Royal Victorian Chain

Royal Victorian Chain
Royal Victorian Chain
Type	Decoration
Awarded for	At the monarch's pleasure
Presented by	The monarch of the Commonwealth realms
Eligibility	Men and women, of any nation
Status	Currently awarded
Established	1902
First awarded	1902
Last awarded	2021
	Ribbon bar

The Royal Victorian Chain is a decoration instituted in 1902 by King Edward VII as a personal award of the monarch (i.e. not an award made on the advice of any Commonwealth realm government). It ranks above the Royal Victorian Order,^[1] with which it is often associated but not officially related. Originally reserved for members of the royal family, the chain is a distinct award conferred only upon the highest dignitaries, including foreign monarchs, heads of state, and high-ranking individuals such as the Archbishop of Canterbury.^[2]

History

The Royal Victorian Chain was created by King Edward VII in 1902, six years after his mother created the Royal Victorian Order. The Royal Victorian Chain ranks above all decorations of the Royal Victorian Order, but it is not officially part of the Order. Edward created it to honour his mother "as a personal decoration for Sovereigns, Princes, and other Royal personages, and also for a few eminent British subjects." It was first recorded as a new decoration in August 1902, when it was reported that Frederick Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury, was received in private audience to receive the Royal Victorian Chain, following the coronation of the King two days earlier.^[3] The first recipients included the King's son George, Prince of Wales (later George V) and the King's brother Prince Arthur.^[4]

Design

The chain is in gold, decorated with motifs of Tudor rose, thistle, shamrock, and lotus flower (symbolizing England, Scotland, Ireland, and India, respectively) and a crowned, red enamelled cypher of King Edward VII—ERI (Edwardus Rex Imperator)—surrounded by a gold wreath for men, upon which the badge is suspended. The chain is worn around the collar by men or with the four motifs and some chain links fixed to a riband in the form of bow (blue with red-white-red edges) on the left shoulder by women. However, the Queen's sister, the late Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, in later life chose to wear her chain around the collar, as male recipients do.

The badge is a gold, white enamelled Maltese Cross; the oval-shaped central medallion depicts Victoria's royal and imperial cypher—VRI (Victoria Regina Imperatrix)—on a red background, surrounded by a crown-surmounted blue ring bearing the word Victoria. Both the crown and Queen Victoria's cypher are studded with diamonds.

Eligibility and allocation

The Royal Victorian Chain does not confer upon its recipients any style, title or postnominal letters, nor does it give precedence within any Commonwealth honours system. However, it represents a personal token of high distinction and esteem from the monarch. The chain can be conferred upon men and women of any nationality.

It has normally served as the senior award for Canadians, who are generally ineligible to receive titular honours under federal Cabinet policy. Only two Canadians have thus far been conferred with the chain: Vincent Massey and Roland Michener, both former governors general.^[5]

The Royal Victorian Chain is invariably granted to holders of the office of Archbishop of Canterbury, often just after their retirement.^[6] The only holders of that title not to receive the decoration since its inception are William Temple, who died in office, and Justin Welby, who is still in office.

The Royal Victorian Chain must be returned on the death of the recipient.^[7]

List of living recipients of the Royal Victorian Chain

Country	Name	Known for	Year of conferral	Present age	Notes
Denmark	Queen Margrethe II of Denmark LG	Queen of Denmark	1974 as Queen; abdicated 2024	84
Sweden	The King of Sweden KG	King of Sweden	1975	78	Honorary Admiral in the Royal Navy
Netherlands	Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands LG, GCVO	Queen of the Netherlands	1982 as Queen; abdicated 2013	86
Portugal	António Ramalho Eanes GCB	President of Portugal	1985	89
Spain	King Juan Carlos I of Spain KG	King of Spain	1986 as King; abdicated 2014	86
Norway	The King of Norway KG, GCVO	King of Norway	1994	87	Honorary Colonel in the Royal Marines and Honorary General in the British Army
United Kingdom	The Lord Carey of Clifton PC	Archbishop of Canterbury	2002^[8]	88
United Kingdom	The Lord Williams of Oystermouth PC, FBA, FRSL, FLSW	Archbishop of Canterbury	2012^[9]	74
United Kingdom	The Earl Peel GCVO, PC, DL	Lord Chamberlain	2021^[10]	77

