The Prince of Wales (Duke of Rothesay in Scotland) and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh joined King Charles III and Queen Camilla for the Service of the Order of the Thistle at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh on July 3rd, following a Garden Party at the Palace of Holyroodhouse during Royal Week in Scotland. The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle is the highest Order in Scotland and the second highest Order in the United Kingdom, and it’s service is held every two years.
Queen Camilla and the Duke of Edinburgh, as well as Baroness Black, Baroness Kennedy, and Sir Geoff Palmer, were formally invested into the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle during the Service at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh.
Celebrating men and women who have contributed so much to life in Scotland at this special ceremony in Edinburgh today.
Congratulations to the newest Knights and Ladies of the Order of the Thistle 🏴 pic.twitter.com/iwNfj2cvqp
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) July 3, 2024
Celebrating men and women who have contributed so much to life in Scotland at this special ceremony in Edinburgh today.
Congratulations to the newest Knights and Ladies of the Order of the Thistle 🏴 pic.twitter.com/iwNfj2cvqp
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) July 3, 2024
The Service followed a Reception in the Signet Library and a Luncheon at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
Later in the afternoon, King Charles III and Queen Camilla (wearing the Queen Mother’s Diamond Thistle Brooch) attended a celebration for the 900th Anniversary of the City of Edinburgh at Edinburgh Castle.
Scotland’s senior order and the second highest order within the United Kingdom, the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle was established in 1687 by King James VII (and II), who asserted that he was reviving an earlier order. The Order to the Sovereign and sixteen Knights and Ladies as well as ‘extra’ Knights from the Royal Family, as well as a few select Foreign Royals.
New members are announced on St Andrew’s Day, November 30th, and a biannual Service is held at the Thistle Chapel at St Giles’ Church in Edinburgh in June or July and there is usually a short reception in the Signet Library, as well as a lunch at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
The Mantle is a green velvet robe worn over suits, gowns or military uniforms. The mantle is lined with white taffeta; it is tied with green and gold tassels. On the left shoulder of the mantle, the star of the order is depicted. The hat is made of black velvet and is plumed with white feathers with a black egret’s or heron’s top in the middle.
The gold Collar consists of alternating links depicting thistle and rue, from which the ‘St Andrew’, a pendant depicting Saint Andrew holding a white saltire on a field of gold rays, is suspended.
The Star is a silver St Andrew’s saltire, with clusters of rays between the arms, with a central disc depicting a circle of green enamel, bearing the motto of the order, and a thistle on a gold field.
The Badge depicts Saint Andrew holding a white saltire, surrounded by the motto of the order, “Nemo me impune lacessit” (no one provokes me with impunity), and is worn suspended from the Sash, a wide band of dark green silk silk, on the right hip.
Outside of the biannual Service, the Order of the Thistle is not as frequently worn as the Order of the Garter, but male members of the Royal Family usually wear the Star of the Order, and often wear the Sash of the Thistle when wearing the Collar of the Order of the Garter.
King Charles III
[1977]
Queen Camilla
[2023]
The Prince of Wales | Duke of Rothesay
[2012]
The Princess Royal
[2000]
Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh
[2024]
The Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry was appointed as Chancellor of the Order of the Thistle in 2023.
The sixteen Knights and Ladies are appointed in recognition of their public service, contributions to national life or personal service to the Sovereign, mostly those that hail from Scotland, and it is awarded at the sole discretion of the Sovereign. Knights and Ladies use the post-nominal letters “KT” and “LT” respectively. Knights of the Thistle prefix “Sir”, and Ladies prefix “Lady”, to their forenames. Wives of Knights may prefix “Lady” to their surnames, but no equivalent privilege exists for husbands of Ladies. The current Knights and Ladies of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle:
The Earl of Elgin and Kincardine KT, CD, JP, DL (1981)
The Lord Mackay of Clashfern KT, PC, KC, FRSE (1997)
The Lord Wilson of Tillyorn (2000)
The Lord Steel of Aikwood KT, KBE, PC (2004)
The Lord Robertson of Port Ellen KT, GCMG, PC, FRSA, FRSE (2004)
The Lord Cullen of Whitekirk KT, PC, KC, FRSE, FREng (2007)
The Lord Hope of Craighead KT, PC, KC, FRSE (2009)
The Lord Patel KT, FMedSci, FRSE (2009)
The Lord Smith of Kelvin KT, CH, FRSGS (2014)
The Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry KT, KBE, CVO, DL, FSA, FRSE, FRSGS (2017)
Sir Ian Wood KT, GBE (2018)
Lady Elish Angiolini LT, DBE, KC, FRSA, FRSE (2022)
Sir George Reid KT, FRSE (2022)
The Baroness Black of Strome (2024)
The Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws (2024)
Sir Geoff Palmer KT, OBE, CD (2024)
