The British royals gathered at Windsor Castle on Monday for a centuries-old ceremony with one of the more fascinating origin stories in royal lore, tied to a 14th-century court incident that reads very much like a scandalous wardrobe malfunction and is said to have inspired Britain’s oldest and most senior order of chivalry.
The story goes that the Countess of Salisbury’s garter (an item of clothing used to hold up stockings) slipped during a royal gathering, prompting King Edward III to step in, pick it up, fasten it around his own leg, and silence the room with a line that has outlived them all: “Honi soit qui mal y pense,” which translates as “Shame on him who thinks evil of it.”
Today, the words of King Edward III live on as the official motto of the Order of the Garter, which includes the King, who is Sovereign of the Garter, several senior members of the Royal Family, and twenty-four knights chosen in recognition of their service. They gathered on a sweltering day for a procession and service, all in full ceremonial regalia that was marvellously unsuited to the weather.