References

^ "Birthday Honours – A Long List – Five New Peers – Many Baronets And Knights". The Times. 4 June 1917. p. 9. An interesting honour is that awarded to Lord Rosebery, upon whom the King has conferred the Royal Victorian Chain, the highest class of the Royal Victorian Order.
^ Duckers, Peter (2004). British Orders and Decorations. Osprey Publishing. p. 40. ISBN 9780747805809.
^ "Court Circular". The Times. No. 36844. London. 12 August 1902. p. 8.
^ "Honour for Archbishop of York: Royal Victorian Chain". The Times. 2 May 1923. p. 13. The Royal Victorian Chain ranks above all the five classes of the Royal Victorian Order, with which it is generally associated, but of which it does not form a part.
^ Christopher McCreery (2005). The Canadian honours system. Dundurn Press. p. 105. ISBN 1-55002-554-6.
^ "Annex 1". parliament.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
^ Christopher McCreery (2008). On Her Majesty's Service: Royal Honours and Recognition in Canada. Dundurn Press. p. 114. ISBN 978-1-55002-742-6.
^ "No. 56749". The London Gazette. 12 November 2002. p. 1.
^ "No. 60392". The London Gazette. 15 January 2013. p. 1.
^ "No. 63322". The London Gazette. 15 April 2021. p. 7050.

External links

Robertson, Megan C. "United Kingdom: Royal Victorian Chain". Medals of the World. Retrieved 25 November 2015.

[1] "Birthday Honours – A Long List – Five New Peers – Many Baronets And Knights". The Times. 4 June 1917. p. 9. An interesting honour is that awarded to Lord Rosebery, upon whom the King has conferred the Royal Victorian Chain, the highest class of the Royal Victorian Order.

[2] Duckers, Peter (2004). British Orders and Decorations. Osprey Publishing. p. 40. ISBN 9780747805809.

[3] "Court Circular". The Times. No. 36844. London. 12 August 1902. p. 8.

[4] "Honour for Archbishop of York: Royal Victorian Chain". The Times. 2 May 1923. p. 13. The Royal Victorian Chain ranks above all the five classes of the Royal Victorian Order, with which it is generally associated, but of which it does not form a part.

[5] Christopher McCreery (2005). The Canadian honours system. Dundurn Press. p. 105. ISBN 1-55002-554-6.

[6] "Annex 1". parliament.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2023.

[7] Christopher McCreery (2008). On Her Majesty's Service: Royal Honours and Recognition in Canada. Dundurn Press. p. 114. ISBN 978-1-55002-742-6.

[8] "No. 56749". The London Gazette. 12 November 2002. p. 1.

[9] "No. 60392". The London Gazette. 15 January 2013. p. 1.

[10] "No. 63322". The London Gazette. 15 April 2021. p. 7050.

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v t e Orders, decorations, and medals of Canada
Awards of valour	Victoria Cross Cross of Valour
National orders	Order of Canada Order of Military Merit Order of Merit of the Police Forces
Dynastic orders	Order of Merit Royal Victorian Order Order of St John
Provincial orders	Alberta Order of Excellence Order of British Columbia Order of Manitoba Order of New Brunswick Order of Newfoundland and Labrador Order of Nova Scotia Order of Ontario Order of Prince Edward Island National Order of Quebec Saskatchewan Order of Merit
Territorial orders	Order of the Northwest Territories Order of Nunavut Order of Yukon
Other decorations and medals	Royal Victorian Chain Decorations War and operational service medals Special service medals United Nations medals NATO medals International mission medals Commemorative medals Long service medals Exemplary service medals Special medals Order of Polaris
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