonetheless understand why you are now taking a conscious decision to step back from public life so as to save yourself from media exposure. We know that the media criticisms (of which there are all too many) cut deep enough personally that you are purposely retreating from the spotlight: "I reckon I have done something right if I don't appear in the media. So I've retreated — quite consciously — so as not to be an embarrassment."

But you are no embarrassment, Prince Philip. Someone who approaches his public duties with such outward grace and dignity all these years, someone who epitomizes the twin virtues of what it means to be a perfect gentleman - gentleness and manliness - cannot possibly contain an ounce of shame. Your blunt sense of humour may have occasionally erred on the manly side, and not the gentle or sensitive side, but let us never forget that it is the modern media and their conduct that is the monumental embarrassment here. As you yourself have pointed out, they have deliberately promoted an anti-establishment attitude. You are certainly correct to blame television and the tabloids for eroding relations between royalty and the media, and for dispensing with basic standards of decency, respect and truth in reporting. They simply have no honour.

We also share your animosity towards Rupert Murdoch. The king of sleazy publishing whose hired tabloid instincts for low level popular culture, for pushing the envelope and pushing it downward, is an exemplar of much that we detest in this modern world. You are right to single this truly loathsome republican degenerate out for particular condemnation. Much of the decline in royal reporting and the way the Royal family are portrayed can be attributed to his business newspaper empire and him personally. As you say, the man's anti-establishment views have "really pulled the plug on an awful lot of things that we hold to be quite reasonable and sensible institutions". As a symbol of the all-powerful media, he is perfectly representative of everything that has gone wrong in society since the 1960s.

It goes without saying that compared with this man and his tabloidish ilk, you are a genuine contemporary hero. Your lifetime record of service and achievement stands up well against their record of disgrace. Any bloody fool can write a foul thingamy, but only a gentleman can lay a wreath.

Highly worthwhile further reading: Happy 85th birthday to our Victor Meldrew in gold braid, by Gerald Warner.

UPDATE: Bollocks! The Duke of Edinburgh in Fine Form via Ian Dale

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