Royals arrive for historic Order of the Garter procession as thousands of fans line the route

In the Middle Ages, King Edward III was so inspired by the stories of King Arthur and the chivalry of the Knights of the Round Table that he founded his own group of honorable knights, the Order of the Garter.

Nearly 700 years later, the Order is the oldest and highest order of chivalry in Britain. The knights, now both male and female, used to be confined to the aristocracy, but today they are chosen from a variety of backgrounds, in recognition of their public service.

The patron saint of the Order is Saint George (patron saint of soldiers and also of England) and if there are vacancies in the Order, appointments are announced on Saint George’s Day (23 April).

The Order of the Garter is a 700-year-old tradition that recognizes great public service. Membership is limited to a maximum of 24 and is mostly Lords and Ladies with The Queen, left in 2018, appointing members as they see fit. An ‘extra’ group of members that do not count towards the official limit are Royal Knights, including Prince William, while Prince Charles is automatically a member first in line to the throne

The spiritual home of the Order is St George’s Chapel, Windsor. Each knight is required to display a banner of his coat of arms in the Chapel, along with a helmet, crest and sword and an enameled stable plate.

These ‘achievements’ are removed on the death of the knight and the badges are returned to the Sovereign. The stallplates remain as a memorial and now form one of the finest heraldry collections in the world.

Knights of the Garter are personally chosen by the Sovereign to honor those who have held public office, contributed in some way to national life, or who have personally served the Sovereign.

As sovereign and heir apparent, the Queen and Prince Charles automatically become members of the Order and are considered ‘ex officio knights’. The Prince of Wales is known as a Royal Knight Companion of the Garter.

The sovereign, known as the Sovereign of the Garter, is the only one with the power to admit new members.

The Garter is open to British and Commonwealth citizens. Notable former members include Sir Winston Churchill, Stanley Baldwin and Sir Edmund Hillary.

Field Marshal, the Lord Bramall, a former Chief of Defense Staff, the Duke of Abercorn, the Duke of Westminster and Baroness Manningham-Buller, the former Director General of MI5, are among the current Knights and Ladies of the Garter.

There are also two orders of ‘extra’ knights. Members of the Royal Knights and Ladies include Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, Prince Charles, the Princess Royal and Prince William.

A second order, the Stranger Knights and Ladies, is bestowed upon foreign rulers such as Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and Harald V of Norway.

Although new additions are named on St. George’s Day, April 23, the dedication ceremony takes place in Junmantle during the traditional Garter Procession, with members parading through Windsor.

The iconic annual Garter Day procession, where the Queen and Knights gather in grand velvet robes, glittering badges and plumed hats, is one of the most traditional ceremonies in the Queen’s calendar.

Every June, a grand procession of the Knights takes place at Windsor Castle, accompanied by a marching band and officers of the Order, all in grand ceremonial dress.

The day begins with the Queen formally investing new companions with the insignia of the Order in the Throne Room of the Castle. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh receive the members and officers for lunch, after which everyone proceeds on foot to a service in St. George’s Chapel.

There is a short service where any new Companions will be installed. The Sovereign and other members of the Order then return to the Upper Ward of the castle in carriages and cars.