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{{Short description|British Commonwealth order}}{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}{{Use British English|date=July 2017}}

factoids

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.WEB,weblink The Monarch of the Today > Queen Ann arbor to the new one w public > Honours > Companions of Honour, Royal.gov.uk, 3 December 2011, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20111223114812weblink">weblink 23 December 2011, 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.NEWS,weblink A New Order, The Times, 25 August 1917, 7, subscription, 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".WEB,weblink The honours system: Types of honours and awards, UK Government, 22 August 2016, 31 August 2016, The first recipients of the order were all decorated for "services in connection with the war" and were listed in The London Gazette.{{London Gazette |issue=30250 |supp=y |date=24 August 1917 |page=8799}}

Composition

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. For Canadians, the advice to the Sovereign can come from a variety of officials.BOOK, McCreery, Christopher, Christopher McCreery, The Canadian Honours System, Dundurn Press, Toronto, 2005a, 100,weblink 978-1-55002-554-5, 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.WEB,weblink Companions of Honour, Rayment, Leigh, 7 December 2013, usurped,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20080926113647weblink">weblink 26 September 2008, 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.NEWS, Barbour, Lucy, Doug Anthony, former Nationals leader and deputy prime minister, dies aged 90,weblink 20 December 2020, ABC News, Australia, 20 December 2020, 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.The Lord Coe CH represented the Order at the 2023 Coronation.NEWS, Coronation order of service in full, BBC News, 5 May 2023,weblink 6 May 2023,

Insignia

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 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, 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.{{clear}}

Current members

• Sovereign: King Charles III

Royal companions {| class"wikitable sortable"

! Member number !! Name !! Post-nominals !! Occupation !! Date of appointment !! AgeRoyal Standard of members of the British Royal Family.svg}} Catherine, Princess of Wales >country=GBRsep=,CH}} Royal family 198209}}

Members {| class"wikitable sortable"

