Order of the Companions of Honour

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The Order of the Companions of Honour is an order of the Commonwealth realms. It was founded on 4 June 1917 by King George V as a reward for outstanding achievements. It was founded on the same date as the Order of the British Empire.<ref name=Times250817/><ref name=CH>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The order was originally intended to be conferred upon a limited number of persons for whom this special distinction seemed to be the most appropriate form of recognition, constituting an honour dissociated from either the acceptance of title or the classification of merit.<ref name=Times250817>Template:Cite news</ref> It is now described as being "awarded for having a major contribution to the arts, science, medicine, or government lasting over a long period of time".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The first recipients of the order were all decorated for "services in connection with the war" and were listed in The London Gazette.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref>

CompositionEdit

File:Btweedsmuir2.jpg

John Buchan, Lord Tweedsmuir, as Governor General of Canada, wearing the Order of the Companions of Honour badge around his neck

The order consists of the monarch of the Commonwealth realms, who is the Sovereign of the Order of the Companions of Honour, and a maximum of 65 members. Additionally, foreigners or Commonwealth citizens from outside the Commonwealth realms may be added as honorary members. Members are organised into a single class and are appointed by the monarch of the Commonwealth realms in their capacity as sovereign of the order. While membership of the order confers no title or precedence, those inducted into the order are entitled to use the post-nominal letters CH.

Appointments to the order are generally made on the advice of prime ministers of the Commonwealth realms.<ref name=CH/> For Canadians, the advice to the Sovereign can come from a variety of officials.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Originally, the order was limited to 50 ordinary members, but in 1943 it was enlarged to 65, with a quota of 45 members for the United Kingdom, seven for Australia, two each for New Zealand and South Africa, and nine for India, Burma, and the other British colonies. The quota numbers were altered in 1970 to 47 for the United Kingdom, seven for Australia, two for New Zealand, and nine for other Commonwealth realms. The quota was adjusted again in 1975 by adding two places to the New Zealand quota and reducing the nine for the other countries to seven.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Whilst still able to nominate candidates to the order, the Cabinet of Australia has effectively stopped the allocation of this award to that country's citizens in preference to other Australian honours. The last Australian member, Doug Anthony, former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, died on 20 December 2020.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Companions from other Commonwealth realms continue to be appointed, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, a New Zealand soprano, was given the award in 2018 and Canadian author Margaret Atwood was given the award in 2019.

Lord Coe represented the Order at the 2023 Coronation.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

InsigniaEdit

The insignia of the order is in the form of an oval medallion, surmounted by a royal crown (but, until recently, surmounted by an imperial crown), and with a rectangular panel within, depicting on it an oak tree, a shield with the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom hanging from one branch, and, on the left, a mounted knight in armour. The insignia's blue border bears in gold letters the motto IN ACTION FAITHFUL AND IN HONOUR CLEAR, Alexander Pope's description (in iambic pentameter) in his Epistle to Mr Addison of James Craggs the Younger, later used on Craggs's monument in Westminster Abbey. Men wear the badge on a neck ribbon (red with golden border threads) and women on a bow at the left shoulder.

Current membersEdit

SovereignEdit

Name	Year of appointment	Present age
King Charles III (ex officio)	Sovereign since 2022	Template:Age

Royal CompanionEdit

Name	Year of appointment	Present age	Notes
Catherine, Princess of Wales Template:Post-nominals	2024	Template:Age	First Royal Companion

