Imho...
I have just read through all 13 pages of this thread and as much as we can speculate on who will get what...I, for one, am happy enough to leave it up to the one person who has the best insight, intuition and understanding of the nuances of such things - HM The Queen. My thinking is that she is in the best position to judge such things and has so for, IMHO, not gone wrong yet.
It is my understanding that (royal) Garters only go to princes and princesses of the Blood Royal (excepted for Queens Consort)...therefore not to the Duchesses of Kent or Gloucester, Sophie, RA Laurence etc
As for earning vs bestowing such honours, HRH The DofE has twice declined Canadian honours because he felt that he had not eaned them. He just recently received/accepted the Companion of the Order of Canada (see below) and Commander of the Order of Military Merit based on substantive merit as opposed to honourary status. I think that many menber of the BRF would take the same approach.
Also, please keep in mind that many members of the BRF hold honouray positions in various armed forces of the UK and the Realms. It is because of this service and dedication that they are able to be acknowleged by the variours service arms. So, while the Princess Royal or say the Earl of Wessex may not have actively 'served', they have worked very hard for their associated services branches and my guess is that the members and veterans of these units are more that happy to see their Royal Colonels (etc) wearing their uniforms and decorations.