The Order of Merit (French: Ordre du Mérite) is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by Edward VII, admission into the order remains the personal gift of its Sovereign—currently Edward VII's great-great-grandson Charles III—and is restricted to a maximum of 24 living recipients from the Commonwealth realms, plus honorary members. While all members are awarded the right to use the post-nominal letters OM and wear the badge of the order, the Order of Merit's precedence among other honours differs between countries.
| Order of Merit | |
|---|---|
 Badge and ribbon bow of the order (for wear by female recipients) | |
| Awarded by Charles III | |
| 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 |
| Secretary and Registrar | Robin Janvrin, Baron Janvrin |
| Grades | Member (OM) |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Dependent on state |
| Next (lower) | Dependent on state |
 Ribbon bar of the order | |
History
In around 1773, George III considered establishing an order of knighthood to be called the "Order of Minerva" with membership restricted to 24 distinguished artists and authors. Knights would be entitled to the post-nominal letters KM, and would wear a silver nine-pointed breast star with the image of Minerva at its centre, along with a "straw-coloured" sash worn across the chest from the right shoulder. The motto of the Order would be "Omnia posthabita scientiae" (in Latin, 'Everything comes after science'). Once the King's proposal was made public, however, arguments within intellectual circles over who would be most deserving of the new order grew so heated that George ultimately dropped the idea, though he briefly reconsidered it in 1789; on 6 February of that year, he revised the design of the order, with the breast star to have sixteen points, the motto to be the Latin for "Learning improves character" and with membership to include distinguished scientists. Following the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, First Lord of the Admiralty Charles Middleton, 1st Baron Barham and William Pitt exchanged correspondence concerning the possible creation of an order of merit, though nothing came of the idea.
Later, Queen Victoria, her courtiers, and politicians alike, thought that a new order, based on the Prussian order Pour le Mérite, would make up for the insufficient recognition offered by the established honours system to achievement outside public service, in fields such as art, music, literature, industry and science. Victoria's husband, Albert, Prince Consort, took an interest in the matter; it was recorded in his diary that he met Sir Robert Peel on 16 January 1844 to discuss the "idea of institution of a civil Order of Merit" and, three days later, he conferred with the Queen on the subject.
Though nothing came of the idea at the time, the concept did not wither and, more than 40 years later, on 5 January 1888, Prime Minister Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury submitted to the by then long-widowed Queen a draft constitution for an Order of Merit in Science and Art, consisting of one grade split into two branches of knighthood: the Order of Scientific Merit, for Knights of Merit in Science, with the post-nominal letters KMS, and the Order of Artistic Merit, for Knights of Merit in Art, with the post-nominal letters KMA. However, Frederic Leighton, President of the Royal Academy of Arts, advised against the new order, primarily because of its selection process.
It was Victoria's son Edward VII who eventually founded the Order of Merit on 26 June 1902 (the date for which his coronation had been originally scheduled) as a means to acknowledge "exceptionally meritorious service in Our Navy and Our Army, or who may have rendered exceptionally meritorious service towards the advancement of Art, Literature and Science". All modern aspects of the order were established under his direction, including the division for military figures.
From the outset, prime ministers attempted to propose candidates or lobbied to influence the monarch's decision on appointments. But, the Royal Household adamantly guarded information about potential names. After 1931, when the Statute of Westminster came into effect and the Dominions of the British Empire became independent countries within the empire, equal in status to the UK, the Order of Merit continued as an honour open to all these realms and, in many, became a part of their newly developing national honours systems. The order's statutes were amended in 1935 to include members of the Royal Air Force and, in 1969, the definition of honorary recipients was expanded to include members of the Commonwealth of Nations that are not realms.
The order has always been open to women, Florence Nightingale being the first woman to receive the honour, in 1907. Several individuals have refused admission into the Order of Merit, including Rudyard Kipling, A. E. Housman, and George Bernard Shaw. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, remains the youngest person ever inducted into the Order, having been admitted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1968, when he was 47 years old.
Robin Eames, Baron Eames represented the order at the coronation of Charles III and Camilla on 6 May 2023.
Eligibility and appointment
All citizens of the Commonwealth realms are eligible for appointment to the Order of Merit. There may be, however, only 24 living individuals in the order at any given time, not including honorary appointees, and new members are personally selected by the reigning monarch of the realms, currently Charles III, with the assistance of his private secretaries; the order has thus been described as "quite possibly, the most prestigious honour one can receive on planet Earth." Within the limited membership is a designated military division, with its own unique insignia; though it has not been abolished, it is currently unpopulated, Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma having been the last person so honoured.