MembersEdit

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Member number<ref group="n" name="Order">The number shown in brackets is the individual's place in the wider sequence of appointment since the Order's inception.</ref>	Name	Known for	Year of appointment	Present age
1-(267)	Norman Tebbit, Baron Tebitt Template:Post-nominals	Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and Secretary of State for Employment	1987	Template:Age
2-(270)	Kenneth Baker, Baron Baker of Dorking Template:Post-nominals	Secretary of State for the Home Department	1992	Template:Age
3-(278)	Tom King, Baron King of Bridgwater Template:Post-nominals	Secretary of State for Defence	1992	Template:Age
4-(282)	Dame Janet Baker Template:Post-nominals	Opera singer	1993	Template:Age
5-(287)	David Owen, Baron Owen Template:Post-nominals	Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs	1994	Template:Age
6-(289)	Sir David Attenborough Template:Post-nominals	Television broadcaster and conservationist	1995	Template:Age
7-(291)	Douglas Hurd, Lord Hurd of Westwell Template:Post-nominals	Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and Secretary of State for the Home Department	1995	Template:Age
8-(294)	David Hockney Template:Post-nominals	Artist	1997	Template:Age
9-(296)	Michael Heseltine, Baron Heseltine Template:Post-nominals	Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Secretary of State for Defence		Template:Age
10-(297)	Chris Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes Template:Post-nominals	Governor of Hong Kong, Chairman of the BBC Trust, and Chancellor of the University of Oxford		Template:Age
11-(299)	Sir John Major Template:Post-nominals	Prime Minister of the United Kingdom	1998	Template:Age
12-(300)	Bridget Riley Template:Post-nominals	Artist		Template:Age
13-(305)	General John de Chastelain Template:Post-nominals	Chief of the Defence Staff (Canada) and Chairman of the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning		Template:Age
14-(317)	Dan McKenzie Template:Post-nominals	Geophysicist	2003	Template:Age
15-(318)	David Hannay, Baron Hannay of Chiswick Template:Post-nominals	Permanent Representative to the United Nations	2003	Template:Age
16-(320)	Dame Judi Dench Template:Post-nominals	Actress	2005	Template:Age
17-(321)	Sir Ian McKellen Template:Post-nominals	Actor	2007	Template:Age
18-(323)	Michael Howard, Baron Howard of Lympne Template:Post-nominals	Leader of His Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition and Secretary of State for the Home Department	2011	Template:Age
19-(324)	George Young, Baron Young of Cookham Template:Post-nominals	Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury and Leader of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom	2012	Template:Age
20-(325)	Sebastian Coe, Baron Coe Template:Post-nominals	President of World Athletics and Chairman of the British Olympic Association	2012	Template:Age
21-(327)	Thomas Galbraith, 2nd Baron Strathclyde Template:Post-nominals	Leader of the House of Lords and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster	2013	Template:Age
22-(328)	Menzies Campbell, Baron Campbell of Pittenweem Template:Post-nominals	Chancellor of the University of St Andrews and Leader of the Liberal Democrats		Template:Age
23-(329)	Sir Nicholas Serota Template:Post-nominals	Curator and Director of the Tate		Template:Age
24-(331)	Onora O'Neill, Baroness O'Neill of Bengarve Template:Post-nominals	President of the British Academy		83
25-(333)	Kenneth Clarke, Baron Clarke of Nottingham Template:Post-nominals	Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, Chancellor of the Exchequer and Secretary of State for the Home Department	2014	Template:Age
26-(336)	Lady Mary Peters Template:Post-nominals	Olympic gold medallist and Lord Lieutenant of Belfast	2015	Template:Age
27-(339)	Harry Woolf, Baron Woolf Template:Post-nominals	Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales	2015	Template:Age
28-(341)	Sir Roy Strong Template:Post-nominals	Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum and National Portrait Gallery, London	2016	Template:Age
29-(343)	Robert Smith, Baron Smith of Kelvin Template:Post-nominals	Governor of the British Broadcasting Corporation		Template:Age
30-(344)	Valerie Amos, Baroness Amos Template:Post-nominals	United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Leader of the House of Lords and Secretary of State for International Development		Template:Age
31-(345)	George Osborne Template:Post-nominals	Chancellor of the Exchequer and First Secretary of State		Template:Age
32-(347)	Sir Richard Eyre Template:Post-nominals	Director		Template:Age
33-(348)	Dame Evelyn Glennie Template:Post-nominals	Musician		Template:Age
34-(349)	Sir Alec Jeffreys Template:Post-nominals	Geneticist		Template:Age
35-(353)	Sir Mark Elder Template:Post-nominals	Conductor	2017	Template:Age
36-(355)	Sir Paul McCartney Template:Post-nominals	Musician		Template:Age
37-(356)	J. K. Rowling Template:Post-nominals	Author		Template:Age
38-(357)	Dame Steve Shirley Template:Post-nominals	Entrepreneur and philanthropist		Template:Age
39-(358)	Delia Smith Template:Post-nominals	Cook and author		Template:Age
40-(359)	Nicholas Stern, Baron Stern of Brentford Template:Post-nominals	President of the British Academy and Chief Economist of the World Bank		Template:Age
41-(361)	Melvyn Bragg, Baron Bragg Template:Post-nominals	Broadcaster and Chancellor of the University of Leeds		Template:Age
42-(362)	Lady Antonia Fraser Template:Post-nominals	Author		Template:Age
43-(363)	Margaret MacMillan Template:Post-nominals Template:Post-nominals Template:Post-nominals Template:Post-nominals	Historian, author and Provost of Trinity College, Toronto		Template:Age
44-(364)	Richard Henderson Template:Post-nominals	Biologist	2018	Template:Age
45-(365)	Dame Kiri Te Kanawa Template:Post-nominals	Opera singer		Template:Age
46-(366)	Margaret Atwood Template:Post-nominals Template:Post-nominals Template:Post-nominals	Author		Template:Age
47-(367)	Patrick McLoughlin, Baron McLoughlin Template:Post-nominals	Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Secretary of State for Transport	2019	Template:Age
48-(368)	Sir Elton John Template:Post-nominals	Musician		Template:Age
49-(369)	Sir Keith Thomas Template:Post-nominals	Historian and President of Corpus Christi College, Oxford		Template:Age
50-(370)	Sir Paul Smith Template:Post-nominals	Fashion designer	2020	Template:Age
51-(371)	Sir David Chipperfield Template:Post-nominals	Architect	2020	Template:Age
52-(372)	Sir Paul Nurse Template:Postnominals	Geneticist and Nobel Laureate	2021	Template:Age
53-(374)	Sir Quentin Blake Template:Post-nominals	Illustrator	2022	Template:Age
54-(375)	Sir Salman Rushdie Template:Post-nominals	Author		Template:Age
55-(376)	Dame Marina Warner Template:Post-nominals	Author		Template:Age
56-(377)	Sir Michael Marmot Template:Post-nominals	Academic		Template:Age
57-(379)	Sir Bill Cash Template:Post-nominals	Shadow Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs and Shadow Attorney General for England and Wales	2023	Template:Age
58-(380)	Sir John Bell Template:Post-nominals	President of the Office for Strategic Coordination of Health Research		Template:Age
59-(381)	Ian McEwan Template:Post-nominals	Author		Template:Age
60-(382)	Dame Anna Wintour Template:Post-nominals	Media executive		Template:Age
61-(383)	Dame Shirley Bassey Template:Post-nominals	Singer		Template:Age
62-(385)	Gordon Brown Template:Post-nominals	Prime Minister of the United Kingdom	2024	Template:Age
63-(386)	Sir Kazuo Ishiguro Template:Post-nominals	Novelist and screenwriter	2024	Template:Age
64	Vacant following the death of Frank Field, Baron Field of Birkenhead on 23 April 2024
65	Vacant following the death of Dame Maggie Smith on 27 September 2024