The Royal Victorian Order is an order of knighthood awarded by the sovereign of the United Kingdom and several Commonwealth realms. It is granted personally by the monarch and recognises personal service to the monarchy, the Royal Household, royal family members, and the organisation of important royal events."Royal Victorian Order", The British Monarchy (accessed 16 August 2014)"Royal Victorian Order", The Governor-General of Canada (accessed 16 August 2014) The order was officially created and instituted on 23 April 1896 by letters patent under the Great Seal of the Realm by Queen Victoria.The London Gazette, issue 26733, p. 2455 The order has had five grades since its institution, the two highest of which confer the status of knighthood on holders (apart from foreigners, who typically received honorary awards not entitling them to the style of a knight).McCreery, 2008, p. 29Honorary Knighthood , Debrett's (accessed on 20 August 2014)Knighthood, The British Monarchy (accessed on 20 August 2014) Women were not admitted until Edward VIII altered the statutes of the order in 1936.Duckers, 2004, p. 38 The order has five statutory officers—Grand Master, Chancellor, Secretary, Registrar and Chaplain—as well as a non-statutory Honorary Genealogist.

The order has had a chancellor and a secretary since it was founded; the former office is held ex officio by the Lord Chamberlain of the Royal Household, while the office of secretary has been held ex officio by the Keeper of the Privy Purse (except for the years 1936 to 1943 when the King's Private Secretary was also the order's secretary). The order has had a registrar since 1916; the first appointee was the Secretary of the Private Secretary's Office, Sir Francis Morgan Bryant, while his two successors were Secretaries to the Privy Purse; since 1936, the Registrar has always been the Secretary of the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood. On 1 February 1937, King George VI appointed his Queen, Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother) as the order's inaugural Grand Master; after her death in 2002, the office fell vacant until Elizabeth II appointed her daughter, Anne, Princess Royal, Grand Master. The Savoy Chapel was made the order's chapel in 1938 and its chaplain has also been ex officio the order's chaplain ever since. Since 1938, the order has also had an Honorary Genealogist, who has also been an Officer of Arms, although appointees are not technically officers of the order, there being no provision for it in the statutes.Galloway, 1996, pp. 63–65.

Grand Masters NameDatesRef.Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, LG, LT, CI, GCVO, GBE, GCStJ, RRC, ONZ, CC, CD1937–2002Galloway, 1996, p. 63."The Queen Mother's Funeral: Funeral Service", BBC News, 9 April 2002. Retrieved 9 December 2017.The Princess Anne, Princess Royal, KG, KT, GCVO, GCStJ, ADC(P), QSO, CMM, CD, GCL2007–present"Orders of Chivalry", College of St George. Archived from the original at the Internet Archive on 19 February 2010. Retrieved 9 December 2017.

Chancellors NameDatesRef.The 1st Earl of Lathom, GCB, PC1896–1898The 7th Earl of Hopetoun, KT, GCVO, GCMG, PC (Later Marquess of Linlithgow)1898–1900The 5th Earl of Clarendon, GCB, GCVO, PC, DL1900–1905Colonel The 6th Earl Spencer, KG, GCVO, VD, PC1905–1912The 1st Viscount Sandhurst, GCB, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, PC1912–1921 Brigadier General The 8th Duke of Atholl, KT, GCVO, CB, DSO, PC, ADC1921–1922The 2nd Earl of Cromer, GCB, GCIE, GCVO, PC, ADC1922–1938The 6th Earl of Clarendon, KG, GCMG, GCVO, PC, DL1938–1952Major General The 11th Earl of Scarbrough, KG, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, TD, PC, DL1952–1963The 1st Lord Cobbold, KG, GCVO, PC, DL1963–1971The Lord Maclean, KT, GCVO, KBE, PC1971–1984Captain The 13th Earl of Airlie, KT, GCVO, PC, JP1984–1997The 7th Lord Camoys, GCVO, PC, DL1998–2000The Lord Luce, KG, GCVO, PC, DL2000–2006The 3rd Earl Peel, GCVO, PC, DL2006–2021The Lord Parker of Minsmere, GCVO, KCB, PC2021–2024The Lord Benyon, GCVO, PC2024–present

