Order of St Michael and St George

Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George
Star of a Knight or Dame Grand Cross
Awarded by Sovereign of the United Kingdom
Type	Order
Motto	Auspicium Melioris Ævi Token of a Better Age
Awarded for	At the monarch's pleasure
Status	Currently constituted
Sovereign	Queen Elizabeth II
Grades (w/ post-nominals)	Knight/Dame Grand Cross (GCMG) Knight/Dame Commander (KCMG/DCMG) Companion (CMG)
Established	28 April 1818
Precedence
Next (higher)	Order of the Star of India
Next (lower)	Order of the Indian Empire
Ribbon bar of the Order of St Michael and St George

The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later King George IV, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, King George III.

It is named in honour of two military saints, St Michael and St George.

The Order of St Michael and St George was originally awarded to those holding commands or high position in the Mediterranean territories acquired in the Napoleonic Wars, and was subsequently extended to holders of similar office or position in other territories of the British Empire. It is at present awarded to men and women who hold high office or who render extraordinary or important non-military service in a foreign country, and can also be conferred for important or loyal service in relation to foreign and Commonwealth affairs.

Description

The Order includes three classes, in descending order of seniority & rank:

• Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross (GCMG)
• Knight Commander (KCMG) or Dame Commander (DCMG)
• Companion (CMG)

St George and the Dragon by Mattia Preti (1678).

It is used to honour individuals who have rendered important services in relation to Commonwealth or foreign nations. People are appointed to the Order rather than awarded it. British Ambassadors to foreign nations are regularly appointed as KCMGs or CMGs. For example, the former British Ambassador to the United States, Sir David Manning, was appointed a CMG when he worked for the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), and then after his appointment as British Ambassador to the US, he was promoted to a Knight Commander (KCMG). It is the traditional award for members of the FCO.

The Order's motto is Auspicium melioris ævi (Latin for "Token of a better age"). Its patron saints, as the name suggests, are St. Michael the Archangel, and St. George, patron saint of England. One of its primary symbols is that of St Michael trampling over and subduing Satan in battle.

The Order is the sixth-most senior in the British honours system, after The Most Noble Order of the Garter, The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle, The Most Illustrious Order of St Patrick, The Most Honourable Order of the Bath, and The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India. The third of the aforementioned Orders—which relates to Ireland, no longer fully a part of the United Kingdom—still exists but is in disuse; no appointments have been made to it since 1936. The last of the Orders on the list, related to India, has also been in disuse since that country's independence in 1947.

History

On the Order's insignia, St Michael is often depicted subduing Satan

The Order was founded to commemorate the British amical protectorate over the Ionian Islands, which had come under British control in 1814 and had been granted its own constitution as the United States of the Ionian Islands in 1817. It was intended to reward "natives of the Ionian Islands and of the island of Malta and its dependencies, and for such other subjects of His Majesty as may hold high and confidential situations in the Mediterranean".

In 1864, however, the protectorate ended and the Ionian Islands became a part of Greece. The Order's basis was revised in 1868; membership was granted to those who "hold high and confidential offices within Her Majesty's colonial possessions, and in reward for services rendered to the Crown in relation to the foreign affairs of the Empire". Accordingly, numerous Governors-General and Governors feature as recipients of awards in the order.

Composition

The British Sovereign is the Sovereign of the Order and appoints all other members of the Order (by convention, on the advice of the Government). The next-most senior member is the Grand Master. The office was formerly filled by the Lord High Commissioner of the Ionian Islands; now, however, Grand Masters are chosen by the Sovereign. Grand Masters include:

• 1818–1825: Sir Thomas Maitland
• 1825–1850: Prince Adolphus, 1st Duke of Cambridge
• 1850–1904: Prince George, 2nd Duke of Cambridge
• 1904–1910: George, Prince of Wales
• 1910–1917: None
• 1917–1936: Edward, Prince of Wales
• 1936–1957: Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone
• 1957–1959: Edward Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax
• 1959–1967: Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis
• 1967–present: Prince Edward, 2nd Duke of Kent

The Order originally included 15 Knights Grand Cross, 20 Knights Commanders, and 25 Companions but has since been expanded and the current limits on membership are 125, 375, and 1,750 respectively. Members of the Royal Family who are appointed to the Order do not count towards the limit, nor are foreign members appointed as "honorary members".

