Order of the Garter
St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle has been the home of the Most Noble Order of the Garter since King Edward III of England founded the Order in 1348 as "a society, fellowship and college of knights." It is now the oldest and highest order of chivalry in the British honours system.In conscious imitation of King Arthur's Round Table, the Order always has 26 official Knights of the Garter, including the sovereign, and each is assigned a seat in the choir of the Chapel; each knight's coat of arms is displayed on a flag hanging over that seat. Women are now admitted to the Order, as are a few non-Christian foreign heads of state. Since 1786 there have also been extra ("supernumerary") knights, not counted in the 26, to include certain ex officio personages, such as all the sons of the sovereign.
As with the other orders of chivalry, the sovereign fills vacancies in the membership by naming persons who have performed some note-worthy service for the nation. Knights have the right to wear (on the left leg) "the Garter," the buckled blue strap with the Order's motto, Honi soit qui mal y pense ('Shame on him who thinks evil of it'), and to use the post nominal "K.G." after their names.
The Order of the Garter has five officers, three of whom are clergymen of the Church of England. The office of Prelate of the Order is always held by the Bishop of Winchester, that of Chancellor by the Bishop of Oxford, and that of Register by the Dean of Windsor. The two lay officers are the Officer of Arms, the Garter Principal King of Arms, and the Usher, the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod.
The Original 25 Knights of the Garter (1348)
Later Knights of the Garter