Secretaries NameDatesRef.Lieutenant Colonel Sir Fleetwood Edwards, GCVO, KCB, ISO1896–1901Galloway, 1996, p. 64.General Sir Dighton Probyn, VC, GCB, GCSI, GCVO, ISO, PC1901–1910Lieutenant Colonel Sir William Carington, GCVO, KCB, PC, JP1910–1914Lieutenant Colonel Sir Frederick Ponsonby, GCB, GCVO, PC (later The Lord Sysonby)1914–1935Colonel The 1st Lord Wigram, GCB, GCVO, CSI, PC1935–1936Major Sir Alexander Hardinge, GCB, GCVO, MC, PC (later The 2nd Lord Hardinge of Penshurst)1936–1943Sir Ulick Alexander, GCB, GCVO, CMG, OBE1943–1952Brigadier The 2nd Lord Tyron, GCVO, KCB, DSO, DL1952–1971Major Sir Rennie Maudslay, GCVO, KCB, MBE1971–1987Sir Peter Miles, KCVO1981–1987Major Sir Shane Blewitt, GCVO1988–1996Sir Michael Peat, GCVO1996–2002"Peat, Sir Michael (Charles Gerrard)", Who's Who (online ed., Oxford University Press, December 2017). Retrieved 9 December 2017.Sir Philip Alan Reid, GCVO2002–2017"Reid, Sir (Philip Alan)", Who's Who (online ed., Oxford University Press, December 2017). Retrieved 9 December 2017.Sir Michael Stevens, KCVO2017–2025James Chalmers2025–present

Registrars NameDatesRef.Sir Francis Morgan Bryant, CB, CVO, CBE, ISO1916–1931Rear Admiral Philip John Hawkins Lander Row, CB, CVO1931–1932Commander Dudley Colles, KCB, KCVO, OBE1932–1936Major Sir Henry Hudson Fraser Stockley, KCVO, OBE1936–1946Brigadier Sir Ivan de la Bere, KCVO, CB, CBE1946–1960Major General Sir Cyril Harry Colquhoun, KCVO, CB, OBE1960–1968Major General Sir Peter Bernard Gillett, KCVO, CB, CBE1968–1979Major General Sir Desmond Hind Garrett Rice, KCVO, CBE1980–1991Lieutenant Colonel Walter Ross, GCVO, OBE, GCStJ, DL1989–1991Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Charles McClure Mather, CBE1991–1999"Mather, Lt-Col Anthony Charles Mcclure", Who's Who (online ed., Oxford University Press, December 2017). Retrieved 9 December 2017.Lieutenant Colonel Robert Guy Cartwright1999–2005"Cartwright, Lt-Col. Robert Guy", Who's Who (online ed., Oxford University Press, December 2017). Retrieved 9 December 2017.Lieutenant Colonel Sir Alexander Fergus Matheson, Bt.2005–2014"Matheson of Matheson, Lt Colonel Sir Alexander Fergus", Who's Who (online ed., Oxford University Press, December 2017). Retrieved 9 December 2017.Lieutenant Colonel James Vernon2014–2019"The Royal Mint Advisory Committee" (Cabinet Office). Retrieved 9 December 2017."Royal Victorian Order", The Queen's Chapel of the Savoy. Retrieved 9 December 2017.Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Segrave2019–present The Court Circular, 17 June 2019. Retrieved 17 October 2019.

Chaplains NameDatesRef.The Rev. Cyril Leonard Cresswell, KCVO1938–1961The Rev. Roger Lewis Roberts, CVO1961–1973The Rev. Cecil Edwin Young1973–1983The Rev. John Herbert Williams, LVO1983–1989The Rev. John Phillips Robson, LVO1989–2002"Robson, Rev. John Phillips", Who's Who (online ed., Oxford University Press, December 2017). Retrieved 9 December 2017.The Rev. Prebendary William Sievwright Scott, CVO2002–2007"Scott, Rev. Preb. William Sievwright", Who's Who (online ed., Oxford University Press, December 2017). Retrieved 9 December 2017.The Rev. Prof. Peter John Galloway, LVO, OBE, KStJ, JP, FSA2008–2019"Galloway, Rev. Dr Peter John", Who's Who (online ed., Oxford University Press, December 2017). Retrieved 9 December 2017.The Times, 27 November 2019.The Rev. Thomas Woodhouse2019–presentSavoy Chapel team.

Honorary Genealogists NameDatesRef.Captain Alfred Butler, MVO, MC1938–1946Galloway, 1996, p. 65.Squadron Leader Sir George Bellew, KCB, KCVO, KStJ1946–1960Major The 17th Lord Sinclair, LVO, DL1960–1968Sir Walter Verco, KCVO1968–1987Hubert Chesshyre, FSA, FHS (formerly CVO)1987–2010"September 2010 Newsletter" (College of Arms, Newsletter No. 26, 27 September 2010). Retrieved 9 December 2017.Sir David White, KCVO, OStJ2010–present"June 2010 Newsletter" (College of Arms, Newsletter No. 25, 28 June 2010). Retrieved 9 December 2017.

References

Citations

Bibliography P. Duckers (2004), British Orders and Decorations (Princes Risborough: Shire Publications Ltd, ) P. Galloway, D. Stanley, D. Martin (1996), Royal Service, volume 1 (London: Victorian Publishing, ) C. McCreery (2008), On Her Majesty's Service: Royal Honours and Recognition in Canada (Toronto: Dundurn Press; ) W. M. Shaw (1906), The Knights of England, volume i (London: Sherratt and Hughes; OCLC 185192520)