Royal Victorian Order facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Royal Victorian Order
Breast star of Knights/Dames Grand Cross
Awarded by Charles III
Type	Dynastic order
Established	21 April 1896
Motto	Victoria
Awarded for	Personal service to the Sovereign
Status	Currently constituted
Founder	Victoria
Sovereign	Charles III
Grand Master	Anne, Princess Royal
Chancellor	The Lord Benyon
Grades	Knight/Dame Grand Cross (GCVO) Knight/Dame Commander (KCVO/DCVO) Commander (CVO) Lieutenant (LVO) Member (MVO)
Statistics
First induction	1896
Precedence
Next (higher)	Dependent on state
Next (lower)	Dependent on state
Ribbon of an ordinary member of the order Ribbon of an honorary member of the order

The Royal Victorian Order is a special award created in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It's given to people who have provided excellent personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or other important royal representatives. The current monarch, King Charles III, is the leader of the order. The order's motto is Victoria, which means "victory." Its official day is 20 June, and its chapel is the Savoy Chapel in London.

There's no limit to how many people can receive this award at each level. The monarch decides who gets the award. The order has five different levels, plus a medal with three levels. People who receive the top two levels can use "Sir" or "Dame" before their names. All members get special letters after their names. The order's importance compared to other awards can change from country to country.

History of the Royal Victorian Order

Queen Victoria in 1897, a year after she started the Royal Victorian Order

Before the late 1800s, most awards in the British Empire were given out based on advice from government ministers. But Queen Victoria wanted a way to personally thank people who served her directly. So, on 21 April 1896, she created the Royal Victorian Order. This allowed her to give awards to people across the empire for their personal service. The order was founded just a year before her Diamond Jubilee. This gave her time to choose the first people to be honored. The order's official day, 20 June, marks the day Queen Victoria became Queen.

In 1902, King Edward VII created the Royal Victorian Chain. This was a very high award for royal family members and important British citizens. Today, it's separate from the order itself. However, it is still managed by the Royal Victorian Order's office.

From the very beginning, people from other countries could also receive this award. The first foreigners to be honored were from France in 1896.

Who is in the Royal Victorian Order?

The reigning monarch is the head of the Royal Victorian Order, known as its Sovereign. The next most important role is the Grand Master. This position was created in 1937. Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother held this role until she passed away in 2002. In 2007, Queen Elizabeth II appointed her daughter, Anne, Princess Royal, as the Grand Master.

There are also five main officials who help run the order:

• The Chancellor, who is the Lord Chamberlain.
• The Secretary, who manages the King's money.
• The Registrar, who keeps the records.
• The Chaplain, who is the priest of the Savoy Chapel.
• The Genealogist, who studies family histories.

After these officials, there are people honored with different levels of the order. There are five main levels, and the top two allow people to be called "Sir" or "Dame." All levels come with special letters you can put after your name. There's also the Royal Victorian Medal, which comes in gold, silver, or bronze. People from other countries can become honorary members. There's no limit to how many people can be in each level, and members can be promoted to higher levels.

Before 1984, the Lieutenant and Member levels were called "Members (fourth class)" and "Members (fifth class)." Both used the letters "MVO" after their names. On 31 December 1984, Queen Elizabeth II changed the "Members (fourth class)" to Lieutenants, who now use "LVO" after their names.

Levels of the Royal Victorian Order
Level	Knight Grand Cross	Dame Grand Cross	Knight Commander	Dame Commander	Commander	Lieutenant	Member	Royal Victorian Medal
Title	Sir	Dame	Sir	Dame	—	—	—	—
Letters after name	GCVO		KCVO	DCVO	CVO	LVO	MVO	RVM
Badge

What do the Insignia and Robes look like?

The mantle (robe) of the order, showing the star of a Knight Grand Cross

When someone joins the Royal Victorian Order, they receive special items called insignia. Everyone gets a badge, which is a white Maltese cross. In the middle of the cross is a red circle with Queen Victoria's special symbol. This circle is surrounded by a blue ring with the order's motto, victoria, and a crown on top.

