List of current knights and ladies of the Garter

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

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)

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 88
Royal Knight Companion[1]
The Duke of York KG, GCVO, CD 2006 65
The Duke of Edinburgh KG, KT, GCVO, CD, ADC 2006 as The Earl of Wessex; The Duke of Edinburgh since 2023 61
The Prince of Wales KG, KT, GCB, PC, ADC (ex officio) 2008 as Prince William of Wales; The Prince of Wales since 2022 43
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 78
Royal Lady
The Duchess of Gloucester LG, GCVO, DStJ, CD 2024 79
Royal Lady Companion

Stranger Knights and Ladies Companion

Name Year of appointment Present age Banner Notes
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark 1979 as Queen; abdicated 2024 85
Also Recipient of the Royal Victorian Chain
The King of Sweden 1983 79
Also Recipient of the Royal Victorian Chain and Honorary Admiral in the Royal Navy
King Juan Carlos I of Spain 1988 as King; abdicated 2014 87
Also Recipient of the Royal Victorian Chain
Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands 1989 as Queen; abdicated 2013 87
Also Recipient of the Royal Victorian Chain and Honorary Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
Emperor Akihito of Japan 1998 as Emperor; abdicated 2019 91
Also Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
The King of Norway 2001 88
Also Recipient of the Royal Victorian Chain, Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, Honorary General in the British Army and Honorary Colonel in the Royal Marines
The King of Spain 2017 57
Also Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
The King of the Netherlands 2018 58
The Emperor of Japan 2024 65

Knights and Ladies Companion

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 91
2-(992) The Lord Butler of Brockwell KG, GCB, CVO, PC Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Home Civil Service 2003 87
3-(994) Sir John Major KG, CH, PC Prime Minister 2005 82
4-(999) The Lord Luce KG, GCVO, PC, DL Lord Chamberlain and Governor of Gibraltar 2008 88
5-(1002) The Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers KG, PC Lord Chief Justice and President of the Supreme Court 2011 87
6-(1004) Marshal of the Royal Air Force The Lord Stirrup KG, GCB, AFC Chief of the Defence Staff 2013 75
7-(1005) The Baroness Manningham-Buller LG, DCB Director General of the Security Service 2014 77
8-(1006) The Lord King of Lothbury KG, GBE, DL, FBA Governor of the Bank of England 77
9-(1007) The Lord Shuttleworth KG, KCVO Lord-Lieutenant of Lancashire 2016 77
10-(1010) The Viscount Brookeborough KG, KStJ Lord in Waiting to The King and Lord-Lieutenant of Fermanagh 2018 73
11-(1011) Lady Mary Fagan LG, DCVO, DStJ, JP Lord-Lieutenant of Hampshire 85
12-(1013) The Marquess of Salisbury KG, KCVO, PC, DL Deputy Lieutenant of Hertfordshire and Leader of the House of Lords 2019 78
13-(1014) Lady Mary Peters LG, CH, DBE Olympic gold medallist and Lord-Lieutenant of Belfast 86
14-(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 71
15-(1016) Sir Tony Blair KG, PC Prime Minister 72
16-(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 69
17-(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 81
18-(1019) Air Chief Marshal The Lord Peach KG, GBE, KCB, DL Chief of the Defence Staff and Chair of the NATO Military Committee 2024 69
19-(1020) The Lord Kakkar KG, KBE, PC Chairman of the Judicial Appointments Commission and Chairman of the House of Lords Appointments Commission 61
20-(1021) The Lord Lloyd-Webber KG Composer and impresario of musical theatre 77
21 Vacant [N 2]    
22 Vacant [N 3]    
23 Vacant [N 4]    
24 Vacant [N 5]    

Officers

Armorial

See also

Notes

  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.
  5. ^ Vacant following the death of Sir Thomas Dunne on 6 January 2025.
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Stranger Knights and Ladies do not embellish the arms they use in their countries with British decorations.

References

  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.
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