APPOINTMENT OF KNIGHT OF-THE-GARTER

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5289, 30 December 1946, Page 2

APPOINTMENT OF KNIGHT OF-THE-GARTER

KING'S KECOGNITION OF GREAT MEN # When the King exercised his Royal 1 but rarely used prerogative and; appointed to be Knights of the Most Noble Order of the Garter eeven viscounts who had helped steer the ship of State through crises iri war and peace, he made the appointmenta under a similar procedure to that used for awards of the Order of Merit. The King bestows those awards without any formal &uhmission or suggestion by the Prime Minister or other Minister of the Crown. Though in theory the King may grant titles at his pleasure, this power is limited de facto, if not de jure, by long-accepted Constitutional 'precedent. The position was cleaxly estabHshed in 1902 when the Order of Merit was founded. The King is pleased to iriform the Prime Mirii'ster of' his" intention to make an award and to consider any private anjd unofflcial suggestions the Prime Minister may make. The Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition have accepte:d the view that the Order of Merit procedure should apply to Garter appointrnens. The Garter Knights The history of the Garter fades into the mist of time and legend. Soon the noble order will celebrate its 600th anniversary, although the ' exj act date is still disputed by histor-' ians. The order has suffered many changris, but at all times its character has stood for the quintessence of I English tradition, and when the Garter was first inaugurated it was alI ready traditional, for King Edward ' III in 1348 intended in the Garter to i revive the knightly fellowship of the , Round Table of the legendary King Arthur. j The Garter Knights were meant to be, in the age of chivalry^ personaj [ associates of the King, the peculiar j intimacy of their relation with the I Crown being symtbolised1 at Coron- ' ation, when at the time of his p- ■ ointing with holy oil, four Garter Knights hold a canopy over the King. The Order of the Garter was a mus- ! ter roll of national heroes in. Eliza- : bethan times. Its- award bec&me as- ! sociated with party politics later, but as the Crown has grown above I -oarty strife the Order of the Garter ' has also been coriipletely dissociated Zrom politics and is the King's recognition of greatness. The logical conclusion of ths pro;ess has been reached now, when, as "The Times" points out, "on ConI 5titutional advice which has been 1 given only after consulting the. LeadI er of the Opposition his Majesty has ' aken into his own hands the nomin- ' ation of Knights of the Garter and 1 will heneeforth confer this proudest I of honours without consulting any oolitical Minister." _ | Apart fro'm the. Order of Merit, in ' -nodern times the only order of knightbood previously given by the King j ^without political advice has been the Royal Victorian Order institutecl by j Queen Victoria 50 years ago and given for personal service to a Sovoreign. I- It is proba'ble. that in future the Royal prerogative will be exercised j also for appointments to the^Scottish ! Order of the Thistle. . | 'There is no eonnection between the Garter appointments and the Governj ment's refusal to grant special grati uities to Service chiefs. | On the recommendation of the i Prime Minister, Mr. Attlee, the King has already conferred honours on the i Service chiefs— viscountcies in the S last New Year honours list.