The Royal Family Order (RFO) and other Royal Orders and Decorations 2: Sep 2022-


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Why was the princess Royal wearing the robes of the Order of the Thistle today instead of that of the Order of the Garter?
 
Somebody said:
Why was the princess Royal wearing the robes of the Order of the Thistle today instead of that of the Order of the Garter?
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The only answer, considering it's precedence is below that of the Garter, is that she wanted to represent Scotland.
 
I wonder if maybe the Thistle robes were easier to remove as she didn't seem to wear them (understandably) when she rode behind the Gold State Coach. I can't see why but thats what came to my mind when I saw she was different from the others but maybe she did just want to acknowledge / represent Scotland.
 
tommy100 said:
I wonder if maybe the Thistle robes were easier to remove as she didn't seem to wear them (understandably) when she rode behind the Gold State Coach. I can't see why but thats what came to my mind when I saw she was different from the others but maybe she did just want to acknowledge / represent Scotland.
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No, I think, after The Prince of Wales, The Dukes of Edinburgh, York and Kent wore Garter Robes, they wanted also Scotland to be represented by a family member in ther ceremony.
 
what was going on with Sophie's robe - is looks like it was not put on correctly? If you look at Princess Alexanders and Kates and than Sophie - it almost looks like a different item of clothing.
 
The only two members of the royal family with the Thistle are the Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal. So the one wore the Garter and the other the Thistle. Both most ancient and venerable Orders equally represented.
 
.

Princess Alexandra could have worn the Garter robes, as she is a Lady of the Garter but she wore those of the Royal Victorian order. Maybe to match the outfits of the other royal ladies?
 
tommy100 said:
I wonder if maybe the Thistle robes were easier to remove as she didn't seem to wear them (understandably) when she rode behind the Gold State Coach. I can't see why but thats what came to my mind when I saw she was different from the others but maybe she did just want to acknowledge / represent Scotland.
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I could barely see the collar of the Thistle as the Princess Royal seemed to tuck it inside her mantle. Is that how it is supposed to be worn? It looked strange to me, but I got only a quick glimpse thereof. Maybe it was the camera angle.
 
Claire said:
what was going on with Sophie's robe - is looks like it was not put on correctly? If you look at Princess Alexanders and Kates and than Sophie - it almost looks like a different item of clothing.
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I noticed the same. She didn't have it fastened properly at the neck so it gaped.
 
andrew said:
Princess Alexandra could have worn the Garter robes, as she is a Lady of the Garter but she wore those of the Royal Victorian order. Maybe to match the outfits of the other royal ladies?
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Perhaps the Royal Victorian Order robes are lighter and easier to put on. She also didn't wear the collar, at least on the balcony.

Mbruno said:
I could barely see the collar of the Thistle as the Princess Royal seemed to tuck it inside her mantle. Is that how it is supposed to be worn? It looked strange to me, but I got only a quick glimpse thereof. Maybe it was the camera angle.
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I think she did it that way so she could take the mantle off easily for the ride back.
 
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It was disappointing that the Royal Family Order of Charles III was not ready for the Coronation Day.
 
Lilyflo said:
I noticed the same. She didn't have it fastened properly at the neck so it gaped.
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The duchess of Gloucester wore it the same way as the duchess of Edinburgh. So, apparently, there are two ways of wearing those robes.
 
An Ard Ri said:
It was disappointing that the Royal Family Order of Charles III was not ready for the Coronation Day.
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I hope they make a new order of the royal family for King Charles III. It would be a shame if the order of the royal family did not continue into the future.
 
Blog Real said:
I hope they make a new order of the royal family for King Charles III. It would be a shame if the order of the royal family did not continue into the future.
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I suspect we will see the new RFO by the next state visit. If the RFOs were to be discontinued, the ladies of the BRF would no thave worn them in the current reign.
 
I'm pretty sure a new RFO will pop up sooner or later, with a huge diffrence from the previous one : made of glass and not ivory.
 
Nico said:
I'm pretty sure a new RFO will pop up sooner or later, with a huge diffrence from the previous one : made of glass and not ivory.
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I'm really surprised the new one wasn't on show at the Coronation.
 
