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The Order of the Garter

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The Queen attends the Order of the Garter Service in 2013

Today is Garter Day, the day each year when a special service is held at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor for the members of the highest-ranking order of British chivalry, the Order of the Garter. Later today, the Garter knights and ladies will process from Windsor Castle to St. George’s in all of their finery, participating in pomp and pageantry that has roots that date back all the way to the fourteenth century.



C.W. Cope’s 1844 painting of the investiture of the Black Prince as a Garter Knight

Edward III founded the order in 1348. As with most medieval traditions, there’s a grand legend surrounding the order’s creation, which, though it’s likely not true, is suitably romantic. At a ball in Calais — back in the days when English kings were still claiming France, natch — Edward was dancing with the Countess of Salisbury, when one of her garters slipped down her leg and fell on the floor. Supposedly Edward picked it up and put it on his own leg, as one does, and then wagged his fingers at snickering courtiers, declaring “Honi soit qui mal y pense.” That phrase — which roughly means “shame on him who thinks evil of it,” with “it” being “putting on your future daughter-in-law’s garter,” I suppose — became the motto of the new chivalric order.



Two supernumerary knights, Princes Andrew and Edward, in 2013

Really, the establishment of the order probably had much more to do with an attempt to cement power and position by linking the current reign to a nostalgic past of Arthurian legend. Edward’s initial roster of knights numbered twenty-four: twelve knights companion for the king, and twelve for the Prince of Wales. Even today, the number of knights and ladies of the order is limited to twenty-four. However, that number does not include the monarch, the Prince of Wales, “supernumerary” knights and ladies (generally members of the British royal family) [1], and “extra” knights and ladies (generally foreign monarchs and royals) [2].



Former Prime Minister John Major attends the Garter Day service in 2013

The Queen herself gets to appoint new members to this chivalric order. That wasn’t always the case; from the eighteenth century until 1946, Garter knights were appointed on the advice of the government (the same way that people are made members of the Order of the British Empire today). But this chivalric order is now the gift of the monarch, just as it was centuries ago. The current roster includes lots of former politicians, plus others including high-ranking military officers, lords lieutenant, ambassadors, and aristocrats. In 1987, women were allowed to become full ladies companion of the order, though none are currently members (following the recent death of Lady Soames). Two spots are currently vacant.



The Queen wears the hat, mantle, collar, and Greater George in 2012

When those two spots are filled, the new knights or ladies will get a pretty awesome set of vestments and insignia to wear. Each member gets a velvet mantle and a velvet hat with a plume of white feathers. The riband (or sash) of the order is bright blue — the official name of that particular shade of blue is “kingfisher blue,” apparently. And because this the Order of the Garter, after all, each knight/lady gets an actual velvet garter. A lady wears hers around her upper left arm, while a knight straps his around his left calf.



Winston Churchill wearing his Garter insignia (including the actual garter) in 1955

And then there’s the jewel-encrusted insignia. The patron saint of the order is the famous dragonslayer, St. George (who is also the patron saint of England). Each knight/lady receives two enameled figures of St. George on horseback in the midst of slaying the dragon. The smaller one (the “Lesser George”) is a badge that is worn suspended from the riband, and the larger one (the “Greater George”) is worn suspended from the golden collar. Each member also receives an eight-pointed star.



Garter Day 1972

Tomorrow, we’ll be treated to photos of the Garter knights and ladies processing down the hill from Windsor Castle to St. George’s Chapel for the service, and then riding back up the hill in carriages on their way back to the castle itself. Inside the castle, there are numerous references to the order, including a great hall that features the coats of arms of each member lining the walls and ceiling. And, if you’re in England and want to see the Garter procession in person, be sure to apply for a ticket for next year’s Garter Day festivities, as the public is allowed inside the castle walls for a glimpse of the knights and ladies in all their medieval finery!

NOTES, PHOTO CREDITS, AND LINKS
1. The British royals who are currently knights/ladies of the Garter are Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Prince William, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, the Duke of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent, and Princess Alexandra.
2. The current list of extra (or “stranger”) knights/ladies is as follows: Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, King Juan Carlos of Spain, Emperor Akihito of Japan, King Harald V of Norway, Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg, and Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands.

Jewels of Trooping the Colour

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It’s that time again, magpies — the Queen’s very merry unbirthday parade! Let’s have a look at the jewelry worn for this year’s pomp and circumstance at Trooping the Colour, shall we?

The Queen selected a brooch that is often worn for this occasion: the Guards’ Badge, which combines the badges of each of the five regiments of the Foot Guards (Irish Guards, Welsh Guards, Scots Guards, Grenadier Guards, and Coldstream Guards) into one large jewel-encrusted brooch, which was probably the same piece previously worn by Queen Mary. Each year, a different regiment troops the colour at Horse Guards Parade; this year, it was the turn of the Grenadier Guards, whose badge is in the top-most position inside the oval of the Queen’s brooch.

No big jewel surprises from the Duchess of Cornwall at Trooping either. She wore pearl earrings with one of her multi-stranded pearl choker necklaces. This one is the five-stranded choker with a diamond and pink topaz clasp, reportedly purchased for Camilla by Prince Charles at an auction.

