Order of Merit facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Order of Merit
Badge and ribbon bow of the order (for wear by female recipients)
Awarded by Monarch of the United Kingdom
Type	Order of merit
Established	26 June 1902
Motto	For Merit
Eligibility	All living citizens of the Commonwealth realms
Criteria	At the monarch's pleasure
Status	Currently constituted
Founder	Edward VII
Sovereign	Charles III
Grades	Member (OM)
Precedence
Next (higher)	Dependent on state
Next (lower)	Dependent on state
Ribbon bar of the order

The Order of Merit (French: Ordre du Mérite) is a special award given in the Commonwealth realms. It recognizes people who have done amazing things. This includes service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or promoting culture.

King Edward VII started the Order in 1902. The current King, Charles III, personally chooses who receives this award. Only 24 living people from the Commonwealth realms can be members at one time. There can also be honorary members. Members get to use the letters OM after their name. They also wear a special badge. The Order's rank among other awards is different in each country.

History of the Order of Merit

Kings and queens have thought about creating an award like the Order of Merit for a long time.

Early Ideas for a Special Award

Around 1773, King George III wanted to create an award called the "Order of Minerva". It would be for 24 great artists and writers. They would use the letters KM after their names. The King even designed a special star and a "straw-coloured" sash for them to wear. The motto would be "Omnia posthabita scientiae", which means 'Everything comes after science'. But people argued so much about who should get the award that George III gave up the idea. He thought about it again later, adding scientists to the list.

In 1805, after a big sea battle called the Battle of Trafalgar, some leaders also talked about creating an order of merit. But nothing came of it then either.

Queen Victoria's Vision

Later, Queen Victoria and her advisors felt that the existing awards didn't properly recognize achievements in areas like art, music, literature, and science. They wanted a new award, similar to a famous German one called Pour le Mérite. Victoria's husband, Albert, Prince Consort, was very interested in this idea. He even wrote in his diary about discussing a "civil Order of Merit" in 1844.

More than 40 years later, in 1888, Prime Minister Lord Salisbury gave Queen Victoria a plan for an Order of Merit in Science and Art. It would have two parts: one for science and one for art. However, the head of the Royal Academy, Frederic Leighton, advised against it. He was worried about how members would be chosen.

King Edward VII, who founded the Order of Merit

The Order is Created

It was Queen Victoria's son, Edward VII, who finally created the Order of Merit. He did this on June 26, 1902. This was the day his coronation was originally planned. He wanted to honor "exceptionally meritorious service" in the Navy, Army, or for helping art, literature, and science. All the modern rules of the Order were set by him. This included a special group for military figures.

From the start, prime ministers tried to suggest people for the Order. But the Royal Family kept the selection process very private. After 1931, when many parts of the British Empire became independent countries, the Order of Merit continued. It became an honor for all these countries. In 1935, the rules were changed to include members of the Royal Air Force. In 1969, honorary members could also come from other Commonwealth of Nations countries.

The Order has always been open to women. Florence Nightingale, famous for her nursing, was the first woman to receive it in 1907. Some famous people have turned down the award, like writers Rudyard Kipling and George Bernard Shaw. The youngest person to join the Order was Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Queen Elizabeth II admitted him in 1968 when he was 47.

The Lord Eames represented the Order at the coronation of King Charles III in May 2023.

Who Can Join the Order of Merit?

Anyone who is a citizen of a Commonwealth realm can be chosen for the Order of Merit.

How Members Are Chosen

There can only be 24 living members at any time. This number does not include honorary members. The King, Charles III, personally chooses new members. He gets help from his private secretaries. Because of this, the Order is seen as a very important award.

There used to be a special military group within the Order with its own badge. This group is currently empty. Lord Mountbatten of Burma was the last person in it.

Honorary Members

Honorary members are another group. There is no limit to how many there can be, but these appointments are rare. People from Commonwealth countries that are not led by King Charles are considered honorary members. Examples include Nelson Mandela from South Africa and Mother Teresa from India.

