Order of St Michael and St George

Members of the Order wear elaborate regalia 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
  Maltese Crosses, and the cyphers "SM" and "SG", all alternately. In the centre are two winged lions of St. Mark
  , each holding a bible and seven arrows—the emblem of the seven united Ionian Islands.

• 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.

Prior to 2011, the devil was portrayed with black skin while St Michael was shown as being white; this was changed that year to show both with same skin colour, although St Michael's wings were changed from being multi-colour to being pure white. The alleged racism of this imagery has resulted in the government of Jamaica suspending the use of the badge entirely.[8]^[9][10] In June 2020, calls were made for a complete redesign of the insignia,^[9] including from Sir Michael Palin of Monty Python fame, a Knight Commander of the Order^[11] In July, the Cabinet Office announced that officers of the Order who were unhappy with their insignia could exchange them for one of the newer models.^[12]

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 was commissioned from Henry Poole in 1927.^[13]

Precedence and privileges

Members of the Order of St Michael are assigned positions in the order of precedence in England and Wales. 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. (Individuals can derive precedence from their fathers or husbands, but not from their mothers or wives. This follows the general rule of honours, that a husband never derives any style or title from his wife.)

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 husbands of Dames derive no title from their wives. 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 thus 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

Popular references

In the satirical British television programme Yes Minister, Jim Hacker MP is told a joke^[14] by his Private Secretary, Bernard Woolley, about what the various post-nominals stand for. From Series 2, Episode 2 "Doing the Honours":

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

Ian Fleming's spy, James Bond, a commander in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve (RNVR) was fictionally decorated with the CMG in 1953. This is mentioned in the novels From Russia, with Love and On Her Majesty's Secret Service, and on-screen in his obituary in Skyfall. He was offered the KCMG (which would have elevated him from Companion to Knight Commander in the Order) in The Man with the Golden Gun, but he rejected the 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.

Daniel Craig, who has portrayed Bond on film, was appointed (CMG) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to film and theatre.^[15] The general release on 30 September 2021 of his last appearance as James Bond, in No Time to Die, had been delayed by almost two years due to a change of director and the COVID-19 pandemic. Coinciding with the film's premiere, and matching his fictional character's rank, Craig became an Honorary Commander in Britain's Royal Navy. Following this appointment, he committed to being an ambassador for the Royal Navy, particularly in its international role, and to the welfare of its service families.

Long-time Doctor Who companion Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart wore the ribbon of the order as the highest of his decorations.

Current and past Knights and Dames Grand Cross

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

• Sovereign: King Charles III
• Grand Master:
  ADC
  (1967)

