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Order of Merit
Order of Merit Dorothy Hodgkin (cropped).jpg
Badge and ribbon bow of the order
(for wear by female recipients)
Awarded by Monarch of the United Kingdom
Type Order of merit
Established 26 June 1902
Motto For Merit
Eligibility All living citizens of the Commonwealth realms
Criteria At the monarch's pleasure
Status Currently constituted
Founder Edward VII
Sovereign Charles III
Grades Member (OM)
Precedence
Next (higher) Dependent on state
Next (lower) Dependent on state
Order of Merit (Commonwealth realms) ribbon.svg
Ribbon bar of the order

The Order of Merit (French: Ordre du Mérite) is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by Edward VII, admission into the order remains the personal gift of its Sovereign—currently Edward VII's great-great-grandson Charles III—and is restricted to a maximum of 24 living recipients from the Commonwealth realms, plus honorary members. While all members are awarded the right to use the post-nominal letters OM and wear the badge of the order, the Order of Merit's precedence among other honours differs between countries.

History

In around 1773, George III considered establishing an order of knighthood to be called the "Order of Minerva" with membership restricted to 24 distinguished artists and authors. Knights would be entitled to the post-nominal letters KM, and would wear a silver nine-pointed breast star with the image of Minerva at its centre, along with a "straw-coloured" sash worn across the chest from the right shoulder. The motto of the Order would be "Omnia posthabita scientiae" (in Latin, 'Everything comes after science'). Once the King's proposal was made public, however, arguments within intellectual circles over who would be most deserving of the new order grew so heated that George ultimately dropped the idea, though he briefly reconsidered it in 1789; on 6 February of that year, he revised the design of the order, with the breast star to have sixteen points, the motto to be the Latin for "Learning improves character" and with membership to include distinguished scientists. Following the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, First Lord of the Admiralty Lord Barham and William Pitt exchanged correspondence concerning the possible creation of an order of merit, though nothing came of the idea.

Later, Queen Victoria, her courtiers, and politicians alike, thought that a new order, based on the Prussian order Pour le Mérite, would make up for the insufficient recognition offered by the established honours system to achievement outside public service, in fields such as art, music, literature, industry and science. Victoria's husband, Albert, Prince Consort, took an interest in the matter; it was recorded in his diary that he met Sir Robert Peel on 16 January 1844 to discuss the "idea of institution of a civil Order of Merit" and, three days later, he conferred with the Queen on the subject.

Though nothing came of the idea at the time, the concept did not wither and, more than 40 years later, on 5 January 1888, Prime Minister Lord Salisbury submitted to the by then long-widowed Queen a draft constitution for an Order of Merit in Science and Art, consisting of one grade split into two branches of knighthood: the Order of Scientific Merit, for Knights of Merit in Science, with the post-nominal letters KMS, and the Order of Artistic Merit, for Knights of Merit in Art, with the post-nominal letters KMA. However, Frederic Leighton, President of the Royal Academy, advised against the new order, primarily because of its selection process.

King-Edward-VII (cropped)
King Edward VII, founder of the Order of Merit

It was Victoria's son Edward VII who eventually founded the Order of Merit on 26 June 1902 (the date for which his coronation had been originally scheduled) as a means to acknowledge "exceptionally meritorious service in Our Navy and Our Army, or who may have rendered exceptionally meritorious service towards the advancement of Art, Literature and Science". All modern aspects of the order were established under his direction, including the division for military figures.

From the outset, prime ministers attempted to propose candidates or lobbied to influence the monarch's decision on appointments. But, the Royal Household adamantly guarded information about potential names. After 1931, when the Statute of Westminster came into effect and the Dominions of the British Empire became independent countries within the empire, equal in status to the UK, the Order of Merit continued as an honour open to all these realms and, in many, became a part of their national honours systems. The order's statutes were amended in 1935 to include members of the Royal Air Force and, in 1969, the definition of honorary recipients was expanded to include members of the Commonwealth of Nations that are not realms.