When someone joins the Order of Merit, they can use the letters OM after their name. They also receive the special badge of the Order.

What the Order's Badge Looks Like

The back of the badge given out during Queen Elizabeth II's reign (1952–2022)

The Order's badge is made of gold. It has a crown with a red cross hanging from it. In the middle of the cross is a blue circle surrounded by a laurel wreath. The front of the blue circle says FOR MERIT in gold letters. The back has the King's special symbol in gold. For military members, the badge also has two crossed swords behind the blue circle.

The ribbon for the Order of Merit is red and blue. Men wear their badges on a ribbon around their neck. Women wear theirs on a ribbon bow pinned to their left shoulder.

Since 1991, members must return the badge when they pass away.

Current Members of the Order

• Sovereign: Charles III
• Secretary and Registrar: The Lord Janvrin

Main Members

Member number	Portrait	Name	Known for	Date of appointment	Present age
1 (169)		The Lord Foster of Thames Bank	Architect	25 November 1997	90
2 (175)		Sir Roger Penrose	Mathematical physicist and Nobel Prize winner	9 May 2000	93
3 (176)		Sir Tom Stoppard	Playwright	9 May 2000	87
4 (180)		Sir David Attenborough	Broadcaster and naturalist	10 June 2005	99
5 (183)		The Lord Eames	Former Archbishop of Armagh	13 June 2007	88
6 (184)		Sir Tim Berners-Lee	Inventor of the World Wide Web	13 June 2007	70
7 (185)		The Lord Rees of Ludlow	Astronomer Royal	13 June 2007	83
8 (186)		Jean Chrétien	Former Prime Minister of Canada (1993–2003)	13 July 2009	91
9 (187)		Neil MacGregor	Art historian and former Director of the British Museum	4 November 2010	79
10 (188)		David Hockney	Artist	1 January 2012	87
11 (189)		John Howard	Former Prime Minister of Australia (1996–2007)	1 January 2012	85
12 (190)		/ Sir Simon Rattle	Conductor	1 January 2014	70
13 (192)		/ Sir Magdi Yacoub	Heart surgeon	1 January 2014	89
14 (193)		The Lord Darzi of Denham	Surgeon	1 January 2016	65
15 (194)		Dame Ann Dowling	Mechanical engineer	1 January 2016	72
16 (195)		Sir James Dyson	Inventor and industrial designer	1 January 2016	78
17 (196)		Dame Elizabeth Anionwu	Nurse	11 November 2022	77
18 (197)		/ The Baroness Benjamin	Broadcaster	11 November 2022	75
19 (198)		Margaret MacMillan	Historian	11 November 2022	81
20 (199)		/ Sir David Adjaye	Architect	11 November 2022	58
21 (200)		Sir Paul Nurse	Geneticist and Nobel Prize winner	11 November 2022	76
22 (201)		/ Venki Ramakrishnan	Structural biologist and Nobel Prize winner	11 November 2022	73
23 (-)		Vacant
24 (-)		Vacant

Honorary Members

There are no honorary members of the Order of Merit right now. The last one was Nelson Mandela, who passed away in 2013.

What is Precedence?

"Precedence" means where an award ranks compared to other awards. Since the Order of Merit is given in 15 different countries, its rank changes from one country to another.

In the United Kingdom, the Order of Merit is considered the highest honor. In Canada, it is also seen as the top civilian award a Canadian can get.

Here's how the Order of Merit ranks in some countries:

Country	Comes Before	Comes After
Australia	Knight/Lady of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle	Knight/Dame of the Order of Australia
Canada	Cross of Valour	Companion of the Order of Canada
New Zealand	Knight/Dame Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath	Member of the Order of New Zealand
United Kingdom	Knight/Dame Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath	Baronet's Badge

See also

In Spanish: Orden del Mérito del Reino Unido para niños