I was surprised to not see one at the Coronation either. I would have loved to seen the Kings pinned to Charlotte's dress. However, seeing as these are items of hand-painted jewelry with diamonds - perhaps the budget and time involved meant they had to be pushed back a bit post coronation.
 
I think we might see something - but it might be the announcement about the end of the family orders due to the modernization of all royal awards.
 
Unless they attend a state banquet sometime in the future or some formal event, it's a bummer we may never know if Beatrice and Eugenie received the Queen's RFO. I had been banking on the coronation to showcase that but it was not to be. And we do not know the Queen's view of getting it when it comes to blood royals because they are the only ones in the observation pool.
 
muriel said:
I suspect we will see the new RFO by the next state visit. If the RFOs were to be discontinued, the ladies of the BRF would no thave worn them in the current reign.
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That's what I thought too and hopefully the RFO has not been discontinued !
 
Claire said:
I think we might see something - but it might be the announcement about the end of the family orders due to the modernization of all royal awards.
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I am definitely expecting a long overdue announcement of the modernization of all royal awards. It will be curious to see how the Court and the Government will handle this. However, I am hoping, that it will not include an end to the RFO.
 
Other than those orders purely in the monarch's gift any other reforms will have to come from the government and nothing to do with the King. He simply hands them out (well they are in his name even though most of them aren't done by him personally).

He can decide to do away with RFO's or the Garter or the Thistle or Bath if he wants.

If he does have an RFO I suspect it will be very limited - working royal ladies. In time George's wife, Charlotte and Louis' wife but no one else.
 
The Royal Family Order is worn with long dress, usually these are in the evenings with the State Opening of Parliament as exception. The Princess Royal was not in long dress, so that excludes her.

Because all ladies in long dress and known with a RFO wore an Order Mantle (Garter, Thistle, RVO, etc) we simply have no idea about it because eventual worn RFO's were invisible.

Edit: at the official portrait the Princess of Wales, the Duchess of Edinburgh, the Duchess of Gloucester had Princess Alexandra of Kent had their mantles removed. The first three ladies RFO's are visible. Princess Alexandra however had none of her three RFO's pinned.
 
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Duc_et_Pair said:
The Royal Family Order is worn with long dress, usually these are in the evenings with the State Opening of Parliament as exception. The Princess Royal was not in long dress, so that excludes her.

Because all ladies in long dress and known with a RFO wore an Order Mantle (Garter, Thistle, RVO, etc) we simply have no idea about it because eventual worn RFO's were invisible.

Edit: at the official portrait the Princess of Wales, the Duchess of Edinburgh, the Duchess of Gloucester had Princess Alexandra of Kent had their mantles removed. The first three ladies RFO's are visible. Princess Alexandra however had none of her three RFO's pinned.
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Princess Alexandra only has two - George VI and Elizabeth II's.

She was born in December 1936 so in the reign of George VI.
 
Iluvbertie said:
Princess Alexandra only has two - George VI and Elizabeth II's.

She was born in December 1936 so in the reign of George VI.
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You are right, as the late Princess Margaret was of comparable age I automatically assumed Princess Alexandra had 3 Orders as well (Princess Margaret 1 special Order more, Lady Companion Order of the Crown of India): picture
 
https://twitter.com/x/status/1669693005085786115

The King has been graciously pleased to appoint The Queen to the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle.

The Order represents the highest honour in Scotland. Revived by King James VII, the Order has a complement of 16 Knights.
 
wartenberg7 said:
which is nice, but not the Royal Family Order...
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The award of the RFO is not made public, the awardee is just seen with it at the next white-tie event.
 
RoyalHighness 2002 said:
Unless they attend a state banquet sometime in the future or some formal event, it's a bummer we may never know if Beatrice and Eugenie received the Queen's RFO. I had been banking on the coronation to showcase that but it was not to be. And we do not know the Queen's view of getting it when it comes to blood royals because they are the only ones in the observation pool.
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We do now know that the late Queen did not give her granddaughters her family order - or at least didn't give it to Beatrice. If she had had it she would have worn it to the wedding in Jordan.

That means only Catherine will have her family order in William's generation.

That I will suspect means they won't get Charles' or William's either.
 
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