Royal Victorian Chain

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
George V with Royal Victorian Chain (lower neck order)

The Royal Victorian Chain is an award that was created in 1902 by King Edward VII , a personal award of the monarch, which he awards at his own discretion, i.e. without being dependent on the proposal of the government. Although the Royal Victorian Order looks very similar, there are no direct links between the two awards.

The award of the Royal Victorian Chain, unlike that of the higher levels of the British medals or the one-class highest medals, is not associated with a title of nobility . There is also no special form of address for the wearer, nor is the award indicated by a special sequence of letters after the surname (so-called post nominals ). The carriers are not even listed in the protocol-based hierarchy, which is particularly differentiated in the United Kingdom . Still, it is a mark of special personal recognition from the British monarch.

The chain can be loaned to citizens of the Commonwealth Realms as well as foreigners. There are currently eleven living recipients of the award, four of whom were not heads of state at the time of the award: Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh , the Queen's husband, the Earl of Airlie , long-time Lord Chamberlain of the Household , and Lord Carey , the former Archbishop of Canterbury , who had stood by Queen Elizabeth II especially in the difficult year 1992 (" Annus horribilis "), and Rowan Williams, Baron Williams of Oystermouth , also former Archbishop of Canterbury.

Since Canadians are not allowed to accept titles of nobility after a resolution by the Canadian Parliament that is controversial in terms of content, the Royal Victorian Chain also serves as the highest honor for Canadians.

The chain consists of golden double-row chain parts connected by Tudor roses, thistles, clovers and lotus flowers, which symbolize England, Scotland, Ireland and India. At the front, the connecting piece is designed as an enamelled, crowned monogram with the initials "ERI" (Edwardus Rex Imperator) on which an oval medal is attached. On this the initials of Queen Victoria "VRI" (Victoria Regina Imperatrix) are shown on a red background. The word "Victoria" is written on the blue border, which in turn is crowned. Both the crown and the medal's initials are adorned with diamonds.

While men wear the chain like a neck medal, women wear the chain with the above-mentioned motifs on a ribbon on the left shoulder. Princess Margaret , the sister of Queen Elizabeth, however also wore the Royal Victorian Chain around her neck, as is intended for gentlemen.

After the recipient's death, the necklace must be returned.

Current recipient of the award

See also: List of Royal Victorian Chain Bearers

Web links

Commons : Royal Victorian Chain  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files