The Duchess of Cambridge, however, did use the occasion to debut a new piece: a silver-toned brooch that appears to include five large pearls. Nothing is known about the provenance of this one, though I’ve heard suggestions already that it might be one of the gifts she has received during a royal tour. Here’s a closer look:

A pearl brooch from the South Seas tour, for example, would certainly seem plausible. We’ve also not seen the list yet of the gifts she may have received from the recent tour of New Zealand and Australia. Along with the brooch, Kate’s also wearing her pearl drop earrings by Annoushka.

I love that Princess Anne rides in the Trooping the Colour parade every year alongside some of the male members of the royal family. Because she’s in the uniform of the Blues and Royals, a regiment of which she is an honorary colonel, her bling here is of the military variety. Among her medals are those commemorating her mother’s coronation and Silver, Golden, and Diamond Jubilees. She’s also wearing the sash and star of the Order of the Garter. And that HAT!

Not much accessorizing today by the Countess of Wessex — just her wristwatch and a pair of small drop earrings, identified by Anna as pavé-set diamond earrings by Amrapali, a Knightsbridge jeweler. The belt does have a bit of sparkle, as well.

Hardly any jewels for Princess Eugenie, either — hope that apparent association with Faberge reaps some sparkling rewards for us soon! I do see two rings on her right hand.

One of my favorites, Princess Alexandra, rode in today’s carriage procession, wearing pearls, earrings, and a brooch that I wish we had a clearer look at. (Also, looks like the Duke of Kent, who usually rides in the procession, has given that up in the wake of his stroke last year. Glad to see he’s still attending!)

Princess Michael wore a cape (more royals should wear capes on the regular, yes?) and a few delicate bracelets, and a pair of large earrings.

Lady Gabriella followed her mother’s lead and went rather big in the earring department, too.

Lady Sarah Chatto, elegant as always, wore a necklace of four strands of pearls held together by a diamond and pearl clasp. You’ll probably not be surprised that this necklace is from the collection of Sarah’s late mother, Princess Margaret.

Lady Helen chose a bracelet and watch for the day, but her daughter, Estella, wore a necklace.

And there were lots of other Windsors in attendance, too. From left to right, we’ve got the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Earl and Countess of Ulster, Zenouska Mowatt, Lady Marina Windsor, the Earl of St. Andrews, Prince Michael of Kent, Princess Michael of Kent, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Prince of Wales, Princess Eugenie, Princess Anne (with Tim Laurence out of view), Queen Elizabeth II, the Countess of Wessex, the Earl of Wessex (with the Duke of York obscured), Prince Philip, Prince Harry, the Duchess of Cambridge, the Duke of Cambridge, Lady Frederick Windsor, Estella Taylor, Timothy Taylor, Lady Helen Taylor, Eloise Taylor, Lady Gabriella Windsor, the Duke of Kent, Princess Alexandra, and the Countess of St. Andrews. WHEW.

Queen Alexandra’s Wedding Gift Tiara

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For many years, one of the biggest tiara mysteries surrounding the British royal family had to do with a showstopper tiara associated with one of the family’s matriarchs, Queen Alexandra. But in recent years, much more has been revealed about the piece, which Alexandra received as a wedding gift, and its eventual fate.

Most of you will probably be familiar with the tiara under its commonly-used name: the Rundell Tiara. For quite a long time, the tiara was presumably referred to as such because it was believed to have been made by Rundell & Bridge. But while that jewelry house did supply pieces to the British royals, this tiara was made by another familiar name: Garrard. While the tiara was an all-diamond affair, it was a part of a larger diamond and pearl parure made by the company in 1862. The set included the tiara, a necklace, a brooch, and a pair of earrings. Alexandra wore the necklace, earrings, and brooch on her wedding day (but not the tiara — she wore flowers in her hair instead, which you can see in the portrait above).

The parure was commissioned by the future Edward VII, then Prince of Wales, for his future bride, Princess Alexandra of Denmark. The tiara was a versatile piece. Three rows of diamonds made up a solid base, upon which were mounted a series of interchangeable elements. Alexandra commonly wore the tiara with large diamond fleur-de-lys elements interspersed with intricate interlocking diamond “knots.” However, the tiara could also be worn without those bridge elements or with diamond stars worn in place of each of the fleur-de-lys.

Alexandra was the only member of the family ever photographed in her tiara. For some time, Windsor watchers hoped that the wedding gift tiara was simply gathering dust in the jewelry vaults and might someday make a reappearance in some form. But with the publication in 2012 of Hugh Roberts’s important book, The Queen’s Diamonds, the fate of the tiara has been made clear. Roberts reports that although Alexandra did not have a will when she died in 1925, she did indicate items of jewelry that she wished to leave to each of her daughters. The Garrard tiara was inherited by Princess Victoria, Alexandra’s second daughter. And unfortunately, Roberts also notes simply that the tiara was “disposed of” by Toria at some point.

But while hopes to see the wedding gift tiara reappear have ultimately been dashed, the other parts of Alexandra’s diamond and pearl parure remain securely today in the possession of Elizabeth II. The brooch, necklace, and earrings were all inherited by Queen Mary on Alexandra’s death. Mary gave the necklace to her daughter-in-law, Queen Elizabeth, and the current queen inherited that piece from her mother in 2002. The brooch and the earrings passed directly from Mary to her granddaughter in 1953.