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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

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.

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

Sovereign

Substantive members

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
Australia 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)

Notes

1. For use in Canada, in accordance with the country's policy of official bilingualism.

Citations

1. ^ "Order of Merit". Royal Household. Archived from the original on 18 July 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
2. ^ "Order of Merit". The Governor General of Canada. Archived from the original on 21 February 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
3. ^ 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.
4. ^ 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.
5. Roberts, Andrew (2021). The Last King of America: The Misunderstood Reign of George III. Viking. p. 526. ISBN 9781984879264.
6. ^ Martin 2007, p. 11
7. Martin 2007, p. 12
8. Martin 2007, p. 13
9. Martin 2007, pp. 18–20
10. Martin 2007, p. 1
11. 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.
12. McCreery, Christopher (2005). The Canadian Honours System. Toronto: Dundurn Press. p. 98. ISBN 9781550025545.
13. "Coronation order of service in full". BBC News. 6 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
14. Editorial Board (15 July 2009). "Order Worthy?". National Post. Retrieved 29 July 2009. Alt URL. Archived 1 June 2019 at the Wayback Machine.
15. ^ "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.
16. "British Order of Merit: Collingwood Ltd". National Trust Collections. NT 585429.1. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
17. Martin 2007, p. 56
18. "What is the Order of Merit?". thegazette.co.uk. Archived from the original on 13 January 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
19. 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.
20. McCreery, Christopher (2005). The Order of Canada: Its Origins, History and Development. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0-8020-3940-5.
21. 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.
22. Commonwealth of Australia Gazette no. S192 of Friday, 28 September 2007.
23. 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.
24. "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.
25. 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.
26. "Page 325 | Supplement 62529, 11 January 2019 | London Gazette | The Gazette". www.thegazette.co.uk. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
27. "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.

External links

• Order of Merit (cabinetoffice.gov.uk)
• What is the Order of Merit? (thegazette.co.uk)
• Order of Merit (royal.uk)
• "Merit, Order of" . Collier's New Encyclopedia. 1921.
• "Merit, Order of" . New International Encyclopedia. 1905.
• World Awards – Order of Merit

v t e Orders, decorations, and medals of Australia
(order of wearing)
National orders	/ Order of Australia
Royal orders	Order of the Garter Order of the Thistle Order of Merit Royal Victorian Order Order of St John
Gallantry	Victoria Cross for Australia (VC) Star of Gallantry (SG) Medal for Gallantry (MG) Commendation for Gallantry
Bravery	Cross of Valour (CV) Star of Courage (SC) Bravery Medal (BM) Commendation for Brave Conduct Group Bravery Citation
Distinguished service	Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) Commendation for Distinguished Service
Conspicuous service	Conspicuous Service Cross (CSC) Conspicuous Service Medal (CSM)
Nursing service	Nursing Service Cross (NSC)
Meritorious service	Public Service Medal (PSM) Australian Police Medal (APM) Australian Fire Service Medal (AFSM) Ambulance Service Medal (ASM) Emergency Services Medal (ESM) Australian Corrections Medal (ACM) Australian Intelligence Medal (AIM) Australian Antarctic Medal (AAM) Royal Victorian Medal (RVM)
Campaign medals (service periods)	1939–1945 Australia Service Medal 1939–1945 1945–1975 Australian Active Service Medal 1945–1975 Australian General Service Medal for Korea (1953–1956) Vietnam Medal (1964–1973) Vietnam Logistic and Support Medal (1968–1973) Australian Service Medal 1945–1975 1975–2012 Australian Active Service Medal (1975–present) Rhodesia Medal (1979–1980) International Force East Timor Medal (1999–2000) Afghanistan Medal (2001–2014) Iraq Medal (2003–2013) Australian Service Medal (1975–present) 2012–present Australian Operational Service Medal – Border Protection (2012–present) Australian Operational Service Medal – GMEO (2014–present) Australian Operational Service Medal – Special Operations (2019–present) Australian Operational Service Medal – Counter Terrorism/Special Recovery (2020–present) Australian Operational Service Medal – Africa (2023–present) Australian Operational Service Medal – Civilian (2012–present)
Special service	Police Overseas Service Medal Humanitarian Overseas Service Medal National Emergency Medal Civilian Service Medal 1939–1945 National Police Service Medal Australian Sports Medal (2000, 2021–present)
Commemorative	King Edward VII Coronation Medal (1902) King George V Coronation Medal (1911) King George V Silver Jubilee Medal (1935) King George VI Coronation Medal (1937) Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal (1953) Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal (1977) 80th Anniversary Armistice Remembrance Medal (1999) Centenary Medal (2001) Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal (2002) Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012) Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal (2022) King Charles III Coronation Medal (2023)
Long service	Defence Force Service Medal (1982–1998) Reserve Force Decoration (1982–1998) (RFD) Reserve Force Medal (1982–1998) Defence Long Service Medal (1998–) National Medal Australian Cadet Forces Service Medal Service Medal of the Order of St John
Other defence awards	Australian Defence Medal Champion Shots Medal Anniversary of National Service 1951–1972 Medal / Unit Citation for Gallantry / Meritorious Unit Citation

v t e Orders, decorations, and medals of Canada
Awards of valour	Victoria Cross Cross of Valour
National orders	Order of Canada Order of Military Merit Order of Merit of the Police Forces
Dynastic orders	Order of Merit Royal Victorian Order Order of St John
Provincial orders	Alberta Order of Excellence Order of British Columbia Order of Manitoba Order of New Brunswick Order of Newfoundland and Labrador Order of Nova Scotia Order of Ontario Order of Prince Edward Island National Order of Quebec Saskatchewan Order of Merit
Territorial orders	Order of the Northwest Territories Order of Nunavut Order of Yukon
Other decorations and medals	Royal Victorian Chain Decorations War and operational service medals Special service medals United Nations medals NATO medals International mission medals Commemorative medals Long service medals Exemplary service medals Special medals Order of Polaris
Canadian honours lists	1946 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

• Civil awards and decorations of Canada
• Civil awards and decorations of the United Kingdom
• Awards established in 1902
• Members of the Order of Merit
• 1902 establishments in the British Empire
• Edward VII