All eyes were on King Charles, Queen Camilla and members of the royal family this week as they hosted a state banquet for French President Emanuel Macron and First Lady Brigette Macron at Windsor Castle.
And while everything from the royal’s choice of attire to the speeches table settings appeared to be in order, there was one very important element missing from the formal event.
Royal watchers were quick to notice that Queen Camilla was not wearing Queen Elizabeth II’s Royal Family Order, which she had previously worn to other state banquets, and suspends from a yellow bow.
Instead, Her Majesty opted to only wear her that of her husband, which features a miniature portrait of the King and is mounted from a pale blue bow.
Meanwhile, fellow royals including the Princess of Wales, Princess Anne and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, all chose to don King Charles badge just above Queen Elizabeth’s Royal Family Order.
“Do consorts not wear the other, previously given orders? Like in Denmark?,” one royal fan questioned online.
What is a Royal Family Order?
Last year, Buckingham Palace released a statement explaining the meaning behind a Royal Order after Queen Camilla debuted King Charles’ for the first time during a state dinner in honour of Japan.
“The tradition of commissioning a Family Order, a badge worn by female members of the royal family personally bestowed by the Sovereign, was established by King George IV over two hundred years ago,” the statement read.
“Family Orders have since been instituted by Queen Victoria, King Edward VII, King George V, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II.”
Each monarch designs their own, featuring a portrait of the sovereign surrounded by diamonds and it is pinned to the left shoulder at formal evening occasions.
Who receives a Family order?
A tradition dating back some 200 years ago, royal orders are an honour bestowed on senior women of the royal family in recognition of their service to the monarch. It is considered to be a personal mark of respect and recognition from the sovereign. Queen Elizabeth II presented Camilla with hers in 2007 and Kate in 2017.
It it understood that recipients can continue to wear the Royal Family Orders of former monarchs should they wish, as well as the current one.
What does King Charles’ Family Order look like?
King Charles III long-awaited Order is painted in oil by Elizabeth Meek. The portrait is based on a photograph taken by Hugo Burnand in 2023 at Windsor Castle. It features 10.41 carats of loose diamonds from the Royal Collection.
