Order of St Michael and St George

"KCMG" redirects here. For the religious broadcaster based in New Mexico, see KCMG-LP.

Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George
Grand Cross's insignia
Awarded by Sovereign of the United Kingdom
Type	Order
Motto	Auspicium Melioris Ævi Token of a Better Age
Awarded for	At the monarch's pleasure
Status	Currently constituted
Sovereign	Queen Elizabeth II
Grades (w/ post-nominals)	Knight/Dame Grand Cross (GCMG) Knight/Dame Commander (KCMG/DCMG) Companion (CMG)
Established	28 April 1818
Precedence
Next (higher)	Order of the Star of India
Next (lower)	Order of the Indian Empire
Ribbon bar of the Order of St Michael and St George

The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later King George IV, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, King George III.

It is named in honour of two military saints, St Michael and St George.

The Order of St Michael and St George is awarded to men and women who render extraordinary or important non-military service in a foreign country. It can also be conferred for important or loyal service in relation to foreign and Commonwealth affairs.

Description

The Order includes three classes, in descending order of seniority:

• Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross (GCMG)
• Knight Commander (KCMG) or Dame Commander (DCMG)
• Companion (CMG)

It is used to honour individuals who have rendered important services in relation to Commonwealth or foreign nations. People are appointed to the Order rather than awarded it. British Ambassadors to foreign nations are regularly appointed as KCMGs or CMGs. For example, the former British Ambassador to the United States, Sir David Manning, was appointed a CMG when he worked for the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), and then after his appointment as British Ambassador to the US, he was promoted to a Knight Commander (KCMG). It is the traditional award for members of the FCO.

The Order's motto is Auspicium melioris ævi (Latin for "Token of a better age"). Its patron saints, as the name suggests, are St. Michael the Archangel and St. George. One of its primary symbols is that of St Michael trampling over Satan.

The Order is the sixth-most senior in the British honours system, 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, The Most Honourable Order of the Bath, and The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India. The third of the aforementioned Orders—which relates to Ireland, no longer fully a part of the United Kingdom—still exists but is in disuse; no appointments have been made to it since 1936. The last of the Orders on the list, related to India, has also been in disuse since that country's independence in 1947.

History

On the Order's insignia, St Michael is often depicted subduing Satan

The Order was founded to commemorate the British amical protectorate over the Ionian Islands, which had come under British control in 1814 and had been granted its own constitution as the United States of the Ionian Islands in 1817. It was intended to reward "natives of the Ionian Islands and of the island of Malta and its dependencies, and for such other subjects of His Majesty as may hold high and confidential situations in the Mediterranean."

In 1864, however, the protectorate ended and the Ionian Islands became a part of Greece. The Order's basis was revised in 1868; membership was granted to those who "hold high and confidential offices within Her Majesty's colonial possessions, and in reward for services rendered to the Crown in relation to the foreign affairs of the Empire". Accordingly, numerous Governors-General and Governors feature as recipients of awards in the order.

Composition

The British Sovereign is the Sovereign of the Order and appoints all other members of the Order (by convention, on the advice of the Government). The next-most senior member is the Grand Master. The office was formerly filled by the Lord High Commissioner of the Ionian Islands; now, however, Grand Masters are chosen by the Sovereign. Grand Masters include:

• 1818–1825: Sir Thomas Maitland
• 1825–1850: HRH The Duke of Cambridge
• 1850–1904: HRH The Duke of Cambridge
• 1904–1910: HRH The Prince of Wales
• 1910–1917: None
• 1917–1936: HRH The Prince of Wales
• 1936–1957: The Rt. Hon. The Earl of Athlone
• 1957–1959: The Rt. Hon. The Earl of Halifax
• 1959–1967: The Rt. Hon. The Earl Alexander of Tunis
• 1967–present: HRH The Duke of Kent

The Order originally included 15 Knights Grand Cross, 20 Knights Commanders and 25 Companions. Several expansions have been made; now, the limits are 125, 375 and 1750, respectively. Members of the Royal Family who are appointed to the Order do not count towards the limit; neither do foreigners appointed as "honorary members".

The Order has six officers: the Prelate (as of 2006 the Rt Revd David Urquhart), the Chancellor, the Secretary, the Registrar, the King of Arms and the Usher. The Order's King of Arms is not a member of the College of Arms, like many other heraldic officers. The Usher of the Order is known as the Gentleman Usher of the Blue Rod; he does not, unlike his Order of the Garter equivalent (the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod), perform any duties related to the House of Lords.

Habit and insignia

Mantle of the Order.

