Order of the British Empire
As we remember and celebrate the remarkable life of HRH The late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and prepare for his funeral tomorrow, we begin our look at the UK Orders of Chivalry with The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire of which the late Prince was Grand Master. With his dislike of fuss, as has been mentioned during this past week, Prince Philip was a forthright person who wasn't afraid to speak his mind. But I do wonder if his legacy might be reflected in a readjustment of things of this nature and a modernisation, maybe in the next reign, of which the Duke of Edinburgh might have approved.
The College of Arms has an excellent page on the Order, which is well worth a visit.
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire rewards contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established on 4th June 1917 by King George V and comprises five classes across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two of which make the recipient either a knight if male or dame if female. There is also the related British Empire Medal, whose recipients are affiliated with, but not members of the Order.
Recommendations for appointments to the Order of the British Empire were originally made on the nomination of the United Kingdom, the self-governing Dominions of the Empire (later Commonwealth) and the Viceroy of India. Nominations continue today from Commonwealth countries that participate in recommending British (Imperial) honours. Most Commonwealth countries ceased recommendations for appointments to the Order of the British Empire when they created their own honours.
Historically, Lord Esher, the then Constable and Governor of Windsor Castle, had already suggested a new civilian order before the First World War to be awarded more widely as there was no suitable award for junior ranks, members of the public outside the civil service or even women! At one stage a scheme was proposed to extend the Orders of the Bath and St Michael and St George but was rejected.
As things progressed into the War it was agreed that a new Order should be given to foreigners as well, to help the war effort and then widen it afterwards to include science, arts and literature, and voluntary social and charitable services.
A wide range of ideas for names was suggested. Rejected ideas included the Order of George and Mary, the Patriotic Service Order, the Order of the Imperial Crown, even St Martin, Saint Lewis, the Golden Rose or Mars!
More problematic was the position of women being awarded the grades which would otherwise carry a knighthood for men. A style had to be invented! 'Madame' and 'Lady' were rejected and so Dame was adopted. Though men can be knighted separately from an order of chivalry (Knight Bachelor), women cannot, and so the rank of Dame Commander of the Order became the only rank of damehood and remains the lowest now that women are allowed equally into any order of chivalry. Because of this, an appointment as Dame Commander is made in circumstances in which a man would be created a Knight Bachelor. For example, by convention, female judges of the High Court of Justice are created Dames Commander after appointment (almost to the point of exclusivity), while male judges become Knights Bachelor. Interestingly, the style of Dame therefore only dates back to 1917.
The first awards were presented by King George V at Ibrox Park in Glasgow on 18th September 1917. The King appointed the Prince of Wales as the Order's first Grand Master and the first appointments included Queen Mary herself and the King's uncle, the Duke of Connaught. Queen Alexandra followed in 1918 and another early Dame Grand Cross was the Empress Eugenie of France, who received it just before her 93rd birthday.
Any intention that the Order should lapse once the process of acknowledging war services was complete was put to an end in 1922 when it was made permanent. It had been awarded on a huge scale at home and around the Empire with some 25,000 recipients by 1921 and the Order had brought to an end the practice in Britain of confining honours to the political and military elite. The important features of the December 1922 constitution include the dominance of civil awards, accounting for more than 80 per cent of the total, and the allocation of half of the civil places to recipients from outside the UK.
The design of the central medallion originally showed a seated figure of Britannia. When Queen Mary became Grand Master there was a complete overhaul of the Order's design. Under a statute dated 9th March 1937, the central medallion was changed to a joint effigy of King George V and Queen Mary facing left created by the artist Percy Metcalfe. The Riband changed to rose pink with narrow edges in pearl grey. The central stripe for the Military Division was also changed to pearl grey. One man joked that the Riband must have been so old it had faded!
Knights, Dames and Commanders of the Order may display its circlet around (and suspend its Badge below) their Coat of Arms.
There has been much talk over recent years about the name of the Order, especially in connection to the UK's colonial past and the fact that the British Empire as such has not existed for many decades. More recent discussion was halted for the Order's centenary in 2017 but does not appear to have started again.
The last royal appointment as Knight Grand Cross was in 1953 when HRH the Duke of Edinburgh was also appointed Grand Master, taking over from Queen Mary, an appointment which he held until his recent death. His and The Queen's granddaughter, Zara Tindall, was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2007 New Year Honours for her services to equestrianism. She was, in fact, the reigning Eventing World Champion until 2010. Her husband, Mike Tindall, has been equally honoured.
British Empire Medal
The Medal of the Order of the British Empire was established in June 1917, along with the Order of the British Empire, and could be awarded for either meritorious service or for gallantry. It was awarded to 2,014 people. In 1922, the original Medal was discontinued, and was replaced by two separate honours: the Medal of the Order of the British Empire for Meritorious Service (usually referred to as British Empire Medal, BEM) and the Medal of the Order of the British Empire for Gallantry (usually referred to as Empire Gallantry Medal, EGM) which was awarded for acts of bravery, until it was replaced by the George Cross in 1940. After a 1993 review of the British honours system, the Government decided that the distinction between the BEM and MBE had "become increasingly tenuous" and the Prime Minister, John Major, ended the award of the BEM to British subjects, although the medal continued to be awarded in some Commonwealth countries, such as the Bahamas and the Cook Islands. |
Although those awarded the honour do not receive it from the monarch in person, but from the Lord Lieutenant of their county, recipients are invited to a Buckingham Palace garden party to celebrate their achievement.
With the passing away of The Duke of Edinburgh, it will be interesting to see who is eventually appointed Grand Master in succession to him. I would not be surprised if it were either HRH the Duchess of Cambridge or HRH the Countess of Wessex (the future Duchess of Edinburgh).