Officers

The Order has six officers. The Order's King of Arms is not a member of the College of Arms, like many other heraldic officers. The Usher of the Order is known as the Gentleman Usher of the Blue Rod; he does not, unlike his Order of the Garter equivalent (the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod), perform any duties related to the House of Lords.

• Prelate - David Urquhart (Bishop of Birmingham)
• Chancellor - The Lord Robertson of Port Ellen KT GCMG PC
• Secretary -
• Registrar -
• King of Arms - Sir Jeremy Greenstock GCMG
• Gentleman Usher of the Blue Rod - Sir Anthony Figgis KCVO CMG

Habit and insignia

Mantle of the Order.

Representation of the star of a Knight or Dame Grand Cross

Star and badge of a Knight or Dame Commander

Collar worn by a Knight or Dame Grand Cross

Members of the Order wear elaborate regalia on important occasions (such as coronations), which vary by rank:

• The mantle, worn only by Knights and Dames Grand Cross, is made of Saxon blue satin lined with crimson silk. On the left side is a representation of the star (see below). The mantle is bound with two large tassels.
• The collar, worn only by Knights and Dames Grand Cross, is made of gold. It consists of depictions of crowned lions, Maltese Crosses, and the cyphers "SM" and "SG", all alternately. In the centre are two winged lions, each holding a book and seven arrows.

At less important occasions, simpler insignia are used:

• The star is an insignia used only by Knights and Dames Grand Cross and Knights and Dames Commanders. It is worn pinned to the left breast. The Knight and Dame Grand Cross' star includes seven-armed, silver-rayed 'Maltese Asterisk' (for want of a better description—see image of badge), with a gold ray in between each pair of arms. The Knight and Dame Commander's star is a slightly smaller eight-pointed silver figure formed by two Maltese Crosses; it does not include any gold rays. In each case, the star bears a red cross of St George. In the centre of the star is a dark blue ring bearing the motto of the Order. Within the ring is a representation of St Michael trampling on Satan.
• The badge is the only insignia used by all members of the Order; it is suspended on a blue-crimson-blue ribbon. Knights and Dames Grand Cross wear it on a riband or sash, passing from the right shoulder to the left hip. Knights Commanders and male Companions wear the badge from a ribbon around the neck; Dames Commanders and female Companions wear it from a bow on the left shoulder. The badge is a seven-armed, white-enamelled 'Maltese Asterisk' (see Maltese Cross); the obverse shows St Michael trampling on Satan, while the reverse shows St George on horseback killing a dragon, both within a dark blue ring bearing the motto of the Order.

On certain "collar days" designated by the Sovereign, members attending formal events may wear the Order's collar over their military uniform or morning wear. When collars are worn (either on collar days or on formal occasions such as coronations), the badge is suspended from the collar. All collars which have been awarded since 1948 must be returned to the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood. The other insignia may be retained.

Chapel

The chapel of the Order of St Michael and St George in St Paul's Cathedral, London.

The original home of the Order was the Palace of St. Michael and St. George in Corfu, the residence of the Lord High Commissioner of the Ionian Islands and the seat of the Ionian Senate. Since 1906, the Order's chapel has been in St Paul's Cathedral in London. (The Cathedral also serves as home to the chapels of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire and the Imperial Society of Knights Bachelor.) Religious services for the whole Order are held quadrennially; new Knights and Dames Grand Cross are installed at these services.

The Sovereign and the Knights and Dames Grand Cross are allotted stalls in the choir of the chapel, above which their heraldic devices are displayed. Perched on the pinnacle of a knight's stall is his helm, decorated with a mantling and topped by his crest. Under English heraldic law, women other than monarchs do not bear helms or crests; instead, the coronet appropriate to the dame's rank, if there is one, is used. Above the crest or coronet, the stall's occupant's heraldic banner is hung, emblazoned with his or her coat of arms. At a considerably smaller scale, to the back of the stall is affixed a piece of brass (a "stall plate") displaying its occupant's name, arms and date of admission into the Order. Upon the death of a Knight, the banner, helm, mantling and crest are taken down. The stall plates, however, are not removed; rather, they remain permanently affixed somewhere about the stall, so that the stalls of the chapel are festooned with a colourful record of the Order's Knights and Dames Grand Cross since 1906.

