King Charles was joined by his siblings at the service for the Royal Victorian Order at St George’s Chapel in Windsor earlier this week, with only those who have the honour able to attend.
While the Prince of Wales did have other engagements on the day itself, he would not have been among the guests because he does not hold the honour.
However, his wife, the Princess of Wales and his brother, the Duke of Sussex, both do.
The Royal Victorian Order was founded by Queen Victoria in 1896 to enable her to acknowledge and recognise personal service to the Sovereign.
As heir to the throne, William will one day be Sovereign of the Order and he also has other higher honours, including Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter (the most senior knighthood in the British honours system) and Knight of the Order of the Thistle (the highest honour available in Scotland).
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Similarly, Charles was not granted a Royal Victorian Order by the late Queen, as he is now Sovereign of the Order, and like William, held other higher honours when he was Prince of Wales.
The Queen announced that she had granted the then-Duchess of Cambridge as a Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) in 2019, and at recent state banquets and diplomatic receptions, Kate has displayed the sash and medal,.
Meanwhile, Prince Harry was made a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO) in 2015 and wore the order around his neck at the Queen’s state funeral back in September.
Other members of the royal family who have also been awarded the honour include Queen Consort Camilla, the Princess Royal, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, the Duke of York, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke and Duchess of Kent, Prince Michael of Kent and Princess Alexandra.
English