Royal Splendor 101: Royal Family Orders

Behold, the debut of a new series: Royal Splendor 101. This is aimed at answering a few of the frequently asked questions I receive about some of the royal background details that we usually gloss over in favor of chatting about things that are shiny and new. As always: I am no expert, and I make no attempt to cover every single detail.

Royal ladies dressed in their formal best often wear several brooches; up close, you can see that these sometimes include miniature portraits of sovereigns set on bows. I get a lot of questions about these: what exactly are they? And why would you elect to wear, say, your mother-in-law's picture on your best dress?

These are royal family orders (not every royal family uses that precise terminology, so we'll use that as more of a generic label). They are given to female members of a royal family by the sovereign, a custom that probably originated as a substitute to the orders of chivalry and merit to which women were once not allowed to belong. Some monarchs can award their orders, or a version of them, to women outside of the family, such as loyal members of their royal household. They are usually worn only at the most formal occasions, though there are always exceptions. Only select royal families have such a tradition in place. Here's a breakdown of those that do:

Britain

Royal family orders in Britain originated during George IV's reign and continue to this day. You will see them on British royal ladies at gala occasions, and rarely at other occasions; the Queen and other ladies of the royal family wore George VI's order at his funeral, for example. Queen Elizabeth II's order is a portrait of herself painted on ivory in a diamond frame topped by a Tudor crown and set on a pale yellow silk bow. Her cypher adorns the back side.

When the Queen gives this out, it is a private award. There is no announcement; the only way to know if a certain lady has the royal family order is to see her wear it in public. Which members of the family receive the honor, and when they receive it, is entirely up to the Queen.

Living members of the royal family that we know to have the Queen's order are (above, left to right): the Duchess of Cornwall, the Countess of Wessex, the Princess Royal, the Duchess of Gloucester, the Duchess of Kent, and Princess Alexandra of Kent. Diana, Princess of Wales received the order during her marriage; Sarah, Duchess of York, never did.

The Queen herself wears the orders of her father, George VI, and her grandfather, George V. When you've lived long enough to be awarded orders from multiple sovereigns, you can wear all the ones you have. Note here a unique feature of the British royal family orders: the color of the bow changes with each reign.

Norway

Queen Sonja's brooch (left), and Crown Princess Mette-Marit's (right)

Currently, all the main ladies of the Norwegian royal family have King Harald's house order, which he can also bestow on ladies outside the family.

Left to Right: Queen Sonja, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Princess Märtha Louise, Princess Astrid and Princess Ragnhild (the King's sisters) 

Queen Sonja, Princess Astrid, and Princess Ragnhild all have orders from multiple reigns; Queen Sonja wears only her husband's portrait these days, while Princess Astrid wears all three of hers (from her brother, father, and grandfather). Princess Ragnhild's are rarely seen, as she is not a regular participant in official functions.

 

Queen Sonja wears her husband's portrait quite frequently, and certainly does not confine her use of the order to gala occasions. She's definitely the royal lady that gets the most use out of her house order.

Sweden

The brooches of Queen Silvia (left) and Princess Madeleine (right)

Over in Sweden, the Queen naturally has a fancier diamond setting than everybody else. The bows that their orders are set on change as well: below, you can see Princess Lilian's bow is slightly different.
Those that wear King Carl XVI Gustaf's portrait include (above, left to right): Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria, Princess Madeleine, and Princess Lilian. The King's sisters also have orders, though Princess Christina is the only one that regularly attends formal engagements.

Denmark

Protraits belonging to Queen Margrethe (left) and Crown Princess Mary (right)

Denmark is a good example of royals reusing the dazzling frames that hold these portraits. The frame currently used by Margrethe (above) was previously used by her mother, Queen Ingrid.

L to R: Queen Margrethe, Princess Benedikte, Queen Anne-Marie, Crown Princess Mary

Queen Margrethe, Princess Benedikte, and Queen Anne-Marie wear their father's portrait. Queen Anne-Marie doesn't wear hers at every gala event she attends: usage seems to vary depending on whether she is representing Denmark or Greece. Crown Princess Mary is the lone royal lady wearing Margrethe's portrait at the moment. Princess Marie doesn't have one yet, but Prince Joachim's first wife, Alexandra, did.

Tonga's royal family is the fifth and final family that uses a royal family order.

So, there's your answer: you'd wear your mother-in-law's portrait on your best dress because it is considered an honor to do so.

Photos: Life/Corbis/PPE/Zimbio