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A birthday Garter for Catherine?

Posted by Martha on January 8, 2024, 2:39 pm

https://royalcentral.co.uk/uk/is-the-order-of-the-garter-about-to-get-a-new-member-196394/

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Re: A birthday Garter for Catherine?

Posted by Candace on January 8, 2024, 5:17 pm, in reply to "A birthday Garter for Catherine?"

I think it's just a matter of time if not now at her birthday. She's the only senior royal lady, not to mention the future Queen, that has not already received the Garter.

Re: A birthday Garter for Catherine?

Posted by Cynthia on January 8, 2024, 5:41 pm, in reply to "Re: A birthday Garter for Catherine?"

I wish the duchesses of Gloucester and Kent were honored with the Garter. If Princess Alexandra could have it, why can't they?

Re: A birthday Garter for Catherine?

Posted by Nellie on January 8, 2024, 6:00 pm, in reply to "Re: A birthday Garter for Catherine?"

Princess Alexandra is a princess in her own right and began senior royal duty at about the age of 18 (I think). At the time she was the only female born-royal near the age of Queen Elizabeth II in the wider royal family.
Alexandra undertook overseas tours solo and represented the late Queen throughout the Commonwealth.
It was only after some time elapsed after the death of Princess Margaret - who never got the Garter - that Princess Alexandra was honoured with the Garter.

Alexandra in Australia

Re: A birthday Garter for Catherine?

Posted by Susan T on January 8, 2024, 6:04 pm, in reply to "Re: A birthday Garter for Catherine?"

Because, so far, the only royal women who have received the Garter have either been born royal or married to the monarch.

Camilla was the first married-to-the-heir woman to receive the Garter. And I think QEII made that award to help smooth the path for Camilla to be known as Queen Consort.

Nobody is likely to object to Catherine being called Queen, so I'm doubtful whether she will receive the Garter during Charles's lifetime.

Re: A birthday Garter for Catherine?

Posted by Cynthia on January 8, 2024, 6:57 pm, in reply to "Re: A birthday Garter for Catherine?"

Alexandra was the first royal, non-wife, non-monarch to get it. I will not budge! Birgitte and Katharine should still get a Garter! Harumph!

Re: A birthday Garter for Catherine?

Posted by stephen on January 8, 2024, 8:36 pm, in reply to "Re: A birthday Garter for Catherine?"

And the Duchess of Edinburgh!!!!

Re: A birthday Garter for Catherine?

Posted by Susan T on January 8, 2024, 8:48 pm, in reply to "Re: A birthday Garter for Catherine?"

QEII thought otherwise.

I don't see Charles handing out Garters to any royal women, born or married-in, with the possible exception of Catherine, though I suspect Catherine will have to wait and receive hers from William.

Re: A birthday Garter for Catherine?

Posted by Nellie on January 8, 2024, 9:14 pm, in reply to "Re: A birthday Garter for Catherine?"

I agree that Catherine might be the exception, as Charles is doing some things differently in his reign. But we need to wait and see.
The Garter is the highest honour.
The RVO is used as reward for service.

I was surprised that the late Queen conferred the Garter on Camilla.
Tradition had been for a new King to confer it on his consort as one of the first actions of his reign.
However, I think we all understood the special circumstances the late Queen was attending to in her final year ro so.

Re: A birthday Garter for Catherine?

Posted by Cynthia on January 9, 2024, 6:45 am, in reply to "Re: A birthday Garter for Catherine?"

It's only been a tradition since Edward VII.

Re: A birthday Garter for Catherine?

Posted by Hollie24 on January 9, 2024, 7:59 am, in reply to "Re: A birthday Garter for Catherine?"

The Garter is within the Monarch's personal gift. Charles can give it to whoever he wants. Katharine is retired now and in poor health. I don't see her getting it. Birgitte? She's done a lot, but the Gloucestershire aren't close to Charles, so I don't see her getting it either.

Re: A birthday Garter for Catherine?

Posted by Martha on January 9, 2024, 2:54 pm, in reply to "Re: A birthday Garter for Catherine?"

I think some award is due to those who served the late queen so loyally. If not the Garter, then another award that is prestigious. I'm surprised that Elizabeth didn't take care of this in her last year.

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Re: A birthday Garter for Catherine?

