British Royal Family Rolls Out For Garter Day at Windsor Castle

Though King Charles III just paraded before the public for the annual Trooping the Colour event (you may remember the heatstroke-heavy practice run from a few days prior) you can’t keep a good monarch down when it comes to a polished procession. 

As such, all eyes were on Windsor Castle on Monday, where the annual Garter Day traditions took place, the first under the 74-year-old new king’s reign. Naturally, this is also the first with Camilla as Queen Consort and 40-year-old Prince William in his new title as the Prince of Wales. 

As per the official website of the Royal Family, “the day begins with the Sovereign formally investing any new Companions with the Order’s insignia in the Throne Room of the Castle. The members and officers attend a lunch hosted by the Sovereign, and then all process on foot to a service in St. George’s Chapel. There is a short service where any new Companions are installed. The Sovereign and other members of the Order then return to the Upper Ward of the castle in carriages and cars.”

Kate Middleton was in attendance, wearing, as per People, “a long-sleeved white dress with black polka dots by Alessandra Rich paired with a coordinating hat by Philip Treacy.” Royal watchers will note that Garter Day is a big deal in the William-and-Kate story, as her appearance at the 2008 event, when he received his Order of the Garter knighthood, made it clear that the couple were serious. They were engaged a little over two years later. 

Prince Harry is not a member of the Order of the Garter and has not attended the procession in years. Meghan Markle has never attended.

Someone else who was not at the public event was Charles’s brother Andrew. We need not remind you why. Last year a “family decision” was made, and it was determined that that the 63-year-old Duke of York could attend the private lunch in the Waterloo Chamber and witness the investiture of new members, but that was about it. Britain’s Daily Mirror wrote that this compromise was reprised this year. They also noted that that when Andrew attended the recent Coronation of King Charles he wore his Order of the Garter velvet robe and plumed hat.

There’s a good chance you have a question on your mind right now: what the heck is the Order of the Garter? 

It is, in fact, “the oldest and most senior Order of Chivalry in Britain,” as per the official Royal website. It dates back to King Edward III who ruled England from 1327 until 1377. He was inspired by tales of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, and, in the 1340s, thought it would be good to get a gang like that going for himself. Thus the Order of the Garter was born and they would hang out and, I dunno, play pinochle all night. At just around this time, King Edward’s armies were whooping the French at Sluys and Crécy and the Scottish at Neville’s Cross. While this was happening, England was getting walloped at home by the Black Death. It was a busy period. 

Prince William was the 1000th person to join the group. Soon after the Order’s founding Ladies of the Garter were appointed, but were not allowed to be dubbed as Companions. This practice ended in 1488, with no women except for Sovereigns admitted until the early 20th century. Queen Elizabeth II allowed Ladies of the Garter to become Companions in 1987. The group maintains a category of Stranger Knights and Ladies Companions, which currently includes monarchs from Norway, Spain, The Netherlands, Japan, and Denmark.