Duchess of Cornwall is awarded highest honour by the Queen

The Queen is personally awarding the Duchess of Cornwall the highest honour possible thanks to her ‘service to the sovereign’, it was announced last night.

Camilla is to be made a Royal Lady of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, the oldest and most senior of the Orders of Chivalry in Britain, Buckingham Palace said.

The appointment will be seen as a royal seal of approval for the loyalty and discretion Camilla has shown since her marriage to the Prince of Wales in 2005.

Camilla is to be made a Royal Lady of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, the oldest and most senior of the Orders of Chivalry in Britain, Buckingham Palace said. The appointment will be seen as a royal seal of approval for the loyalty and discretion Camilla has shown since her marriage to the Prince of Wales (above) in 2005

It will spark renewed speculation that the 95-year-old monarch may yet endorse Camilla to be Queen when she dies and Prince Charles accedes to the throne

Clarence House says the ‘intention’ is for the duchess to become Princess Consort, showing sensitivity to previously negative public opinion over Camilla’s role in the breakdown of Charles and Diana’s marriage

It will spark renewed speculation that the 95-year-old monarch may yet endorse Camilla to be Queen when she dies and Prince Charles accedes to the throne.

Clarence House says the ‘intention’ is for the duchess to become Princess Consort, showing sensitivity to previously negative public opinion over Camilla’s role in the breakdown of Charles and Diana’s marriage.

Tony Blair gets the call, too (and becomes a Sir)

The decision to ennoble the former prime minister – or Sir Tony, as he will now be known – has been much debated in recent years

Tony Blair has been appointed to the Order of the Garter as a Knight Companion.

The decision to ennoble the former prime minister – or Sir Tony, as he will now be known – has been much debated in recent years.

All but one of the prime ministers before him were appointed a few years after leaving office. But Sir Tony waited over 14 years.

It had been suggested that the Queen’s strained relationship with him during his ten years in power may have contributed to the ‘snub’.

But Charles has never made any secret of his desire for Camilla to become queen by his side. 

And it is known that the Queen has been impressed by the way in which her daughter-in-law has embraced her public role and shown quiet and respectful dedication to both her husband and the institution of the monarchy.

It was also revealed that Baroness Amos is to be made a Lady Companion of the Order of the Garter – the first person from an ethnic minority to be appointed.

She is a Labour politician and diplomat who has served as UN Under-Secretary-General for humanitarian affairs and British High Commissioner to Australia.

She was also Leader of the House of Lords and the chief executive of the Equal Opportunities Commission.

The Order of the Garter was established by King Edward III in 1348 after he was inspired by the tales of King Arthur and the chivalry of the Knights of the Round Table.

The number of Knights and Ladies Companion is limited to 24 in total at any one time. 

There is no limit to the number of royal members, however. Initially, the order’s members were limited to the aristocracy but they are now men and women chosen from a variety of backgrounds, in recognition for their public service, their contribution to national life, or their personal service to the sovereign.

The honour is personally bestowed by the monarch, with no interference from the Government.

The patron saint of the order is St George and the spiritual home is St George’s Chapel at Windsor. 

Its motto is ‘Honi soit qui mal y pense’, Old French for ‘shame on him who thinks evil of it’. Vacancies are announced on St George’s Day and only occasionally at New Year. It is thought that the Queen wanted this year’s announcement to tie in with the New Year’s Honours.

Prince Philip was appointed a Knight of the Order of the Garter by King George VI in 1947 – and it is believed that the Queen also wanted to ensure that both her son and his wife were members before her own change of reign.

A Garter Day procession is held each June before a short service in St George’s Chapel, at which any new companions are installed.

It was also revealed that Baroness Amos (above) is to be made a Lady Companion of the Order of the Garter – the first person from an ethnic minority to be appointed. She is a Labour politician and diplomat who has served as UN Under-Secretary-General for humanitarian affairs and British High Commissioner to Australia

ROBERT HARDMAN: Camilla being made a Lady of the Order of the Garter is a strong hint that she could be named Queen instead of Princess Consort

By ROBERT HARDMAN for the Daily Mail

Even in royal circles, there is no more exalted honour than being a Knight or a Lady of the Most Noble Order of the Garter. Look at the official title of the Prince of Wales, for example: the first letters after his name are ‘KG’.

Being a member of the Garter trumps everything else.

And from today, anyone writing to the Duchess of Cornwall will need to put ‘LG’ – Lady Companion of the Order of the Garter – after her name.

Even in royal circles, there is no more exalted honour than being a Knight or a Lady of the Most Noble Order of the Garter. Look at the official title of the Prince of Wales, for example: the first letters after his name are ‘KG’. And from today, anyone writing to the Duchess of Cornwall will need to put ‘LG’ – Lady Companion of the Order of the Garter – after her name

The fact that the Queen has now bestowed it on the Duchess of Cornwall is the greatest recognition to date of the role that the former Camilla Parker Bowles now plays in the life of the monarchy. The honour, after all, even eluded Diana

The order goes back to Edward III and the days of knights in shining armour. 

There are three tiers of membership, starting with the Knights Companion and Ladies Companion: 24 eminent public figures hand-picked by the Sovereign. 

Then there are ‘Extra’ Knights and Ladies, an honorary membership for foreign monarchs.

Most senior of all are the Royal Knights and Ladies: traditionally restricted to a sprinkling of family who were born royal, plus the Sovereign’s consort.

The fact that the Queen has now bestowed it on the Duchess of Cornwall is the greatest recognition to date of the role that the former Camilla Parker Bowles now plays in the life of the monarchy. The honour, after all, even eluded Diana.

The Queen is making a clear statement. She has been deeply impressed by the good-natured way in which the duchess has supported the Prince of Wales as he has shouldered more duties on the Queen’s behalf.

The order goes back to Edward III (above) and the days of knights in shining armour. There are three tiers of membership, starting with the Knights Companion and Ladies Companion: 24 eminent public figures hand-picked by the Sovereign. Then there are ‘Extra’ Knights and Ladies, an honorary membership for foreign monarchs

‘It’s an indication of the Queen’s total confidence in the Duchess of Cornwall,’ says Hugo Vickers, author of Royal Orders and an authority on the Garter.

The Queen knows how important it is to have a dependable soulmate. She said as much in her Christmas Day tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh. The only person more proud of this award than the duchess will be Prince Charles himself.

It also points to a decision that will need to be made sooner or later.

For now, the official position is that the duchess will be styled the ‘Princess Consort’ in the next reign, a position set at her 2005 wedding to Charles. It is an increasingly incongruous title given that the wife of a King is always Queen.

The Royal Family do not want to go near this subject since it invokes memories of the prince’s divorce from Diana and the dark days after her death. It is an issue for another day.

This honour, though, makes it pretty clear what the current Monarch thinks.