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List of current knights and ladies of the Garter

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Most Noble Order of the Garter is a British order of chivalry. It is the world's oldest national order of knighthood in continuous existence and the pinnacle of the British honours system (after the Victoria Cross and George Cross). Its membership is extremely limited, consisting of the Sovereign, the Prince of Wales—both being members ex officio and gaining membership upon acceding to one of the titles if not already held—and not more than 24 full members known as Companions. Male members are known as Knights Companion, whilst female members are known as Ladies Companion. The Order can also include supernumerary members (members of the British royal family and foreign monarchs), known as "Royal" and "Stranger" Knights and Ladies (Companion), respectively. The Sovereign alone grants membership to the Order, meaning that ministerial advice is not sought.

Sovereign

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Name Year of appointment Present age Banner
The King (ex officio) 1958 as The Prince of Wales; Sovereign since 2022 76

Royal Knights and Ladies (Companion)

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Name Year of appointment Present age Banner Notes
The Duke of Kent KG, GCMG, GCVO, CD, ADC 1985 89
The Princess Royal KG, KT, GCVO, GCStJ, QSO, GCL, CMM, CD, ADC 1994 74
Royal Knight Companion[1]
The Duke of Gloucester KG, GCVO, GCStJ, SSI 1997 80
Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy KG, GCVO, CD 2003 87
Royal Knight Companion[1]
The Duke of York KG, GCVO, CD 2006 64
The Duke of Edinburgh KG, KT, GCVO, CD, ADC 2006 as The Earl of Wessex; The Duke of Edinburgh since 2023 60
The Prince of Wales KG, KT, GCB, PC, ADC (ex officio) 2008 as Prince William of Wales; The Prince of Wales since 2022 42
1000th Knight of the Garter
The Queen LG, LT, ONZ, GCVO, GBE, CSM, CD, PC January 2022 as The Duchess of Cornwall; The Queen since September 2022 77
Royal Lady
The Duchess of Gloucester LG, GCVO, DStJ, CD 2024 78
Royal Lady Companion

Stranger Knights and Ladies Companion

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Name Year of appointment Present age Banner Notes
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark LG 1979 as Queen; abdicated 2024 84
Recipient of the Royal Victorian Chain
The King of Sweden KG 1983 78
Recipient of the Royal Victorian Chain; also Honorary Admiral in the Royal Navy
King Juan Carlos I of Spain KG 1988 as King; abdicated 2014 86
Recipient of the Royal Victorian Chain
Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands LG, GCVO 1989 as Queen; abdicated 2013 86
Recipient of the Royal Victorian Chain
Emperor Akihito of Japan KG, GCVO 1998 as Emperor; abdicated 2019 90
The King of Norway KG, GCVO 2001 87
Recipient of the Royal Victorian Chain; also Honorary Colonel in the Royal Marines and Honorary General in the British Army
The King of Spain KG, GCVO 2017 56
The King of the Netherlands KG 2018 57
The Emperor of Japan KG 2024 64

Knights and Ladies Companion

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Member number[N 1] Name Known for Year of appointment Present age Banner
1-(986) The Duke of Abercorn KG Lord Steward and Lord-Lieutenant of Tyrone 1999 90
2-(992) The Lord Butler of Brockwell KG, GCB, CVO, PC Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Home Civil Service 2003 86
3-(994) Sir John Major KG, CH, PC Prime Minister 2005 81
4-(999) The Lord Luce KG, GCVO, PC, DL Lord Chamberlain and Governor of Gibraltar 2008 88
5-(1001) Sir Thomas Dunne KG, KCVO, JP Lord-Lieutenant of Herefordshire and Lord-Lieutenant of Worcestershire 91
6-(1002) The Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers KG, PC, KC Lord Chief Justice and President of the Supreme Court 2011 86
7-(1004) Marshal of the Royal Air Force The Lord Stirrup KG, GCB, AFC Chief of the Defence Staff 2013 74
8-(1005) The Baroness Manningham-Buller LG, DCB Director General of the Security Service 2014 76
9-(1006) The Lord King of Lothbury KG, GBE, DL, FBA Governor of the Bank of England 76
10-(1007) The Lord Shuttleworth KG, KCVO Lord-Lieutenant of Lancashire 2016 76
11-(1010) The Viscount Brookeborough KG, KStJ Lord in Waiting to The King and Lord-Lieutenant of Fermanagh 2018 72
12-(1011) Lady Mary Fagan LG, DCVO, DStJ, JP Lord-Lieutenant of Hampshire 85
13-(1013) The Marquess of Salisbury KG, KCVO, PC, DL Deputy Lieutenant of Hertfordshire and Leader of the House of Lords 2019 78
14-(1014) Lady Mary Peters LG, CH, DBE Olympic gold medallist and Lord-Lieutenant of Belfast 85
15-(1015) The Baroness Amos LG, CH, PC United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Leader of the House of Lords and Secretary of State for International Development 2022 70
16-(1016) Sir Tony Blair KG, PC Prime Minister 71
17-(1017) The Baroness Ashton of Upholland LG, GCMG, PC High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Leader of the House of Lords 2023 68
18-(1018) The Lord Patten of Barnes KG, CH, PC Governor of Hong Kong, Chairman of the BBC Trust, and Chancellor of the University of Oxford 80
19-(1019) Air Chief Marshal The Lord Peach KG, GBE, KCB, DL Chief of the Defence Staff and Chair of the NATO Military Committee 2024 68
20-(1020) The Lord Kakkar KG, KBE, PC Chairman of the Judicial Appointments Commission and Chairman of the House of Lords Appointments Commission 60
21-(1021) The Lord Lloyd-Webber KG Composer and impresario of musical theatre 76
22 Vacant [N 2]    
23 Vacant [N 3]    
24 Vacant [N 4]    

Officers

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See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ The number shown in brackets is the individual's place in the wider order of appointment since the Order's inception.
  2. ^ Vacant following the death of The Lord Boyce on 6 November 2022.
  3. ^ Vacant following the death of Sir David Brewer on 28 May 2023.
  4. ^ Vacant following the death of The Lord Morris of Aberavon on 5 June 2023.

References

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  1. ^ a b Addressing the Royal Family - Debrett's at the Wayback Machine (archived 17 February 2017)
  2. ^ "The Register of the Order of the Garter". The Companion – magazine for the College of St George. No. 21. The Dean and Canons of Windsor. 13 June 2015. p. 12. Retrieved 23 April 2021 – via issuu.com.