The reredos within the chapel were commissioned from Henry Poole in 1927.

Precedence and privileges

The Duke, Grand Master of the Order, and Duchess of Kent

Members of the Order of St Michael are assigned positions in the order of precedence in England and Wales. Wives of male members also feature on the order of precedence, as do sons, daughters and daughters-in-law of Knights Grand Cross and Knights Commanders; relatives of female members, however, are not assigned any special precedence. (As a general rule, individuals can derive precedence from their fathers or husbands, but not from their mothers or wives.)

Knights Grand Cross and Knights Commanders prefix "Sir", and Dames Grand Cross and Dames Commanders prefix "Dame", to their forenames. Wives of Knights may prefix "Lady" to their surnames, but no equivalent privilege exists for husbands of Dames. Such forms are not used by peers and princes, except when the names of the former are written out in their fullest forms. Furthermore, honorary (foreign) members and clergymen do not receive the accolade and, so, are not entitled to use the prefix "Sir" or "Dame". Knights and Dames Grand Cross use the post-nominal "GCMG"; Knights Commanders and Dames Commanders use "KCMG" and "DCMG" respectively; Companions use "CMG".

Knights and Dames Grand Cross are also entitled to receive heraldic supporters. They may, furthermore, encircle their arms with a depiction of the circlet (a circle bearing the motto) and the collar; the former is shown either outside or on top of the latter. Knights and Dames Commanders and Companions may display the circlet, but not the collar, surrounding their arms. The badge is depicted suspended from the collar or circlet.

Popular references

Riband, star and collar of GCMG worn by Lord Grenfell

In the satirical British television programme Yes Minister, Jim Hacker MP is told an old joke by his Private Secretary Bernard Woolley about what the various post-nominals stand for. Season 2, Episode 2 "Doing the Honours":

Woolley: In the service, CMG stands for "Call Me God". And KCMG for "Kindly Call Me God".
Hacker: What does GCMG stand for?
Woolley: "God Calls Me God".

Ian Fleming's spy, James Bond, a commander in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve (R.N.V.R.) was fictionally decorated with the CMG in 1953. (This is mentioned in the novel From Russia, with Love and on-screen in his obituary in Skyfall.) He was offered the KCMG (which would have elevated him from a Companion in the Order to a Knight Commander in the Order) in The Man with the Golden Gun, but he rejected that offer as he did not wish to become a public figure.

Dame Judi Dench's character "M" is "offered" early retirement and a GCMG in Skyfall after a series of unfortunate events resulting in the loss of a list that named every NATO espionage operative.

Long-time Doctor Who companion Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart wore the ribbon of the order as the highest of his decorations in the series' classic era.

Current Knights and Dames Grand Cross

Riband, badge and star of KCMG worn by Lord Tweedsmuir.

(NOTE: For clarity, the table denotes holders of the GCMG only; all other posts-nominal shown, for respective members, are for the sake of completeness alone.)

• Sovereign: Queen Elizabeth II
• Grand Master: His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent KG GCMG GCVO (1967)

