List of knights and dames of the Royal Victorian Order appointed by Edward VIII

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The star of a Knight or Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order GCVO star.jpg
The star of a Knight or Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order

The Royal Victorian Order is an order of knighthood awarded by the sovereign of the United Kingdom and several Commonwealth realms. It is granted personally by the monarch and recognises personal service to the monarchy, the Royal Household, royal family members, and the organisation of important royal events. [1] [2] The order was officially created and instituted on 23 April 1896 by letters patent under the Great Seal of the Realm by Queen Victoria. [3] It was instituted with five grades, the two highest of which were Knight Grand Cross (GCVO) and Knight Commander (KCVO), which conferred the status of knighthood on holders (apart from foreigners, who typically received honorary awards not entitling them to the style of a knight). [4] [5] [6] Women were not admitted until Edward VIII altered the statutes of the order in 1936; those receiving the highest two awards were styled dames and those grades, when conferred on women, are Dame Grand Cross and Dame Commander (DCVO). [7]

Contents

King Edward VIII (reigned 1936) Bundesarchiv Bild 102-13538, Edward Herzog von Windsor.jpg
King Edward VIII (reigned 1936)

No limit was placed on the number of appointments which could be made. [8] King Edward VIII appointed 5 Knights Grand Cross, 1 Dame Grand Cross and 2 Knights Commander, between his accession to the throne on 20 January 1936 and his abdication on 11 December 1936. [nb 1] He appointed his mother, Queen Mary, a Dame Grand Cross; she was the only royal to receive either of the two highest grades under Edward VIII and was also the first woman appointed in the order's history. Of the Knights Grand Cross, all but one were members of the Royal Household, two of whom were recognised for their service to King George V; the other was the Lord Mayor of London, Lord Wakefield. The two Knights Commander were officers in the army. All of the appointments were made to celebrate the King's Birthday, except for Sir Philip Hunloke, who received the GCVO on 1 February 1937, back-dated to 15 July 1936.

Knights and Dames Grand Cross appointed by Edward VIII

The list below is ordered by date of appointment. Full names, styles, ranks and titles are given where applicable, as correct at the time of appointment to the order. Branch of service or regiment details are given in parentheses to distinguish them from offices. The offices listed are those given in the official notice, printed in the London Gazette. Where applicable, the occasion is given that was listed either with the notices or in published material elsewhere, in which case that material is cited.

NameDate of appointmentNotesRef
Charles Wakefield, 1st Viscount Wakefield 23 June 1936Donor of property at Windsor for transfer to the Dean and Chapter of St George's. Appointed on the occasion of the King's birthday. [10] [11]
Lieutenant Colonel Sir Malcolm Murray 23 June 1936Comptroller and Equerry to the Duke of Connaught; Deputy Ranger, Windsor Great Park. Appointed on the occasion of the King's birthday. [10] [11]
Sir Richard Cruise 23 June 1936Surgeon-oculist to Queen Mary. Appointed on the occasion of the King's birthday. [10] [11]
Sir Bernard Halsey-Bircham 23 June 1936Solicitor to George V. Appointed on the occasion of the King's birthday. [10] [11]
Queen Mary 23 June 1936Appointed on the occasion of the King's birthday. [12]
Major Sir Philip Hunloke 15 July 1936Extra Groom in Waiting to the King. His appointment was made on 1 February 1937 and back-dated to 15 July 1936. [11] [13]

Knights Commander appointed by Edward VIII

The list below is ordered by date of appointment. Full names, styles, ranks and titles are given where applicable, as correct at the time of appointment to the order. Branch of service or regiment details are given in parentheses to distinguish them from offices. The offices listed are those given in the official notice, printed in the London Gazette. Where applicable, the occasion is given that was listed either with the notices or in published material elsewhere, in which case that material is cited.

NameDate of appointmentNotesRef
Brigadier-General Archibald Home 23 June 1936Standard Bearer, Honourable Corps of Gentleman-at-Arms. Appointed on the occasion of the King's birthday. [10] [14]
Colonel Frank Watney 23 June 1936Chairman of the Officers' Association. Appointed on the occasion of the King's birthday. [10] [14]

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References

Notes

  1. ↑ A complete list of those receiving substantive (i.e. non-honorary) appointments to the GCVO during King Edward VII's reign may be found at Galloway, 1996, p. 112. Records of honorary appointments were not printed in the London Gazette after 1 July 1911. [9]

Citations

  1. ↑ "Royal Victorian Order", The British Monarchy (accessed 16 August 2014)
  2. ↑ "Royal Victorian Order", The Governor-General of Canada (accessed 16 August 2014)
  3. ↑ The London Gazette, issue 26733, p. 2455
  4. ↑ McCreery, 2008, p. 29
  5. ↑ Honorary Knighthood Archived 2015-03-16 at the Wayback Machine , Debrett's (accessed on 20 August 2014)
  6. ↑ Knighthood, The British Monarchy (accessed on 20 August 2014)
  7. ↑ Duckers, 2004, p. 38
  8. ↑ McCreery, 2008, pp. 28–29
  9. ↑ Galloway, 1996, p. 9
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Supplement to the London Gazette , 19 June 1936, issue no. 34296, p. 4001
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Galloway 1996, p. 112
  12. ↑ Supplement to the London Gazette , 23 June 1936, issue no. 34296, p. 3995
  13. ↑ The Edinburgh Gazette , 5 February 1937, issue no. 15359, p. 104
  14. 1 2 Galloway 1996, p. 135

Bibliography

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