Posted by Susan T on January 9, 2024, 3:19 pm, in reply to "Re: A birthday Garter for Catherine?"

They were rewarded decades ago with the highest level of the Royal Victorian Order. All that's left is the Garter, and it's not going to happen.

There has to be some gong that sets the monarch's and heir's spouses apart from the other married-ins.

Re: A birthday Garter for Catherine?

Posted by Cynthia on January 9, 2024, 4:01 pm, in reply to "Re: A birthday Garter for Catherine?"

The only other award I can think of is the Royal Victorian Chain.

Re: A birthday Garter for Catherine?

Posted by Susan T on January 9, 2024, 4:18 pm, in reply to "Re: A birthday Garter for Catherine?"

A perusal of the list of recipients tells me that's not going to happen.

Link: Royal Victorian Chain

Re: A birthday Garter for Catherine?

Posted by karenl on January 9, 2024, 7:06 pm, in reply to "Re: A birthday Garter for Catherine?"

That list isn't promising is it? Nellie does have the point that Charles is forging somewhat of a different path from QEII, but will he confer the Garter on the Princess of Wales or follow the pattern set by previous Monarchs. I would be waiting to see in April.
I understand QEII's move to give the Garter to bestow the Garter on Camilla, I believe HM knew the prognosis of her cancer, so she awarded the Garter to Camilla under her reign so if the was "flack" about the move, it would fall on QEII rather than on Charles, the new Monarch, early in his reign. In the same way we discussed Queen Margrethe and the title changes for Joachim's children, Margrethe made the changes rather than leaving it to Frederik and his new reign.

Re: A birthday Garter for Catherine?

Posted by Susan T on January 9, 2024, 7:44 pm, in reply to "Re: A birthday Garter for Catherine?"

I don't understand why most of you want all the Windsors to get all the gongs available.

If everybody gets everything, it makes the gongs the equivalent of a jubilee medal, which is handed out to all the relatives and married-ins breathing at the time of the event.

I can see Charles maybe giving Catherine the Garter, but not until she's been married to William for as long as Camilla had been married when she received it.

Re: A birthday Garter for Catherine?

Posted by Nellie on January 9, 2024, 8:12 pm, in reply to "Re: A birthday Garter for Catherine?"

I feel we could lose sight of the fact that the Order of the Garter is for up to 24 Knights and Ladies appointed to the Order proper and personally honoured in that way.

Any British royals are additional to the 24 as extras. It made sense for a King, as sovereign of the Order, to appoint his Consort as an extra and to accompany him. As for other British royals it seems appointments have been made, and others not, for reasons best known to the Sovereign. Consider Princess Margaret.

And foreign royals are appointed as extras, as Stranger Knights and Ladies. I see this group as a unique "club" of monarchs.

Re: A birthday Garter for Catherine?

Posted by Hollie24 on January 10, 2024, 6:17 pm, in reply to "Re: A birthday Garter for Catherine?"

I don't think Katharine Kent should get the Garter. She's been retired for many years now. As for the Duchess of Gloucester, I would like her to have it, but I don't think she is close to Charles and she and the Duke will cease to be working Royals fairly soon. Sophie? Not during Charles's reign. I think she might get it during William's reign. The Edinburghs are close to the Waleses.

Re: A birthday Garter for Catherine?

Posted by Susan T on January 10, 2024, 6:48 pm, in reply to "Re: A birthday Garter for Catherine?"

If given a choice, I think Sophie would prefer that her husband's dukedom be made hereditary.

I know the argument is that the dukedom should go to somebody higher up the line of succession, with Louis's name being mentioned, but by the time the dukedom is available, assuming that William follows the tradition of handing out dukedoms as wedding presents, the likelihood is that George and Charlotte will already have married and produced offspring, and Louis will be just as distant from the throne as Edward was when he married. So why should he get a hereditary dukedom when Edward didn't?

Re: A birthday Garter for Catherine?

Posted by JohnW on January 11, 2024, 6:01 am, in reply to "Re: A birthday Garter for Catherine?"

Why, indeed? And it was that to which The Queen believed that Charles has agreed.

Why should Charles's cadet line hold a dukedom when his mother's cadet line does not, her and her husband's wishes notwithstanding?

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