Honorary members form another group, to which there is no numerical limit, though such appointments are rare; individuals from countries in the Commonwealth of Nations that are not headed by King Charles are therefore considered foreigners, and thus are granted only honorary admissions, such as Nelson Mandela (South Africa) and Mother Teresa (India).
Upon admission into the Order of Merit, members are entitled to use the post-nominal letters OM and are entrusted with the badge of the order.
Insignia
The insignia consists of a badge, which consists of a golden crown from which is suspended a red enamelled cross pattée, itself centred by a disk of blue enamel, surrounded by a laurel wreath. The obverse of the badge's central disk bears the words FOR MERIT in gold lettering, while the reverse bears the royal cypher of the reigning monarch in gold. The insignia for the military grouping is distinguished by a pair of crossed swords behind the central disk.
The ribbon of the Order of Merit is divided into two stripes of red and blue. The neck ribbon is 50mm in width, while the ribbon bar width is the standard British 32mm size for military or civilian wear. Men wear their badges on a neck ribbon (as a necklet), while women wear theirs on a ribbon bow pinned to the left shoulder, and aides-de-camp may wear the insignia on their aiguillettes.
Since 1991, the insignia must be returned upon the recipient's death.
Current members
- The number shown in brackets is the individual's place in the wider order of appointment since the Order's inception.
- Venki Ramakrishnan accepts titles, but prefers not to use them and post-nominal initials.
- Vacant following the death of Betty Boothroyd, Baroness Boothroyd on 26 February 2023.
- Vacant following the death of Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild on 26 February 2024.
Honorary members
There have been no honorary members of the Order of Merit since the death of the last such member, Nelson Mandela, in December 2013.
Officers
Secretary and Registrar: Robin Janvrin, Baron Janvrin GCB, GCVO, QSO, PC
Order of wear
As the Order of Merit is open to the citizens of 15 countries, each with their own system of orders, decorations, and medals, the order's place of precedence varies from country to country. While, in the United Kingdom, the order's postnominal letters follow those of Knights and Dames Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, membership in the Order of Merit itself gives members no place in any of the orders of precedence in the United Kingdom. However, Stanley Martin says in his book The Order of Merit 1902–2002: One Hundred Years of Matchless Honour, that the Order of Merit is the pinnacle of the British honours system. Similarly, though it was not listed in the Canadian order of precedence for honours, decorations, and medals until December 2010, Christopher McCreery, an expert on Canadian honours and secretary to the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, stated that the Order of Merit was the highest civilian award for merit a Canadian could receive.
Some orders of precedence are as follows:
| Country | Preceding | Following |
|---|---|---|
 AustraliaOrder of wear | Knight/Lady of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle (KT/LT) | Knight/Dame of the Order of Australia (AK/AD) |
 CanadaOrder of wear | Cross of Valour (CV) | Companion of the Order of Canada (CC) |
 New ZealandOrder of wear | Knight/Dame Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (GCB) | Member of the Order of New Zealand (ONZ) |
 United Kingdom Order of wear | Knight/Dame Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (GCB) | Baronet's Badge (Bt) |
Notes
- For use in Canada, in accordance with the country's policy of official bilingualism.
Citations
- "Order of Merit". Royal Household. Archived from the original on 18 July 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
- "Order of Merit". The Governor General of Canada. Archived from the original on 21 February 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
- Jackson, Michael (Summer 2007). "Book review: The Order of Merit 1902–2002: One Hundred Years of Matchless Honour" (PDF). Canadian Monarchist News. No. 26. Oakville, Ontario: Monarchist League of Canada. p. 15. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 July 2009.
- Huish, Robert (1821). Public and Private Life of His Late Excellent and Most Gracious Majesty George The Third. London: Thomas Kelly. Archived from the original on 7 May 2022. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
- Roberts, Andrew (2021). The Last King of America: The Misunderstood Reign of George III. Viking. p. 526. ISBN 9781984879264.
- Martin 2007, p. 11
- Martin 2007, p. 12
- Martin 2007, p. 13
- Martin 2007, pp. 18–20
- Martin 2007, p. 1
- Mountbatten, Philip (2007). "Foreword". Written at London. In Martin, Stanley (ed.). The Order of Merit: One Hundred Years of Matchless Honour. New York: I.B. Tauris & Co. Ltd. pp. xvii. ISBN 978-1-86064-848-9. Archived from the original on 25 November 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
- (2005). The Canadian Honours System. Toronto: Dundurn Press. p. 98. ISBN 9781550025545.
