Prince William - Royal Knight of the Garter

Plumed Prince William becomes a knight

WINDSOR, England (AFP) - Wearing an ostrich-plumed hat and velvet robes, Prince William was on Monday made a Royal Knight of the Garter in a ceremony full of regal pomp.

The prince, second in line to the throne, was formally appointed to the most senior order of British chivalry at Saint George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, west of London.

William, who turns 26 on Saturday, was watched by his girlfriend Kate Middleton, 26, and brother Prince Harry, 23.

The Most Noble Order of the Garter is the oldest order of chivalry in the world, established in 1348 by the queen's ancestor king Edward III.

William is now a Royal Knight Companion and the 1,000th Knight of the Garter.

Wearing their distinctive white ostrich plumes, blue velvet robes and black velvet hats, the knights and ladies were watched by about 7,000 members of the public as they walked from the castle to the chapel for the church service.

Queen Elizabeth II, William's paternal grandmother, formally installed the prince as a Royal Knight.

She officially presented her grandson with the regalia, including a blue garter, sash, robe or mantle and star during an investiture in the Throne Room at Windsor Castle.

The order has a maximum of 24 non-royal members, personally chosen by the sovereign, who is also a member. It is awarded for outstanding public service and achievement.

The queen's children, Princes Charles, Andrew and Edward and Princess Anne are among the royal members of the order.

Former prime ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major are members.

Prince William To Be Made Knight Of Garter

To mark St George's Day, the Queen has made her senior grandson, Prince William, the 1,000th Knight of the Garter in the 660th anniversary of Britain's oldest order of chivalry, which was founded in 1348 by King Edward III.

William will be invested by his grandmother at a private ceremony soon, after which he will be able to wear the well-known blue sash across his left shoulder and the silver star with the red cross of St George on his chest, as monarchs, royalty and many famous Englishmen have done for centuries.

On June 16, at Windsor Castle, he will be invested with a blue velvet garter around the left leg, below the knee, with the motto, in gold letters, "Honi soit qui mal y pense", which translates as "Shame to those who think evil of it".

Afterwards he will process through the castle wearing dark blue robes, a Tudor hat and ostrich feathers to St George's Chapel to be 'installed' under heraldic banners, helmets and the brass plates of knights that date back to the foundation.

He has been created a Royal Knight, which means that he does not constitute one of the limited number of 26 Knights, or Ladies, Companion that make up the core of the Order.

The statutes limited membership to the English monarch, the Prince of Wales and 24 other Knights Companion.

This is why William's father became a Knight of the Garter at the tender age of nine, because this is when the Queen made him Prince of Wales - and the Garter comes with the job.

One day, when he becomes king, William will be head of the order, or Sovereign.

The first Knight of the Garter was the Black Prince, who was Edward III's eldest son.

The Black Prince led English troops successfully against the French during the opening campaigns of the Hundred Years War, which was about King Edward's claim to the French throne.

For this reason, the colour of the order is blue, which was the royal livery of the kings of France.

In the strict order of knights, William appears as 999. However, historians compiling this list have overlooked the founder, Edward III, who was the uncounted knight, making William the 1000th.

Lord Luce and Sir Thomas Dunne have also been nominated today.

Recent famous knights include Sir Winston Churchill, Lord Montgomery and, more recently Baroness Thatcher.

The Queen opened the order to women in 1987.

By Sky News SkyNews - Wednesday, April 23 12:55 am

R.A.U. Juchter van Bergen Quast opgenomen als Descendant member van de Descendants of the Knights of the Garter

Persbericht VBAN

Windsor Castle - De heer R.A.U. Juchter van Bergen Quast - Voorzitter van Vereniging Buitenlandse Adel in Nederland - is als Descendant member opgenomen in de vereniging van Descendants of the Knights of the Garter, St. George Chapel, Windsor Castle.

De heer Juchter van Bergen Quast stamt af van een Knight of The Most Noble Order of the Garter.

De Descendants of the Knights of the Garter maakt onderdeel uit van de Society of the Freinds of St George's and Descendants of the Knights of the Garter. De Engelse koningin is hiervan de patroon.

Koningin Beatrix is een van de leden van de The Most Noble Order of the Garter. Deze Orde is één van de oudste Europese ridderorden, ingevoerd in 1348 door Koning Eduard III van Engeland. De koningen van Engeland, nu die van het Verenigd Koninkrijk, zijn de soevereinen van de Orde. De troonopvolger, de Hertog van Cornwall, is vanaf zijn geboorte ridder in deze Orde. In de 19e eeuw kreeg het Britse kabinet de bevoegdheid om ridders voor te dragen. Sinds 1946 is het benoemen van Ridders weer het voorrecht van de Kroon. De Most Noble Order of the Garter is een zuiver hoofse en wereldlijke orde, die geen religieuze idealen nastreeft. Het eerste doel van de Orde is de machtige adel aan de vorst te binden. Dat de Orde uit twee keer twaalf ridders bestaat, doet vermoeden dat de Orde ooit een toernooigezelschap was.