Vice-Regal Saint: 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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2 comments:
Happy St. George's Day!
Thanks for spotlighting this venerable order. Self-satisfied moderns and unduly pessimistic reactionaries alike may be surprised to realize that even in the 21st century there are a substantial number of institutions remaining in Western society that owe their origins to the kind of organic growth conservatives have acknowledged since Burke.
Indeed, the fun of being a conservative in this post-modern age is spotting the buds and flowers of civilization as they develop.
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