- "Coronation order of service in full". BBC News. 6 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
- Editorial Board (15 July 2009). "Order Worthy?". National Post. Retrieved 29 July 2009.[dead link]Alt URL. Archived 1 June 2019 at the Wayback Machine.
- "For Children > Medals and Uniforms > Medals > Picture 4: The Order of Merit". Clarence House. Archived from the original on 1 March 2009. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
- "British Order of Merit: Collingwood Ltd". National Trust Collections. NT 585429.1. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
- Martin 2007, p. 56
- "What is the Order of Merit?". thegazette.co.uk. Archived from the original on 13 January 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- Government of Canada (8 December 2010). "Order of Merit (O.M.) Order". Canada Gazette. 144 (25). Queen's Printer for Canada. SI/2010-88. Archived from the original on 19 December 2010. Retrieved 10 December 2010.
- (2005). The Order of Canada: Its Origins, History and Development. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0-8020-3940-5.
- Taber, Jane (13 July 2009). "Chrétien 'thrilled' by rare honour from Queen". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
- Commonwealth of Australia Gazette no. S192 of Friday, 28 September 2007.
- Office of the Governor General of Canada (18 April 2017). "Order of Precedence". Queen's Printer for Canada. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
- "Order of Wear: Orders, Decorations and Medals in New Zealand". dpmc.govt.nz. Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet of New Zealand. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
- New Zealand Defence Force. "The Wearing of Medals in New Zealand Table – A guide to the correct order of wear". Archived from the original on 24 February 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
- "Page 325 | Supplement 62529, 11 January 2019 | London Gazette | The Gazette". www.thegazette.co.uk. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
- "No. 56878". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 March 2003. p. 3351.
References
- Martin, Stanley (2007). The Order of Merit: One Hundred Years of Matchless Honour. New York City: I.B. Tauris & Co. Ltd. ISBN 978-1-86064-848-9.
Further reading
- . Collier's New Encyclopedia. 1921.
- . New International Encyclopedia. 1905.
External links
- Order of Merit – Royal Household website
- What is the Order of Merit? – The Gazette
- The Order of Merit – UK Cabinet Office
- World Awards – Order of Merit
The Order of Merit French Ordre du Merite is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms recognising distinguished service in the armed forces science art literature or the promotion of culture Established in 1902 by Edward VII admission into the order remains the personal gift of its Sovereign currently Edward VII s great great grandson Charles III and is restricted to a maximum of 24 living recipients from the Commonwealth realms plus honorary members While all members are awarded the right to use the post nominal letters OM and wear the badge of the order the Order of Merit s precedence among other honours differs between countries Order of MeritBadge and ribbon bow of the order for wear by female recipients Awarded by Charles IIITypeOrder of meritEstablished26 June 1902MottoFor MeritEligibilityAll living citizens of the Commonwealth realmsCriteriaAt the monarch s pleasureStatusCurrently constitutedFounderEdward VIISovereignCharles IIISecretary and RegistrarRobin Janvrin Baron JanvrinGradesMember OM PrecedenceNext higher Dependent on stateNext lower Dependent on stateRibbon bar of the orderHistoryIn around 1773 George III considered establishing an order of knighthood to be called the Order of Minerva with membership restricted to 24 distinguished artists and authors Knights would be entitled to the post nominal letters KM and would wear a silver nine pointed breast star with the image of Minerva at its centre along with a straw coloured sash worn across the chest from the right shoulder The motto of the Order would be Omnia posthabita scientiae in Latin Everything comes after science Once the King s proposal was made public however arguments within intellectual circles over who would be most deserving of the new order grew so heated that George ultimately dropped the idea though he briefly reconsidered it in 1789 on 6 February of that year he revised the design of the order with the breast star to have sixteen points the motto to be the Latin for Learning improves character and with membership to include distinguished scientists Following the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 First Lord of the Admiralty Charles Middleton 1st Baron Barham and William Pitt exchanged correspondence concerning the possible creation of an order of merit though nothing came of the idea Later Queen Victoria her courtiers and politicians alike thought that a new order based on the Prussian order Pour le Merite would make up for the insufficient recognition offered by the established honours system to achievement outside public service in fields such as art music literature industry and science Victoria s husband Albert Prince Consort took an interest in the matter it was recorded in his diary that he met Sir