The Order of St Michael and St George is the fifth most senior Order of Chivalry, after The Most Noble Order of the Garter, The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle, The Most Illustrious Order of St Patrick (inactive), and The Most Honourable Order of the Bath.
The Officers of the Order are:
Sovereign: His Majesty King Charles III
Grand Master: His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent
Chancellor: The Right Honourable Baroness Ashton of Upholland LG GCMG
Prelate: The Right Reverend David Urquhart KCMG
King of Arms: Sir Mark Lyall Grant GCMG
Registrar: Sir David Manning GCMG KCVO
Secretary: Sir Philip Barton KCMG OBE
Lady Usher of the Blue Rod: Dame DeAnne Julius DCMG CBE
Deputy Secretary: Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Segrave, The Secretary of the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood
The History of the Order
Auspicium Melioris Aevi
"Token of a better age"
The Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George was founded in 1818 by The Prince Regent, later King George IV, following the Napoleonic wars. The purpose of the Order was to recognise and reward the meritorious services of citizens in Malta and the Ionian Islands; Malta having been placed under British Sovereignty and the Ionian Islands under British protection. The two associated Saints, Michael and George, paid tribute to the origins of the Order; both martial figures and St George the Patron Saint of England.
The founding of the Order included a set of governing Statutes overseen by a group of Offices. The Statutes enacted that the reigning Sovereign of the United Kingdom would be the Sovereign of the Order. The Offices of Grand Master and Chancellor, both appointed by The Sovereign, was given to those who had experienced leadership in the Empire. The first Grand Master was Sir Thomas Maitland, an influential figure in the founding of the Order and the Governor of Malta. His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent is the current Grand Master of the Order; he was appointed a GCMG in 1967.
When British protection of the Ionian Islands ended in 1868, the Order went through a series of reforms to widen its reach; changing from an ‘Ionian Order’ to a ‘Colonial Order’ which was then distributed throughout the British Empire to British subjects living or serving abroad. The Order’s purpose then shifted to become a way of rewarding and recognising services to the foreign affairs of the Empire. With this reform, the Foreign Office became involved in appointments to the Order; a system which continues today.
The international scope of the Order of St Michael and St George continued to expand after the late 19th century, with many current Members from the Commonwealth and other countries around the world. In 1965, the Order was opened to include women. Evelyn Bark CMG, OBE was awarded the first female CMG in the 1967 New Year’s Honours List. The Order now has over 1500 Members, located across many countries.