Knights and Dames Grand Cross

Number	Name	Post-Nominals	Year Appointed	Notes
1	Sayyid Sir Jamshid bin Abdullah of Zanzibar	GCMG	1963
2	HRH The Duke of Kent	KG GCMG GCVO	1967
3	Sir Clive Rose	GCMG	1981
4	The Rt Hon. Sir Ninian Stephen	KG AK GCMG GCVO KBE PC QC	1982
5	Sir Hugh Cortazzi	GCMG	1984
6	Sir James Craig	GCMG	1984
7	Sir John Thomson	GCMG	1985
8	Sir Antony Acland	KG GCMG GCVO	1986
9	Sir John Fretwell	GCMG	1987
10	The Rt Hon. The Lord Carrington	KG GCMG CH MC DL	1988
11	Sir Crispin Tickell	GCMG KCVO	1989
12	The Rt Hon. The Lord Wright of Richmond	GCMG	1989
13	The Hon. Sir Shridath Ramphal	GCMG AC ONZ OE OM OCC QC	1990
14	The Rt Hon. Sir Michael Somare	GCL GCMG CH CF KStJ SSI KSG PC MP	1990
15	Dame Catherine Tizard	GCMG GCVO DBE QSO ONZ	1990
16	Sir David Goodall	GCMG	1991
17	The Rt Hon. The Lord Wilson of Tillyorn	KT GCMG	1991
18	Sir Wiwa Korowi	GCMG	1992
19	Sir Reginald Palmer	GCMG	1992
20	Sir James Carlisle	GCMG	1993
21	Sir Ewen Fergusson	GCMG GCVO	1993
22	Sir Rodric Braithwaite	GCMG	1994
23	Sir Julius Chan	GCL GCMG KBE	1994
24	Sir Colville Young	GCMG MBE	1994
25	Sir Nicholas Fenn	GCMG	1995
26	The Rt Hon. The Lord Hannay of Chiswick	GCMG CH	1995
27	Sir Orville Turnquest	GCMG QC	1995
28	The Rt Hon. Sir Michael Hardie Boys	GNZM GCMG QSO	1996
29	Sir Clifford Husbands	GCMG KA QC	1996
30	Sir Christopher Mallaby	GCMG GCVO	1996
31	Sir Tulaga Manuella	GCMG	1996
32	Sir Cuthbert Sebastian	GCMG OBE	1996
33	Sir Daniel Williams	GCMG	1996
34	Sir John Coles	GCMG	1997
35	Sir Silas Atopare	GCL GCMG	1998
36	Sir John Lapli	GCMG	1999
37	Dame Pearlette Louisy	GCMG	1999
38	Sir Andrew Wood	GCMG	2001
39	Sir Tomu Sione	GCMG OBE	2001
40	Sir John Goulden	GCMG	2001
41	The Rt Hon. The Lord Kerr of Kinlochard	GCMG	2001
42	Sir Tomasi Puapua	GCMG KBE PC	2002
43	Sir David Wright	GCMG LVO	2002
44	Sir Jeremy Greenstock	GCMG	2003
45	Sir Rob Young	GCMG	2003
46	The Rt Hon. The Lord Robertson of Port Ellen	KT GCMG PC	2004
47	Sir Stephen Wall	GCMG LVO	2004
48	The Rt Hon. Sir Paulias Matane	GCL GCMG OBE KStJ	2005
49	Sir Nathaniel Waena	GCMG CSI KStJ	2005
50	The Rt Hon. The Lord Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon	GCMG CH KBE PC	2006
51	The Rt Hon. The Lord Jay of Ewelme	GCMG	2006
52	Sir Emyr Parry	GCMG	2007
53	The Most Hon. Sir Kenneth O. Hall	ON GCMG OJ	2007
54	Dame Louise Lake-Tack	GCMG	2007
55	Sir David Manning	GCMG CVO	2008
56	Sir Carlyle Glean	GCMG	2008
57	His Excellency The Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen	ON GCMG CD	2009
58	Sir Frank Kabui	GCMG CSI OBE	2009
59	Sir Arthur Foulkes	GCMG	2010
60	Sir Iakoba Italeli	GCMG	2010
61	Sir Peter Ricketts	GCMG GCVO	2011
62	Sir Michael Ogio	GCMG CBE	2011
63	Sir Nigel Sheinwald	GCMG	2011
64	Sir Elliott Belgrave	GCMG KA CHB QC	2012
65	Dame Cécile La Grenade	GCMG OBE	2013
66	Sir Edmund Lawrence	GCMG OBE	2013
67	Dame Marguerite Pindling	GCMG	2014
68	Sir Rodney Williams	GCMG	2014
69	The Rt Hon. The Baroness Ashton of Upholland	GCMG PC	2015
70	Sir John Sawers	GCMG	2015
71	Sir Samuel Seaton	GCMG CVO QC JP	2015

