the Duchess of Gloucester invested by King Charles III

This June 17, 2024, the British royal family attended the annual ceremony of the Order of the Garter. King Charles III, sovereign of this ancestral order, had the honor of welcoming the Duchess of Gloucester to the Order of the Garter. Duchess Birgitte became a royal lady of the order, joining her husband, Prince Richard, who has been invested in the order since 1997.

Also read: Camilla at the Order of the Garter ceremony for the first time as a Lady Companion

The Duchess of Gloucester joins the Order of the Garter

This Monday, June 17, 2024, King Charles III presided, for the second time since the start of his reign, the ceremony of the very noble order of the Garter, at Saint George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. As every year, the members of the order first waited in the state apartments of Windsor Castle before joining the chapel on foot, wearing their full costume, including the famous feathered hats and coats. velvet. Other members of the royal family who are not members of the order can attend the ceremony as spectators.

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The Order of the Garter is almost 700 years old. It was founded on April 23, St. George’s Day, in the year 1348, by King Edward III. The order ceremony takes place each year on the Monday of the week dedicated to the Ascot races. During the ceremony, King Charles, sovereign of the order, receives the new knights and ladies who join this order which can only have 24 members at a time. In addition to the 24 knights and ladies, the order has supernumerary members. These include members of the royal family and foreign royalty.

This June 17, the Duchess of Gloucester entered the Order of the Garter. On the occasion of St. George’s Day, King Charles granted new distinctions within the royal orders, notably to members of his family. This year, it was Duchess Birgitte, wife of the Duke of Gloucester, who received the king’s honors. During this Monday’s ceremony, Birgitte was invested into the order and wore the order’s coat and hat for the first time. Her husband was invested into the Order of the Garter in 1997.

Also read: The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester at Gloucester Cathedral

King Charles III received three more new members of the Order of the Garter

Birgitte Van Deurs, 77, of Danish origin, married Prince Richard, grandson of King George V, in 1972. In 1974, Richard became Duke of Gloucester, following the early death of his father. The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester are still working members of the royal family. The Duke of Gloucester, first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, is 31st in the line of succession to the British throne.

After the ceremony, the members of the order left the premises by carriage to reach Windsor Castle, located a few hundred meters higher. In addition to the appointment of the Duchess of Gloucester as a supernumerary member, three other new members have joined the order: Lord Peach, Lord Kakkar and Lord Lloyd-Webber. Andrew Lloyd-Webber is a famous film music composer, having notably won an Osca in 1996. He had already been knighted in 1992, then baron in 1997. Lord Stuart Peach is a marshal of the Air Force and Lord Ajay Kakkar is a surgeon and politician.

Among the insignia worn by members of the order, the blue ribbon worn as a sash and the star plaque. It presents in its center an escutcheon of the cross of Saint George, encircled by the garter on which is written the motto in old French “Honi soi qui mal y pense”. The plate is starred by eight silver points. The members also wear a real garter, which is attached to the left knee in men and to the arm in women, because their knee is hidden by their skirt. The knights and ladies wear a sword and an ostrich feather headdress.