The Order of the Garter is one of the most recognisable royal traditions, largely thanks to the unique uniforms which the likes of King Charles, Queen Camilla and the Prince of Wales wear. From their dark blue robes to ostrich feather-plumed Tudor bonnets, the ceremonial Garter robes are eye-catching and steeped in tradition.
Looking back to 2008, Prince William made history when he made his debut at the service after Queen Elizabeth II made her grandson the 1000th Knight of the Garter. The late Queen’s decision was also historic for another reason as she was breaking a rule which had been in place for 114 years at the time.
The service will take place again on Monday after the excitement of Trooping the Colour on Saturday.
That wasn’t the only reason that William’s induction into the order was so important as he was the first grandchild to be invested since Queen Victoria did the same for one of her grandsons.
Prior to Queen Elizabeth’s decision, no monarch had invested their grandchild into the Order for 114 years since 1894 when Queen Victoria invested Alfred, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
Prince William remains the only one of the late Queen’s eight grandchildren to be a member – and it remains unknown if this will change at any point in the near future.
The Order of the Garter is the oldest order of chivalry in the United Kingdom and is the most senior knighthood in the British honours system, which is only outranked by the Victoria Cross and the George Cross.
Any new appointments are left entirely up to the King’s discretion and are usually in recognition of a national contribution to public service, or for personal service to the monarch.
It sees Knights and Ladies of the Garter wear ceremonial robes and attend a service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, before taking part in a procession around the grounds. The senior members of the Royal Family then depart from the chapel in carriages to return to Windsor Castle.
Also typically present are Supernumerary Knights (also known as Stranger Knights) who are foreign monarchs. Those who are inducted include King Felipe VI of Spain, King Harald V of Norway and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands.