Congratulations to Her Majesty The Queen on being invested as an Extra Lady of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle, by HM The King on the eve of his Official Birthday celebrations. She joins both TRH The Prince of Wales (as Duke of Rothesay) and The Princess Royal in this honour.
The current version of the Order was founded in 1687 by King James VII of Scotland, who asserted that he was reviving an earlier Order.
The Order consists of the Sovereign and sixteen Knights and Ladies, as well as certain “extra” knights (members of the British Royal Family and foreign monarchs). The Sovereign alone grants membership of the Order; they are not advised by the Government, as occurs with most other Orders.
The Order is second only to the Most Noble Order of the Garter.