The order has always been open to women, Florence Nightingale being the first woman to receive the honour, in 1907. Several individuals have refused admission into the Order of Merit, including Rudyard Kipling, A. E. Housman, and George Bernard Shaw. To date, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, remains the youngest person ever inducted into the Order, having been admitted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1968, when he was 47 years of age.

The Lord Eames represented the order at the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on 6 May 2023.

Eligibility and appointment

All citizens of the Commonwealth realms are eligible for appointment to the Order of Merit. There may be, however, only 24 living individuals in the order at any given time, not including honorary appointees, and new members are personally selected by the reigning monarch of the realms, currently Charles III, with the assistance of his private secretaries; the order has thus been described as "quite possibly, the most prestigious honour one can receive on planet Earth." Within the limited membership is a designated military division, with its own unique insignia; though it has not been abolished, it is currently unpopulated, Lord Mountbatten of Burma having been the last person so honoured.

Honorary members form another group, to which there is no numerical limit, though such appointments are rare; individuals from countries in the Commonwealth of Nations that are not headed by King Charles are therefore considered foreigners, and thus are granted only honorary admissions, such as Nelson Mandela (South Africa) and Mother Teresa (India).

Upon admission into the Order of Merit, members are entitled to use the post-nominal letters OM and are entrusted with the badge of the order.

Insignia

Order of Merit in Westminster Cathedral (cropped)
Reverse of the badge as awarded during the reign of Elizabeth II, 1952–2022

The insignia consists of a badge, which consists of a golden crown from which is suspended a red enamelled cross pattée, itself centred by a disk of blue enamel, surrounded by a laurel wreath. The obverse of the badge's central disk bears the words FOR MERIT in gold lettering, while the reverse bears the royal cypher of the reigning monarch in gold. The insignia for the military grouping is distinguished by a pair of crossed swords behind the central disk.

The ribbon of the Order of Merit is divided into two stripes of red and blue. The neck ribbon is 50mm in width, while the ribbon bar width is the standard British 32mm size for military or civilian wear. Men wear their badges on a neck ribbon (as a necklet), while women wear theirs on a ribbon bow pinned to the left shoulder, and aides-de-camp may wear the insignia on their aiguillettes.

Since 1991, it has been required that the insignia be returned upon the recipient's death.

Current members

Substantive members

Member
number
Portrait Name Known for Date of appointment Present age
1 (169) Norman Foster 2008.jpg United Kingdom The Lord Foster of Thames Bank
OM RA
Architect and Pritzker laureate 25 November 1997 89
2 (175) Roger Penrose at Festival della Scienza Oct 29 2011.jpg United Kingdom Sir Roger Penrose
OM FRS HonFInstP
Mathematical physicist and Nobel Laureate 9 May 2000 93
3 (176) Tom Stoppard.jpg United Kingdom Sir Tom Stoppard
OM CBE FRSL
Playwright 9 May 2000 87
4 (180) Sir David Attenborough (cropped).jpg United Kingdom Sir David Attenborough
OM GCMG CH CVO CBE FRS FSA FRSA FLS FZS FRSGS FRSB
Broadcaster and naturalist 10 June 2005 98
5 (183) Official portrait of Lord Eames crop 2.jpg United Kingdom The Lord Eames
OM
Former Primate of All Ireland and former Archbishop of Armagh 13 June 2007 87
6 (184) Sir Tim Berners-Lee (cropped).jpg United Kingdom Sir Tim Berners-Lee
OM KBE FRS FREng FRSA FBCS
Inventor of the World Wide Web, Founder of the World Wide Web Foundation and Director of the World Wide Web Consortium 13 June 2007 69
7 (185) Official portrait of Lord Rees of Ludlow crop 2.jpg United Kingdom The Lord Rees of Ludlow
OM FRS FREng FMedSci FRAS HonFInstP
Astronomer Royal and former President of the Royal Society 13 June 2007 82
8 (186) Jean Chrétien 2010.jpg Canada Jean Chrétien
PC OM CC KC
Former Prime Minister of Canada (1993–2003) 13 July 2009 90
9 (187) Neil MacGregor, Bill Bryson, Claire Walker, Huw Edwards (28449155987) (Neil MacGregor cropped).jpg United Kingdom Neil MacGregor
OM AO FSA
Art historian and former Director of the British Museum 4 November 2010 78
10 (188) David Hockney 2017 at Flash Expo (cropped).jpg United Kingdom David Hockney
OM CH RA
Artist 1 January 2012 87
11 (189) Howard John BANNER.jpg Australia John Howard
OM AC
Former Prime Minister of Australia (1996–2007) 1 January 2012 85
12 (190) Rattle BPH-Rittershaus1-Wikipedia.jpg United Kingdom/Germany Sir Simon Rattle
OM CBE
Conductor 1 January 2014 69
13 (192) M Yacoub.JPG United Kingdom/Egypt Sir Magdi Yacoub
OM FRS
Cardiothoracic surgeon 1 January 2014 89
14 (193) Official portrait of Lord Darzi of Denham crop 2.jpg United Kingdom The Lord Darzi of Denham
OM KBE PC FRS FMedSci FRCSI FRCS FRCSE FRCPGlas FACS FRCP FREng
Surgeon 1 January 2016 64
15 (194) Ann Dowling in Cambridge 2011.jpg United Kingdom Dame Ann Dowling
OM DBE FRS FREng
Mechanical engineer 1 January 2016 72
16 (195) Sir James Dyson CBE FREng FRS.jpg United Kingdom Sir James Dyson
OM CBE RDI FRS FREng FCSD FIEE
Inventor and industrial designer 1 January 2016 77
17 (196) Elizabeth Anionwu portrait 2017(cropped).jpg United Kingdom Dame Elizabeth Anionwu
OM DBE FRCN
Nurse 11 November 2022 77
18 (197) Official portrait of Baroness Benjamin crop 2, 2023.jpg Trinidad and Tobago/United Kingdom The Baroness Benjamin
OM DBE DL
Broadcaster 11 November 2022 75
19 (198) 2017 Halifax International Security Forum (37604059155) (cropped)Dr. Margaret MacMillan.jpg Canada Margaret MacMillan
OM CC CH FRSL FRSC FBA FRCGS
Historian 11 November 2022 81
20 (199) Дэвид Аджайе (cropped).jpg Ghana/United Kingdom Sir David Adjaye
OM OBE RA
Architect 11 November 2022 58
21 (200) Paul Nurse portrait.jpg United Kingdom Sir Paul Nurse
OM CH FRS FMedSci MAE
Geneticist and Nobel Laureate 11 November 2022 75
22 (201) Venki Ramakrishnan (cropped).jpg United Kingdom/United States Venki Ramakrishnan Structural biologist and Nobel Laureate 11 November 2022 72
23 (-) Vacant
24 (-) Vacant

Honorary members

There have been no honorary members of the Order of Merit since the death of the last such member, Nelson Mandela, in December 2013.

Precedence

As the Order of Merit is open to the citizens of 15 countries, each with their own system of orders, decorations, and medals, the order's place of precedence varies from country to country. While, in the United Kingdom, the order's postnominal letters follow those of Knights and Dames Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, membership in the Order of Merit itself gives members no place in any of the orders of precedence in the United Kingdom. However, Stanley Martin says in his book The Order of Merit 1902–2002: One Hundred Years of Matchless Honour, that the Order of Merit is the pinnacle of the British honours system. Similarly, though it was not listed in the Canadian order of precedence for honours, decorations, and medals until December 2010, Christopher McCreery, an expert on Canadian honours and secretary to the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, stated that the Order of Merit was the highest civilian award for merit a Canadian could receive.

Some orders of precedence are as follows:

Country Preceding Following
Australia Australia
Order of precedence
Knight/Lady of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle (KT/LT) Knight/Dame of the Order of Australia (AK/AD)
Canada Canada
Order of precedence
Cross of Valour (CV) Companion of the Order of Canada (CC)
New Zealand New Zealand
Order of precedence
Knight/Dame Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (GCB) Member of the Order of New Zealand (ONZ)
United Kingdom United Kingdom Knight/Dame Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (GCB) Baronet's Badge (Bt)

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Orden del Mérito del Reino Unido para niños

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