! Membernumber{{#tag:ref|The number shown in brackets is the individual's place in the wider sequence of appointment since the Order's inception.|group=n|name=Order}} !! Name !! width=220|Post-nominals !! Current or former occupation !! Date of appointment !! AgeUK}} Norman Tebbit >country=GBRsep=,PC}} Politician 31 July 1987 {{age03|29}}UK}} Kenneth Baker, Baron Baker of Dorking >country=GBRsep=,PC}} Politician 13 April 1992 {{age11|03}}UK}} Tom King, Baron King of Bridgwater >country=GBRsep=,PC}} Politician 13 April 1992 {{age06|13}}UK}} Janet Baker >country=GBRsep=,DBE}} Opera singer 31 December 1993 {{age08|21}}UK}} David Owen >country=GBRsep=,PC}} Politician 11 June 1994 {{age07|02}}UK}} David Attenborough >Member of the Order of Merit>OM, Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George, Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour>CH, Commander of the Royal Victorian Order, Commander of the Order of the British Empire>CBE, Fellow of the Royal Society, Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London>FSA, Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Fellow of the Linnean Society of London>FLS, Fellow of the London Zoological Society, Fellow of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society>FRSGS, Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology>192608}}UK}} Douglas Hurd >country=GBRsep=,CBE193008}}UK}} David Hockney {{post-nominalssize=100%OM193709}}UK}} Michael Heseltine >country=GBRsep=,PC}} Politician 2 August 1997 {{age03|21}}UK}} Chris Patten >country=GBRsep=,CHGovernor of Hong Kong >194412}}UK}} John Major >country=GBRsep=,CHPrime Minister of the United Kingdom >194329}}UK}} Bridget Riley {{post-nominalssize=100%CH193124}}CAN}} John de Chastelain {{post-nominalssize=100%CCCH193730}}UK}} Dan McKenzie (geophysicist) >country=GBRsep=,FRS}} Geophysicist 14 June 2003 {{age02|21}}UK}} David Hannay, Baron Hannay of Chiswick >country=GBRsep=,CH}} Diplomat 14 June 2003 {{age09|28}}UK}} Judi Dench >country=GBRsep=,DBE}} Actress 11 June 2005 {{age12|09}}UK}} Ian McKellen >country=GBRsep=,CBE}} Actor 31 December 2007 {{age05|25}}UK}} Michael Howard >country=GBRsep=,PC194107}}UK}} Sir George Young, 6th Baronet >country=GBRsep=,PC}} Politician 20 September 2012 {{age07|16}}UK}} Sebastian Coe >country=GBRsep=,KBE2012 Summer Olympics>2012 Olympics 29 December 2012 {{age09|29}}UK}} Thomas Galbraith, 2nd Baron Strathclyde >country=GBRsep=,PC}} Politician 7 January 2013 {{age02|22}}UK}} Menzies Campbell >country=GBRsep=,CBEKC}} Politician 15 June 2013 {{age05|22}}UK}} Nicholas Serota >country=GBRsep=,194627}}UK}} Onora O'Neill >country=GBRsep=,CBEFRS194113}}UK}} Maggie Smith >country=GBRsep=,DBE}} Actress 14 June 2014 {{age12|28}}UK}} Kenneth Clarke >country=GBRsep=,PC194002}}UK}} Mary Peters (athlete) >country=GBRsep=,CHDStJ}} Athlete 1 January 2015 {{age7|6}}UK}} Harry Woolf, Baron Woolf >country=GBRsep=,PCFMedSci}} Judge 12 June 2015 {{age5|2}}UK}} Roy Strong >country=GBRsep=,FRSL}} Art historian; museum director 1 January 2016 {{age8|23}}UK}} Robert Smith, Baron Smith of Kelvin >country=GBRsep=,CH}} Businessman 11 June 2016 {{age8|8}}UK}} Valerie Amos, Baroness Amos >country=GBRsep=,CH195413}}UK}} George Osborne {{post-nominalssize=100%CHChancellor of the Exchequer >197123}}UK}} Richard Eyre >country=GBRsep=,CBE}} Director 31 December 2016 {{age3|28}}UK}} Evelyn Glennie >country=GBRsep=,DBE}} Musician 31 December 2016 {{age7|19}}UK}} Alec Jeffreys >country=GBRsep=,FRS}} Geneticist 31 December 2016 {{age1|9}}UK}} Mark Elder >country=GBRsep=,CBE}} Conductor 17 June 2017 {{age6|2}}UK}} Paul McCartney >{{post-nominalsCHsize=100}} {{Age06|18}}UK}} J. K. Rowling {{post-nominalssize=100%CH196531}}UK}} Steve Shirley >country=GBRsep=,DBE 1933 16}}UK}} Delia Smith {{post-nominalssize=100%CH194118}}UK}} Nicholas Stern, Baron Stern of Brentford >country=GBRsep=,FRS194622}}UK}} Melvyn Bragg >country=GBRFRSFRSLsize=100}} Broadcaster 30 December 2017 {{Age10|06}}UK}} Antonia Fraser >country=GBRDBEsep=,193227}} CAN}} Margaret MacMillan {{post-nominalsOMCHsize=100}} Historian 30 December 2017 {{Age12|23}}UK}} Richard Henderson (biologist) >country=GBRFRSsep=,194519}}NZ}} Kiri Te Kanawa >country=NZLsize=100country=GBRsize=100country=NZLsize=100AC}} Opera singer 9 June 2018 {{Age03|06}} CAN}} Margaret Atwood {{post-nominalssep=,CCCH}}, {{post-nominalssep=,FRSC}}, {{post-nominalssep=,FRSL}} Author 29 December 2018 {{Age11|18}} UK}} Patrick McLoughlin >country=GBRPCsize=100}} Politician 10 September 2019 {{Age09|30}}UK}} Elton John >country=GBRCBEsize=100}} Musician 28 December 2019 {{Age03|25}}UK}} Keith Thomas (historian) >country=GBRFBAFRHistSsize=100}} Historian 28 December 2019 {{Age01|02}}UK}} Paul Smith (fashion designer) >country=GBRCBEsep=,194605}}UK}} David Chipperfield >country=GBRCBERDIsep=,195318}}UK}} Paul Nurse >country=GBRCHFMedSciHonFBAsep=,194925}}UK}} Quentin Blake >country=GBRsep=,CBEFRSL193216}} UK}}{{flagiconSalman Rushdie>Sir Salman Rushdie {{post-nominalssize=100%CH194719}} UK}} Marina Warner >country=GBRsep=,DBEFBA}} Writer 1 June 2022 {{age11|09}} UK}} Michael Marmot >country=GBRsep=,FRCPFMedSci194526}}UK}} Bill Cash >country=GBRsep=,194010}}UK}}{{flagiconJohn Bell (physician)>Sir John Bell {{post-nominalssize=100%GBEFMedSci195201}}UK}} Ian McEwan {{post-nominalssize=100%CHFRSA194821}}UK}} Anna Wintour >country=GBRsep=,DBE}} Media executive 16 June 2023 {{age11|3}}UK}} Dame Shirley Basseycountry=GBRsep=,DBE}} Singer 29 December 2023 {{age01|8}}Vacant following the death of Peter Brooke, Baron Brooke of Sutton Mandeville, on 13 May 2023 >| Vacant following the death of Peter Higgs, on 8 April 2024 Vacant following the death of Frank Field, Baron Field of Birkenhead, on 23 April 2024 >| ">

Honorary members {| class"wikitable sortable"

! Member number !! Name !! Post-nominals !! Occupation !! Date of appointment !! AgeIndia}} Amartya Sen {{post-nominalssize=100%CH 11 May 2000 {{age11|03}}

See also

• List of members of the Order of the Companions of Honour
• List of honorary British knights and dames
• List of people who have declined a British honour

Notes

{{reflist|group="n"}}

References

{{reflist|30em}}{{Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom}}{{Orders, decorations, and medals of Canada}}{{Orders, decorations, and medals of Australia before 1992}}{{Authority control}}