Representation of the star of a Knight or Dame Grand Cross

Star and badge of a Knight or Dame Commander

Collar worn by a Knight or Dame Grand Cross

Members of the Order wear elaborate costumes on important occasions (such as coronations), which vary by rank:

• The mantle, worn only by Knights and Dames Grand Cross, is made of Saxon blue satin lined with crimson silk. On the left side is a representation of the star (see below). The mantle is bound with two large tassels.
• The collar, worn only by Knights and Dames Grand Cross, is made of gold. It consists of depictions of crowned lions, Maltese Crosses, and the cyphers "SM" and "SG", all alternately. In the centre are two winged lions, each holding a book and seven arrows.

At less important occasions, simpler insignia are used:

• The star is an insignia used only by Knights and Dames Grand Cross and Knights and Dames Commanders. It is worn pinned to the left breast. The Knight and Dame Grand Cross' star includes seven-armed, silver-rayed 'Maltese Asterisk' (for want of a better description—see image of badge), with a gold ray in between each pair of arms. The Knight and Dame Commander's star is a slightly smaller eight-pointed silver figure formed by two Maltese Crosses; it does not include any gold rays. In each case, the star bears a red cross of St George. In the centre of the star is a dark blue ring bearing the motto of the Order. Within the ring is a representation of St Michael trampling on Satan.
• The badge is the only insignia used by all members of the Order; it is suspended on a blue-crimson-blue ribbon. Knights and Dames Grand Cross wear it on a riband or sash, passing from the right shoulder to the left hip. Knights Commanders and male Companions wear the badge from a ribbon around the neck; Dames Commanders and female Companions wear it from a bow on the left shoulder. The badge is a seven-armed, white-enamelled 'Maltese Asterisk' (see Maltese Cross); the obverse shows St Michael trampling on Satan, while the reverse shows St George on horseback killing a dragon, both within a dark blue ring bearing the motto of the Order.

On certain "collar days" designated by the Sovereign, members attending formal events may wear the Order's collar over their military uniform or morning wear. When collars are worn (either on collar days or on formal occasions such as coronations), the badge is suspended from the collar. All collars which have been awarded since 1948 must be returned to the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood. The other insignia may be retained.

Chapel

The original home of the Order was the Palace of St. Michael and St. George in Corfu, the residence of the Lord High Commissioner of the Ionian Islands and the seat of the Ionian Senate. Since 1906, the Order's chapel has been in St Paul's Cathedral in London. (The Cathedral also serves as home to the chapels of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire and The Imperial Society of Knights Bachelor.) Religious services for the whole Order are held quadrennially; new Knights and Dames Grand Cross are installed at these services.

The Sovereign and the Knights and Dames Grand Cross are allotted stalls in the choir of the chapel, above which their heraldic devices are displayed. Perched on the pinnacle of a knight's stall is his helm, decorated with a mantling and topped by his crest. Under English heraldic law, women other than monarchs do not bear helms or crests; instead, the coronet appropriate to the dame's rank, if there is one, is used. Above the crest or coronet, the stall's occupant's heraldic banner is hung, emblazoned with his or her coat of arms. At a considerably smaller scale, to the back of the stall is affixed a piece of brass (a "stall plate") displaying its occupant's name, arms and date of admission into the Order. Upon the death of a Knight, the banner, helm, mantling and crest are taken down. The stall plates, however, are not removed; rather, they remain permanently affixed somewhere about the stall, so that the stalls of the chapel are festooned with a colourful record of the Order's Knights and Dames Grand Cross since 1906.

The reredos within the chapel were commissioned from Henry Poole in 1927.

Precedence and privileges

The Duke and Duchess of Kent

Members of the Order of St Michael are assigned positions in the order of precedence. Wives of male members also feature on the order of precedence, as do sons, daughters and daughters-in-law of Knights Grand Cross and Knights Commanders; relatives of female members, however, are not assigned any special precedence. (As a general rule, individuals can derive precedence from their fathers or husbands, but not from their mothers or wives.) (See order of precedence in England and Wales for the exact positions.)^{[citation needed]}

Knights Grand Cross and Knights Commanders prefix "Sir", and Dames Grand Cross and Dames Commanders prefix "Dame", to their forenames. Wives of Knights may prefix "Lady" to their surnames, but no equivalent privilege exists for husbands of Dames. Such forms are not used by peers and princes, except when the names of the former are written out in their fullest forms. Furthermore, honorary (foreign) members and clergymen do not receive the accolade and, so, are not entitled to use the prefix "Sir" or "Dame". Knights and Dames Grand Cross use the post-nominal "GCMG"; Knights Commanders and Dames Commanders use "KCMG" and "DCMG" respectively; Companions use "CMG".

Knights and Dames Grand Cross are also entitled to receive heraldic supporters. They may, furthermore, encircle their arms with a depiction of the circlet (a circle bearing the motto) and the collar; the former is shown either outside or on top of the latter. Knights and Dames Commanders and Companions may display the circlet, but not the collar, surrounding their arms. The badge is depicted suspended from the collar or circlet.

Popular references

Riband, star and collar of GCMG worn by Francis Grenfell

In the satirical British television programme Yes Minister, Jim Hacker MP is told an old joke by his Private Secretary Bernard Woolley about what the various post-nominals stand for. Season 2, Episode 2 "Doing the Honours":

Woolley: In the service, CMG stands for "Call Me God". And KCMG for "Kindly Call Me God".
Hacker: What does GCMG stand for?
Woolley: "God Calls Me God".

Ian Fleming's spy, James Bond, a commander in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve (R.N.V.R.) was fictionally decorated with the CMG in 1953. (This is mentioned in the novel From Russia, with Love and on-screen in his obituary in Skyfall.) He was offered the KCMG (which would have elevated him from a Companion in the Order to a Knight Commander in the Order) in The Man with the Golden Gun, but he rejected that offer as he did not wish to become a public figure.

Dame Judi Dench's character "M" is "offered" early retirement and a GCMG in Skyfall after a series of unfortunate events resulting in the loss of a list that named every NATO espionage operative.

Long-time Doctor Who companion Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart wore the ribbon of the order as the highest of his decorations in the series' classic era.

Current Knights and Dames Grand Cross

The Lord Tweedsmuir, a deceased Knight Grand Cross wearing the riband, badge and star of the order

• Sovereign: Queen Elizabeth II
• Grand Master: His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent, KG, GCMG, GCVO (1967)

Knights and Dames Grand Cross

Name	Post-Nominals	Year Appointed
Sayyid Sir Jamshid bin Abdullah of Zanzibar	GCMG	1963
His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent	KG GCMG GCVO	1967
Sir Clive Rose	GCMG	1981
Sir Ninian Stephen	KG AK GCMG GCVO KBE PC QC	1982
Sir Hugh Cortazzi	GCMG	1984
Sir James Craig	GCMG	1984
Sir John Thomson	GCMG	1985
Sir Antony Acland	KG GCMG GCVO	1986
Sir John Fretwell	GCMG	1987
Sir George Lepping	GCMG	1988
The Rt. Hon. The Lord Carrington	KG GCMG CH MC PC DL	1988
Sir Crispin Tickell	GCMG KCVO	1989
The Rt. Hon. The Lord Wright of Richmond	GCMG	1989
Sir Toaripi Lauti	GCMG PC	1990
The Hon. Sir Shridath Ramphal	GCMG AC ONZ OE OM OCC QC	1990
The Rt. Hon. Sir Michael Somare	GCL GCMG CH CF KStJ SSI KSG PC MP	1990
Dame Catherine Tizard	ONZ GCMG GCVO DBE QSO DStJ	1990
Sir Howard Cooke	ON GCMG GCVO CD KStJ	1991
Sir David Goodall	GCMG	1991
The Rt. Hon. The Lord Wilson of Tillyorn	KT GCMG	1991
Sir Wiwa Korowi	GCMG	1992
Sir Reginald Palmer	GCMG	1992
Sir James Carlisle	GCMG	1993
Sir Ewen Fergusson	GCMG GCVO	1993
Sir Rodric Braithwaite	GCMG	1994
Sir Julius Chan	GCL GCMG KBE	1994
Sir Colville Young	GCMG MBE	1994
Sir Nicholas Fenn	GCMG	1995
The Rt. Hon. The Lord Hannay of Chiswick	GCMG CH	1995
Sir Orville Turnquest	GCMG QC	1995
The Rt. Hon. Sir Michael Hardie Boys	GNZM GCMG QSO KStJ	1996
Sir Clifford Husbands	GCMG KA QC	1996
Sir Christopher Mallaby	GCMG GCVO	1996
Sir Tulaga Manuella	GCMG	1996
Sir Cuthbert Sebastian	GCMG OBE	1996
Sir Daniel Williams	GCMG	1996
Sir John Coles	GCMG	1997
Sir Silas Atopare	GCL GCMG	1998
The Rt. Hon. The Lord Williamson of Horton	GCMG CB PC	1998
Sir John Lapli	GCMG	1999
Dame Pearlette Louisy	GCMG	1999
Sir Andrew Wood	GCMG	2001
Sir Tomu Sione	GCMG OBE	2001
Sir John Goulden	GCMG	2001
The Rt. Hon. The Lord Kerr of Kinlochard	GCMG	2001
Sir Tomasi Puapua	GCMG KBE PC	2002
Sir David Wright	GCMG LVO	2002
Sir Jeremy Greenstock	GCMG	2003
Sir Rob Young	GCMG	2003
The Rt. Hon. The Lord Robertson of Port Ellen	KT GCMG PC	2004
Sir Stephen Wall	GCMG LVO	2004
The Rt. Hon. Sir Paulias Matane	GCL GCMG OBE KStJ	2005
Sir Nathaniel Waena	GCMG CSI KStJ	2005
The Rt. Hon. The Lord Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon	GCMG KBE PC	2006
The Rt. Hon. The Lord Jay of Ewelme	GCMG	2006
Sir Emyr Parry	GCMG	2007
The Most Hon. Sir Kenneth O. Hall	ON GCMG OJ	2007
Sir David Manning	GCMG CVO	2008
Sir Carlyle Glean	GCMG	2008
His Excellency The Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen	ON GCMG CD	2009
Sir Frank Kabui	GCMG CSI OBE	2009
Sir Arthur Foulkes	GCMG	2010
Sir Iakoba Italeli	GCMG	2010
Sir Peter Ricketts	GCMG	2011
Sir Michael Ogio	GCMG CBE	2011
Sir Nigel Sheinwald	GCMG	2011
Sir Elliott Belgrave	GCMG KA CHB QC	2012
Dame Cécile La Grenade	GCMG OBE	2013
Sir Edmund Lawrence	GCMG OBE	2013