Robert Peel on 16 January 1844 to discuss the idea of institution of a civil Order of Merit and three days later he conferred with the Queen on the subject Though nothing came of the idea at the time the concept did not wither and more than 40 years later on 5 January 1888 Prime Minister Robert Gascoyne Cecil 3rd Marquess of Salisbury submitted to the by then long widowed Queen a draft constitution for an Order of Merit in Science and Art consisting of one grade split into two branches of knighthood the Order of Scientific Merit for Knights of Merit in Science with the post nominal letters KMS and the Order of Artistic Merit for Knights of Merit in Art with the post nominal letters KMA However Frederic Leighton President of the Royal Academy of Arts advised against the new order primarily because of its selection process King Edward VII founder of the Order of Merit It was Victoria s son Edward VII who eventually founded the Order of Merit on 26 June 1902 the date for which his coronation had been originally scheduled as a means to acknowledge exceptionally meritorious service in Our Navy and Our Army or who may have rendered exceptionally meritorious service towards the advancement of Art Literature and Science All modern aspects of the order were established under his direction including the division for military figures From the outset prime ministers attempted to propose candidates or lobbied to influence the monarch s decision on appointments But the Royal Household adamantly guarded information about potential names After 1931 when the Statute of Westminster came into effect and the Dominions of the British Empire became independent countries within the empire equal in status to the UK the Order of Merit continued as an honour open to all these realms and in many became a part of their newly developing national honours systems The order s statutes were amended in 1935 to include members of the Royal Air Force and in 1969 the definition of honorary recipients was expanded to include members of the Commonwealth of Nations that are not realms The order has always been open to women Florence Nightingale being the first woman to receive the honour in 1907 Several individuals have refused admission into the Order of Merit including Rudyard Kipling A E Housman and George Bernard Shaw Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh remains the youngest person ever inducted into the Order having been admitted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1968 when he was 47 years old Robin Eames Baron Eames represented the order at the coronation of Charles III and Camilla on 6 May 2023 Eligibility and appointmentAll citizens of the Commonwealth realms are eligible for appointment to the Order of Merit There may be however only 24 living individuals in the order at any given time not including honorary appointees and new members are personally selected by the reigning monarch of the realms currently Charles III with the assistance of his private secretaries the order has thus been described as quite possibly the most prestigious honour one can receive on planet Earth Within the limited membership is a designated military division with its own unique insignia though it has not been abolished it is currently unpopulated Louis Mountbatten 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma having been the last person so honoured Honorary members form another group to which there is no numerical limit though such appointments are rare individuals from countries in the Commonwealth of Nations that are not headed by King Charles are therefore considered foreigners and thus are granted only honorary admissions such as Nelson Mandela South Africa and Mother Teresa India Upon admission into the Order of Merit members are entitled to use the post nominal letters OM and are entrusted with the badge of the order InsigniaReverse of the badge as awarded during the reign of Elizabeth II 1952 2022 The insignia consists of a badge which consists of a golden crown from which is suspended a red enamelled cross pattee itself centred by a disk of blue enamel surrounded by a laurel wreath The obverse of the badge s central disk bears the words FOR MERIT in gold lettering while the reverse bears the royal cypher of the reigning monarch in gold The insignia for the military grouping is distinguished by a pair of crossed swords behind the central disk The ribbon of the Order of Merit is divided into two stripes of red and blue The neck ribbon is 50mm in width while the ribbon bar width is the standard British 32mm size for military or civilian wear Men wear their badges on a neck ribbon as a necklet while women wear theirs on a ribbon bow pinned to the left shoulder and aides de camp may wear the insignia on their aiguillettes Since 1991 the insignia must be returned upon the recipient s death Current membersThe number shown in brackets is the individual s place in the wider order of appointment since the Order s inception Venki Ramakrishnan accepts titles but prefers not to use them and post nominal initials Vacant following the death of Betty Boothroyd Baroness Boothroyd on 26 February 2023 Vacant following the death of Jacob Rothschild 4th Baron Rothschild on 26 February 2024 ol td tr tbody table Honorary members There have been no honorary