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.
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. 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". The first recipients of the order were all decorated for "services in connection with the war" and were listed in The London Gazette. Modern appointments are also now announced in The Gazette.
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. 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.
Whilst still able to nominate candidates to the order, the Cabinet of Australia has in effect stopped making appointments 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. Members from other Commonwealth realms continue to be appointed: Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, a New Zealand soprano, was appointed in 2018 and Canadian author Margaret Atwood was appointed in 2019.
Lord Coe represented the Order at the 2023 Coronation.
Insignia The insignia of the order is 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 members
Sovereign NameYear of appointmentPresent ageKing Charles III (ex officio)Sovereign since 2022
Royal Companion NameYear of appointmentPresent ageNotesCatherine, Princess of Wales 2024First Royal Companion
Members Member numberNameKnown forYear of appointmentPresent age1-(270)Kenneth Baker, Baron Baker of Dorking Secretary of State for the Home Department19922-(278)Tom King, Baron King of Bridgwater Secretary of State for Defence3-(282)Dame Janet Baker Opera singer19934-(287)David Owen, Baron Owen Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs19945-(289)Sir David Attenborough Television broadcaster and conservationist19956-(291)Douglas Hurd, Baron Hurd of Westwell Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and Secretary of State for the Home Department7-(296)Michael Heseltine, Baron Heseltine Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Secretary of State for Defence19978-(297)Chris Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes Governor of Hong Kong, Chairman of the BBC Trust, and Chancellor of the University of Oxford9-(299)Sir John Major Prime Minister of the United Kingdom199810-(300)Bridget Riley Artist11-(305)General John de Chastelain Chief of the Defence Staff (Canada) and Chairman of the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning12-(317)Dan McKenzie Geophysicist200313-(318)David Hannay, Baron Hannay of Chiswick Permanent Representative to the United Nations14-(320)Dame Judi Dench Actress200515-(321)Sir Ian McKellen Actor200716-(323)Michael Howard, Baron Howard of Lympne Leader of His Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition and Secretary of State for the Home Department201117-(324)George Young, Baron Young of Cookham Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury and Leader of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom201218-(325)Sebastian Coe, Baron Coe President of World Athletics and Chairman of the British Olympic Association19-(327)Thomas Galbraith, 2nd Baron Strathclyde Leader of the House of Lords and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster201320-(329)Sir Nicholas Serota Curator and Director of the Tate21-(331)Onora O'Neill, Baroness O'Neill of Bengarve President of the British Academy8322-(333)Kenneth Clarke, Baron Clarke of Nottingham Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, Chancellor of the Exchequer and Secretary of State for the Home Department201423-(336)Lady Mary Peters Olympic gold medallist and Lord Lieutenant of Belfast201524-(339)Harry Woolf, Baron Woolf Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales25-(341)Sir Roy Strong Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum and National Portrait Gallery, London201626-(343)Robert Smith, Baron Smith of Kelvin Governor of the British Broadcasting Corporation27-(344)Valerie Amos, Baroness Amos United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Leader of the House of Lords and Secretary of State for International Development28-(345)George Osborne Chancellor of the Exchequer and First Secretary of State29-(347)Sir Richard Eyre Director30-(348)Dame Evelyn Glennie Musician31-(349)Sir Alec Jeffreys Geneticist32-(353)Sir Mark Elder Conductor201733-(355)Sir Paul McCartney Musician34-(356)J. K. Rowling Author35-(358)Delia Smith Cook and author36-(359)Nicholas Stern, Baron Stern of Brentford President of the British Academy and Chief Economist of the World Bank37-(361)Melvyn Bragg, Baron Bragg Broadcaster and Chancellor of the University of Leeds38-(362)Lady Antonia Fraser Author39-(363)Margaret MacMillan Historian, author and Provost of Trinity College, Toronto40-(364)Richard Henderson Biologist201841-(365)Dame Kiri Te Kanawa Opera singer42-(366)Margaret Atwood Author43-(367)Patrick McLoughlin, Baron McLoughlin Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Secretary of State for Transport201944-(368)Sir Elton John Musician45-(369)Sir Keith Thomas Historian and President of Corpus Christi College, Oxford46-(370)Sir Paul Smith Fashion designer202047-(371)Sir David Chipperfield Architect48-(372)Sir Paul Nurse Geneticist and Nobel Laureate202149-(374)Sir Quentin Blake Illustrator202250-(375)Sir Salman Rushdie Author51-(376)Dame Marina Warner Author52-(377)Sir Michael Marmot Academic53-(379)Sir Bill Cash Shadow Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs and Shadow Attorney General for England and Wales202354-(380)Sir John Bell President of the Office for Strategic Coordination of Health Research55-(381)Ian McEwan Author56-(382)Dame Anna Wintour Media executive57-(383)Dame Shirley Bassey Singer58-(385)Gordon Brown Prime Minister of the United Kingdom202459-(386)Sir Kazuo Ishiguro Novelist and screenwriter60-(387)Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell Physicist202561-(388)Sir Antony Gormley Sculptor62-(389)Sir Donald McCullin Photojournalist202663-(390)Dame Helen Mirren Actress64-Vacant following the death of Menzies Campbell, Baron Campbell of Pittenweem, on 26 September 202565-Vacant following the death of David Hockney, on 11 June 2026
Honorary Members Member numberNameKnown forYear of appointmentPresent age1-(261)Amartya Sen Economist2000
See also List of honorary British knights and dames
Notes
References
External links
The Order of the Companions of Honour – UK Cabinet Office Notices in The Gazette Additional Orders – Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood