Prior to Queen Elizabeth’s decision, no monarch had invested their grandchild into the Order for 114 years since 1894 when Queen Victoria invested Alfred, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha – with Prince George, 11, expected to follow suit because of this ruling.
When William was made 1000th Knight of the Garter he was 25 years old, which could set the precedent for when Prince George can follow the major tradition, in 14 years time.
Prince George has made an increasing number of public appearances in recent months, with the latest being his involvement alongside Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis celebrating the Trooping of the Colour – the King’s official birthday parade on Saturday.
The young prince joined the Prince and Princess of Wales alongside King Charles and wider members of the Royal Family in the carriage procession and appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony to watch the Flypast.
The Order of the Garter which takes place today, is the oldest order of chivalry in the United Kingdom and is the most senior knighthood in the British honours system, which is only outranked by the Victoria Cross and the George Cross.
Any new appointments are left entirely up to the King’s discretion and are usually in recognition of a national contribution to public service, or for personal service to the monarch.
There are strict rules who can be inducted into the order as membership is limited to the monarch, the Prince of Wales and a maximum of 24 living members.
The Order of the Garter also includes Supernumerary Knights and Ladies (e.g. members of the British Royal Family and foreign monarchs.
Some notable non-royals who are members include Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baroness Amos, Sir Tony Blair and the former Governor of the Bank of England, Baron King of Lothbury.
The two most recent members of the Royal Family to be added to the Order were Queen Camilla in 2022 and the Duchess of Gloucester in 2024. The Princess of Wales and the Duchess of Edinburgh often watch the service inside St George’s Chapel and later take part in a carriage procession around the castle grounds.