The badge looks a bit different for each level:

• Knights and Dames Grand Cross wear their badge on a wide ribbon called a sash.
• Knight Commanders and male Commanders wear their badge on a ribbon around their neck.
• Male Lieutenants and Members wear their badge on a ribbon pinned to their left chest.
• Women in all levels below Dame Grand Cross wear their badge on a bow pinned to their left shoulder.

The size of the badge also changes with the rank. Higher ranks have larger badges. Knights and Dames Grand Cross and Knight Commanders also have a star that goes around their cross.

Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh (in 2013) wearing the sash of a Dame Grand Cross of the Order

The medal shows the picture and name of the monarch who gave the award. On the back, it has the monarch's symbol inside a wreath. If someone receives a higher medal or is appointed to a higher level of the order, they can still wear their original medal along with their new insignia.

The order's ribbon is blue with red, white, and red stripes on the edges. For honorary members from other countries, the ribbon has an extra white stripe in the middle. The width of the ribbon also varies by rank.

On special formal days, called collar days, Knights and Dames Grand Cross wear a special chain called a livery collar. This chain has gold pieces with roses and inscriptions like Victoria and Queen of the Britons. A larger medallion hangs from the chain, showing a picture of Queen Victoria. Members hang their badge from this medallion. While families can keep the badge after a member passes away, the collar must be returned. Knights and Dames Grand Cross also wear a dark blue satin robe, called a mantle, with red edges. This robe has the order's star on the left side.

The Order's Chapel

The King's Chapel of the Savoy in London, which is the chapel of the Royal Victorian Order.

Since 1938, the official chapel for the Royal Victorian Order has been the King's Chapel of the Savoy in central London, England. However, the order has grown so much that the Savoy Chapel is now too small for all the members to gather. So, a larger chapel, St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, is now used for the main gathering every four years.

The Sovereign and the Knights and Dames Grand Cross have special seats in the Savoy Chapel's choir. On the back of each seat, there's a metal plate with the person's name, family symbol (coat of arms), and the date they joined the order. These plates stay there even after the person passes away. This creates a record of all the Knights and Dames Grand Cross since 1938. Only the banners of the Sovereign and the Grand Master are usually displayed in the chapel because there isn't enough space for more.

The Chaplain of the King's Chapel of the Savoy is also the Chaplain to the Royal Victorian Order. The current Chaplain is Canon Thomas Woodhouse.

Who can join and how are they chosen?

The coat of arms of Lord Baden-Powell, showing the circle of the Royal Victorian Order around the shield

The Royal Victorian Order's special circle design, shown flat

Membership in the Royal Victorian Order is given by the monarch directly. They choose people who have provided personal service to them. The monarch does not need advice from government ministers for these appointments.

People from other countries are usually made honorary members of the Royal Victorian Order. This often happens when the monarch visits their country, or when a head of state from another country visits the United Kingdom.

Canadians

Canadians are usually not appointed to the top two levels of the order. This is because these levels allow people to use "Sir" or "Dame" before their names. The Canadian government has a policy from 1919 that generally avoids these titles for its citizens.

However, Canadians can still be appointed to the order. This resumed in 1972. It includes people who serve the monarch's representatives in Canada, like the Governor General. Since 1984, it also includes officials in the provinces. The monarch originally chose members personally. However, the Governor General of Canada could suggest names. The practice of telling the Prime Minister of Canada about nominees ended in 1982. This was done to keep the order separate from politics.

In Canada, the order is sometimes jokingly called the "Royal Visit Order." This is because many appointments have been made by the monarch during their visits to Canada.

Canadian Association

There is a group called the Royal Victorian Order Association of Canada. It's for all Canadians who have received the order or the Royal Victorian Medal. This is the only such group in the Commonwealth realms. It was started by Michael Jackson. Since 2008, the group has met every two years.