members of the Order of Merit since the death of the last such member Nelson Mandela in December 2013 Officers Secretary and Registrar Robin Janvrin Baron Janvrin GCB GCVO QSO PC section Order of wearAs the Order of Merit is open to the citizens of 15 countries each with their own system of orders decorations and medals the order s place of precedence varies from country to country While in the United Kingdom the order s postnominal letters follow those of Knights and Dames Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath membership in the Order of Merit itself gives members no place in any of the orders of precedence in the United Kingdom However Stanley Martin says in his book The Order of Merit 1902 2002 One Hundred Years of Matchless Honour that the Order of Merit is the pinnacle of the British honours system Similarly though it was not listed in the Canadian order of precedence for honours decorations and medals until December 2010 Christopher McCreery an expert on Canadian honours and secretary to the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia stated that the Order of Merit was the highest civilian award for merit a Canadian could receive Some orders of precedence are as follows Country Preceding FollowingAustralia Order of wear Knight Lady of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle KT LT Knight Dame of the Order of Australia AK AD Canada Order of wear Cross of Valour CV Companion of the Order of Canada CC New Zealand Order of wear Knight Dame Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath GCB Member of the Order of New Zealand ONZ United Kingdom Order of wear Knight Dame Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath GCB Baronet s Badge Bt NotesFor use in Canada in accordance with the country s policy of official bilingualism Citations Order of Merit Royal Household Archived from the original on 18 July 2009 Retrieved 28 July 2009 Order of Merit The Governor General of Canada Archived from the original on 21 February 2024 Retrieved 3 August 2024 Jackson Michael Summer 2007 Book review The Order of Merit 1902 2002 One Hundred Years of Matchless Honour PDF Canadian Monarchist News No 26 Oakville Ontario Monarchist League of Canada p 15 Archived from the original PDF on 8 July 2009 Huish Robert 1821 Public and Private Life of His Late Excellent and Most Gracious Majesty George The Third London Thomas Kelly Archived from the original on 7 May 2022 Retrieved 27 November 2021 Roberts Andrew 2021 The Last King of America The Misunderstood Reign of George III Viking p 526 ISBN 9781984879264 Martin 2007 p 11 Martin 2007 p 12 Martin 2007 p 13 Martin 2007 pp 18 20 Martin 2007 p 1 Mountbatten Philip 2007 Foreword Written at London In Martin Stanley ed The Order of Merit One Hundred Years of Matchless Honour New York I B Tauris amp Co Ltd pp xvii ISBN 978 1 86064 848 9 Archived from the original on 25 November 2021 Retrieved 24 September 2016 2005 The Canadian Honours System Toronto Dundurn Press p 98 ISBN 9781550025545 Coronation order of service in full BBC News 6 May 2023 Retrieved 6 May 2023 Editorial Board 15 July 2009 Order Worthy National Post Retrieved 29 July 2009 dead link Alt URL Archived 1 June 2019 at the Wayback Machine For Children gt Medals and Uniforms gt Medals gt Picture 4 The Order of Merit Clarence House Archived from the original on 1 March 2009 Retrieved 29 July 2009 British Order of Merit Collingwood Ltd National Trust Collections NT 585429 1 Retrieved 3 August 2024 Martin 2007 p 56 What is the Order of Merit thegazette co uk Archived from the original on 13 January 2022 Retrieved 12 January 2022 Government of Canada 8 December 2010 Order of Merit O M Order Canada Gazette 144 25 Queen s Printer for Canada SI 2010 88 Archived from the original on 19 December 2010 Retrieved 10 December 2010 2005 The Order of Canada Its Origins History and Development Toronto University of Toronto Press ISBN 0 8020 3940 5 Taber Jane 13 July 2009 Chretien thrilled by rare honour from Queen The Globe and Mail Archived from the original on 8 March 2021 Retrieved 1 June 2019 Commonwealth of Australia Gazette no S192 of Friday 28 September 2007 Office of the Governor General of Canada 18 April 2017 Order of Precedence Queen s Printer for Canada Archived from the original on 12 December 2021 Retrieved 10 June 2019 Order of Wear Orders Decorations and Medals in New Zealand dpmc govt nz Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet of New Zealand 3 May 2024 Retrieved 30 October 2024 New Zealand Defence Force The Wearing of Medals in New Zealand Table A guide to the correct order of wear Archived from the original on 24 February 2021 Retrieved 1 June 2019 Page 325 Supplement 62529 11 January 2019 London Gazette The Gazette www thegazette co uk Retrieved 22 October 2024 No 56878 The London Gazette Supplement 17 March 2003 p 3351 ReferencesMartin Stanley 2007 The Order of Merit One Hundred Years of Matchless Honour New York City I B Tauris amp Co Ltd ISBN 978 1 86064 848 9 Further reading Merit Order of Collier s New Encyclopedia 1921 Merit Order of New International Encyclopedia 1905 External linksWikimedia Commons has media related to Order of Merit Order of Merit Royal Household website What is the Order of Merit The Gazette The Order of Merit UK Cabinet Office World Awards Order of Merit
