Officers and Grades
The reigning monarch of each of the Commonwealth realms is at the apex of the Royal Victorian Order as its Sovereign, followed by the Grand Master; the latter position was created in 1937, and was occupied by Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother) from that date until her death in 2002. Queen Elizabeth II then appointed her daughter, Anne, Princess Royal, to the position in 2007. Succeeding these two individuals are the five officials of the organization: the Chancellor, occupied by the Lord Chamberlain; the Secretary, occupied by the Keeper of the Privy Purse and Treasurer to the Queen; the Registrar, occupied by the Secretary to the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood; the Chaplain, occupied by the Chaplain of the Queen's Chapel of the Savoy; and the Genealogist.
Thereafter follow the members of the order, who are divided into five hierarchical grades— the highest two conferring accolades of knighthood and all having accordant post-nominal letters— and, lastly, the holders of the Royal Victorian Medal in either gold, silver, or bronze. Foreigners may be admitted as honorary members, there are no limits to the population of any grade, and promotions are possible. The styles of knighthood are not used by princes, princesses, or peers in the upper most ranks of the society, save for when their names are written in their fullest forms for the most official occasions. Retiring Deans of the Royal Peculiars of St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle and Westminster Abbey are customarily inducted as Knights Commander; clergymen appointed to the higher levels of the Royal Victorian Order do not use the associated styles, however, and honorary members are not permitted to hold them at all.
Prior to 1984, the grades of Lieutenant and Member were classified as Members (fourth class) and Members (fifth class), respectively, but both with the post-nominals MVO. On 31 December of that year, Queen Elizabeth II declared that those in the grade of Member (fourth class) would henceforth be Lieutenants with the post-nominals LVO.
| Grades of the Royal Victorian Order: | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade (English) | Knight/Dame Grand Cross | Knight/Dame Commander | Commander | Lieutenant | Member | Medal (associated) |
| Grade (French) | Commandeur | Lieutenant | Membre | Medaille | ||
| Prefix | Sir/Dame | Sir/Dame | ||||
| Post-nominal letters | GCVO | KCVO/DCVO | CVO | LVO | MVO | RVM |
| Insignia | ||||||
Read more about this topic: Royal Victorian Order
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