Australians

Like in Canada, Australians can still receive the Royal Victorian Order. It's seen as a personal gift from the monarch. Appointments have continued even after Australia stopped using the wider British honours system in 1994. The highest levels (GCVO and KCVO/DCVO) are given out rarely. They haven't been awarded to Australians since 1990. For example, Governors-General are now usually appointed to the CVO level. Before the 1990s, they would have received higher levels like the GCVO. Awards are often made after a royal visit to Australia. They are given to royal representatives or to people who have provided excellent service to them.

Order of Importance

The Royal Victorian Order is open to citizens of fifteen different countries. Each country has its own system of awards. So, the order's place in the list of important awards changes from country to country. Here are some examples:

Country		Before	RVO level	After
Australia Order of precedence		Knight/Dame of the Order of Australia (AK/AD)	Knight/Dame Grand Cross	Companion of the Order of Australia (AC)
		Companion of the Order of Australia (AC)	Knight/Dame Commander	Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)
		Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)	Commander	Star of Gallantry (SG)
		Member of the Order of Australia (AM)	Lieutenant	Member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO)
		Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO)	Member	Conspicuous Service Cross (CSC)
		Australian Antarctic Medal (AAM)	Medal	Commendation for Gallantry
Canada Order of precedence		Commander of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces (COM)	Commander	Officer of the Order of Military Merit (OMM)
		Officer of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces (OOM)	Lieutenant	Member of the Order of Military Merit (MMM)
		Member of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces (MOM)	Member	Venerable Order of Saint John (GC/K/D/C/O/M/SB/SSStJ)
		Meritorious Service Medal (MSM)	Medal	Sacrifice Medal
New Zealand Order of precedence		Knight/Dame Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG)	Knight/Dame Grand Cross	Knight/Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE)
		Knight/Dame Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG/DCMG)	Knight/Dame Commander	Knight/Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE/DBE)
		Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG)	Commander	Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
		Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO)	Lieutenant	Companion of the Queen's Service Order (QSO)
		Companion of the Imperial Service Order (ISO)	Member	Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM)
		New Zealand Bravery Medal (NZBM)	Medal	Queen's Service Medal (QSM)
United Kingdom	England and Wales Order of precedence	Knight/Dame Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (GCIE)	Knight/Dame Grand Cross	Knight/Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE)
		Knight/Dame Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (KCIE/DCIE)	Knight/Dame Commander	Knight/Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE/DBE)
		Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE)	Commander	Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
		Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO)	Lieutenant	Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
		Eldest son of Knight Bachelor	Member	Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
	Scotland Order of precedence	Knight/Dame Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (GCIE)	Knight/Dame Grand Cross	Knight/Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE)
		Knight/Dame Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (KCIE/DCIE)	Knight/Dame Commander	Knight/Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE/DBE)
		Sheriffs	Commander	Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB)
		Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)	Lieutenant	Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO)
		Eldest son of Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire	Member	Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
	Northern Ireland Order of precedence	Knight/Dame Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (GCIE)	Knight/Dame Grand Cross	Knight/Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE)
		Knight/Dame Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (KCIE/DCIE)	Knight/Dame Commander	Knight/Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE/DBE)
		Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE)	Commander	Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
		Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO)	Lieutenant	Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
		Eldest son of Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire	Member	Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)

In the United Kingdom, the wives of male members also have a place in the order of importance. This also applies to the sons, daughters, and daughters-in-law of Knights Grand Cross and Knights Commanders. However, relatives of Dames do not get any special importance. Generally, people get their importance from their fathers or husbands, but not from their mothers or wives.

Current Knights and Dames Grand Cross

Sovereign and Grand Master

Knights and Dames Grand Cross

Honorary Knights and Dames Grand Cross

Honorary Knights and Dames Commander

Officers

• Chaplain: The Reverend Canon Thomas Woodhouse, since 2019. He is also the Chaplain of the King's Chapel of the Savoy.
• Chancellor: Richard Benyon, Baron Benyon GCVO, PC, since November 2024. He is also the Lord Chamberlain.
• Secretary: James Chalmers, since July 2025. He is also the Keeper of the Privy Purse.
• Registrar: Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Segrave, since 2019. He is also the Secretary of the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood.

Images for kids

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  Star and riband of a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order

• 

  A detailed view of an embroidered star of a Knight or Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order

See also

In Spanish: Real Orden Victoriana para niños