Officers

• Prelate: Rt Revd David Urquhart (Lord Bishop of Birmingham)
• Chancellor: The Lord Robertson of Port Ellen, KT, GCMG
• Secretary: Simon Fraser, CMG
• Registrar: The Lord Wilson of Tillyorn, KT, GCMG
• King of Arms: Sir Ewen Fergusson, GCMG, GCVO
• Gentleman Usher of the Blue Rod: Sir Anthony Figgis, KCVO, CMG

Honorary Appointments (GCMG/KCMG)

Name	Post-Nominals	Year Appointed
Lee Kuan Yew	GCMG, CH	1972
Qaboos bin Said al Said	GCB, GCMG, GCVO	1976
Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei	GCB, GCMG	1984
Abdelaziz bin Khalifa Al Thani	GCMG	1985
Gyanendra of Nepal	GCMG	1986
Fidel V. Ramos	GCMG	1995
Aleksander Kwaśniewski	GCB, GCMG	1996
Maumoon Abdul Gayoom	GCMG	1997
Nawaz Sharif	GCMG	1997
Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani	GCMG	1997
Carlos Menem	GCMG	1998
Ernesto Zedillo	GCMG	1998
Alberto Fujimori	GCMG	1998
János Martonyi	GCMG	1999
Abdullah II of Jordan	GCMG	1999
Giuliano Amato	GCMG	2000
Lamberto Dini	GCMG	2000
Henrik, Prince Consort of Denmark	GCB, GCMG, GCVO	2000
Emil Constantinescu	GCMG	2000
Thabo Mbeki	GCB GCMG OE KStJ	2000
Nursultan Nazarbayev	GCMG	2000
Eduard Shevardnadze	GCMG	2000
Ali Abu al-Ragheb	GCMG	2001
Jorge Sampaio	GCMG	2001
Anson Chan	GBM, GCMG, CBE, JP	2002
Vicente Fox	GCMG	2002
Xanana Gusmão	GCMG, GCL	2003
Hamid Karzai	GCMG	2003
Alfred Moisiu	GCMG	2003
Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz	GCMG	2004
Gianfranco Fini	GCMG	2005
Kofi Annan	GCMG	2006
Shimon Peres	GCMG	2008
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum	GCMG	2010
Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan	GCMG	2010
Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan	GCMG	2010
Sabah Al Khalid Al Sabah	GCMG	2012
King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa	KCMG	1979
Richard Armitage	KCMG, CNZM, AC	2005
Fazle Hasan Abed	KCMG	2010
Jaap de Hoop Scheffer	KCMG	2010
Jacques Rogge	KCMG	2014

See also

• List of people who have declined a British honour
• Order of the Bath
• Order of the British Empire
• Order of the Garter
• Order of the Thistle
• Royal Victorian Order
• Russian Order of St George

External links

• Royal.gov.uk article on the order
• "Knighthood and Chivalry." (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th ed. London: Cambridge University Press.
• Orans, L. P. "The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George."
• Velde, F. R. (2003). "Order of Precedence in England and Wales.
• State Library of New South Wales: Nelson Meers Foundation — gallery to full set of insignia, including images of both sides of the badge and a close-up of the star.