Officers

• Prelate: Rt Revd David Urquhart (Lord Bishop of Birmingham)
• Chancellor: The Lord Robertson of Port Ellen KT GCMG
• Secretary: Sir Simon Fraser KCMG, Permanent Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office
• Registrar: The Lord Wilson of Tillyorn KT GCMG
• King of Arms: Sir Ewen Fergusson GCMG GCVO
• Gentleman Usher of the Blue Rod: Sir Anthony Figgis KCVO CMG

Honorary Knights/Dame Grand Cross (GCMG)

Star and collar of GCMG worn by Živojin Mišić

Name	Post-Nominals	Known for	Year appointed	Notes
Qaboos bin Said al Said	GCB GCMG GCVO	Sultan of Oman	1976
Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei	GCB GCMG	Sultan of Brunei	1984
Abdelaziz bin Khalifa Al Thani	GCMG	Member of the royal family of Qatar	1985
Gyanendra of Nepal	GCMG	Former King of Nepal	1986
Fidel V. Ramos	GCMG	Former President of the Philippines	1995
Aleksander Kwaśniewski	GCB GCMG	Former President of Poland	1996
Maumoon Abdul Gayoom	GCMG	Former President of the Maldives	1997
Nawaz Sharif	GCMG	Former Prime Minister of Pakistan	1997
Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani	GCMG	Former Emir of Qatar	1997
Carlos Menem	GCMG	Former President of Argentina	1998
Ernesto Zedillo	GCMG	Former President of Mexico	1998
Alberto Fujimori	GCMG	Former President of Peru	1998
Ong Teng Cheong	GCMG	Former President of Singapore	1998
János Martonyi	GCMG	Minister of Foreign Affairs	1999
Abdullah II of Jordan	GCB GCMG KCVO	King of Jordan	1999
Giuliano Amato	GCMG	Former Prime Minister of Italy	2000
Lamberto Dini	GCMG	Former Prime Minister of Italy	2000
Henrik, Prince Consort of Denmark	GCB GCMG GCVO	Prince Consort of Denmark	2000
Emil Constantinescu	GCMG	Former President of Romania	2000
Thabo Mbeki	GCB GCMG	Former President of South Africa	2000
Nursultan Nazarbayev	GCMG	President of Kazakhstan	2000
Ali Abu al-Ragheb	GCMG	Former Prime Minister of Jordan	2001
Jorge Sampaio	GCMG	Former President of Portugal	2001
Anson Chan	GBM GCMG CBE JP	Former Chief Secretary of Hong Kong	2002
Vicente Fox	GCMG	Former President of Mexico	2002
Xanana Gusmão	GCMG GCL	Prime Minister of East Timor	2003
Hamid Karzai	GCMG	Former President of Afghanistan	2003
Alfred Moisiu	GCMG	Former President of Albania	2003
Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz	GCMG	Former Prime Minister of Poland	2004
Gianfranco Fini	GCMG	Former Deputy Prime Minister of Italy	2005
Kofi Annan	GCMG	Former Secretary-General of the United Nations	2006
Shimon Peres	GCMG	Former President of Israel	2008
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum	GCMG	Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates	2010
Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan	GCMG	Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi	2010
Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan	GCMG	President of the United Arab Emirates	2010
Sabah Al Khalid Al Sabah	GCMG	Deputy Prime Minister of Kuwait	2012

Honorary Knights/Dames Commander (KCMG/DCMG)

Name	Post-Nominals	Known for	Year appointed	Notes
King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa	KCMG		1979
Richard Armitage	KCMG, CNZM, AC		2005
Carl Bildt	KCMG		2009
Fazle Hasan Abed	KCMG		2010
Jaap de Hoop Scheffer	KCMG		2010
Jacques Rogge	KCMG		2014
Angelina Jolie	DCMG		2014

See also

• List of people who have declined a British honour
• Order of the Bath
• Order of the British Empire
• Order of the Garter
• Order of the Thistle
• Royal Victorian Order
• Russian Order of St George

External links

• Royal.gov.uk article on the order
• "Knighthood and Chivalry", (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th ed. London: Cambridge University Press.
• Orans, L. P. "The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George"
• Velde, F. R. (2003). "Order of Precedence in England and Wales"
• State Library of New South Wales: Nelson Meers Foundation—gallery to full set of insignia, including images of both sides of the badge and a close-up of the star.