Knights and Dames Grand Cross

Number	Name	Post-nominals	Known for	Year appointed
1	Sayyid Sir Jamshid bin Abdullah of Zanzibar	GCMG	Sultan of Zanzibar	1963
2	The Duke of Kent	GCVO	Royal family	1967
3	Sir Shridath Ramphal	OM OCC KC	Commonwealth Secretary-General	1990
4	The Lord Wilson of Tillyorn	GCMG	Governor of Hong Kong	1991
5	Sir Wiwa Korowi	GCMG	Governor-General of Papua New Guinea	1992
6	Sir James Carlisle	GCMG	Governor-General of Antigua and Barbuda	1993
7	Sir Rodric Braithwaite	GCMG	British diplomat	1994
8	Sir Julius Chan	KBE	Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea	1994
9	Sir Colville Young	GCMG MBE	Governor-General of Belize	1994
10	The Lord Hannay of Chiswick	CH	British diplomat	1995
11	Sir Orville Turnquest	GCMG KC	Governor-General of The Bahamas	1995
12	Sir Tulaga Manuella	GCMG	Governor-General of Tuvalu	1996
13	Sir Daniel Williams	GCMG	Governor-General of Grenada	1996
14	Sir John Coles	GCMG	British diplomat	1997
15	Sir John Lapli	GCMG	Governor-General of the Solomon Islands	1999
16	Dame Pearlette Louisy	GCMG	Governor-General of Saint Lucia	1999
17	Sir Andrew Wood	GCMG	British diplomat	2001
18	Sir John Goulden	GCMG	British diplomat	2001
19	The Lord Kerr of Kinlochard	GCMG	British diplomat	2001
20	Sir Tomasi Puapua	PC	Governor-General of Tuvalu	2002
21	Sir David Wright	LVO	British diplomat	2002
22	Sir Jeremy Greenstock	GCMG	British diplomat	2003
23	Sir Rob Young	GCMG	British diplomat	2003
24	The Lord Robertson of Port Ellen	PC	Secretary General of NATO	2004
25	Sir Stephen Wall	LVO	British diplomat	2004
26	Sir Nathaniel Waena	KStJ	Governor-General of Solomon Islands	2005
27	The Lord Jay of Ewelme	GCMG	British diplomat	2006
28	Sir Emyr Jones Parry	GCMG	British diplomat	2007
29	Sir Kenneth O. Hall	GCMG OJ	Governor-General of Jamaica	2007
30	Dame Louise Lake-Tack	GCH OM DStJ	Governor-General of Antigua and Barbuda	2007
31	Sir David Manning	KCVO	British diplomat	2008
32	Sir Patrick Allen	GCMG CD	Governor-General of Jamaica	2009
33	Sir Frank Kabui	OBE CSI	Governor-General of Solomon Islands	2009
34	Sir Arthur Foulkes	GCMG	Governor-General of The Bahamas	2010
35	Sir Iakoba Italeli	GCMG	Governor-General of Tuvalu	2010
36	The Lord Ricketts	GCVO	British diplomat	2011
37	Sir Nigel Sheinwald	GCMG	British diplomat	2011
38	Sir Elliott Belgrave	GCMG KC	Governor-General of Barbados	2012
39	Dame Cécile La Grenade	OBE	Governor-General of Grenada	2013
40	Sir Edmund Lawrence	OBE	Governor-General of Saint Kitts and Nevis	2013
41	Dame Marguerite Pindling	GCMG	Governor-General of The Bahamas	2014
42	Sir Rodney Williams	GCH GCM KStJ	Governor-General of Antigua and Barbuda	2014
43	The Baroness Ashton of Upholland	PC	British diplomat	2015
44	Sir John Sawers	GCMG	British diplomat	2015
45	Sir Simon Fraser	GCMG	British diplomat	2016
46	Sir Peter Westmacott	LVO	British diplomat	2016
47	Sir Robert Dadae	GCMG	Governor-General of Papua New Guinea	2017
48	Dame Sandra Mason	DA KC	Governor-General of Barbados and President of Barbados	2017
49	Sir Mark Lyall Grant	GCMG	British diplomat and National Security Adviser	2018
50	Sir Neville Cenac	GCMG	Governor-General of Saint Lucia	2018
51	Sir Cornelius A. Smith	GCMG	Governor-General of The Bahamas	2019
52	Sir David Vunagi	GCMG	Governor-General of Solomon Islands	2019
53	Dame Susan Dougan	OBE	Governor-General of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	2020
54	Sir David Attenborough	CBE	Television broadcaster and conservationist	2020
55	Sir Tim Barrow	LVO MBE	British diplomat	2020
56	Sir Julian King	KCVO	British diplomat	2020
57	The Lord McDonald of Salford	KCVO	British diplomat	2021
58	Dame Froyla Tzalam	GCMG	Governor-General of Belize	2022
59	Sir Iain Macleod	GCMG	British diplomat	2022
60	Sir Tofiga Vaevalu Falani	GCMG MBE	Governor-General of Tuvalu	2022
61	The Lord Sedwill	GCMG	British diplomat	2023
62	Dame Marcella Liburd	JP	Governor-General of Saint Kitts and Nevis	2023
63	Sir Simon Gass	CVO	British diplomat and civil servant	2023
64	Dame Cynthia A. Pratt	GCMG	Governor-General of The Bahamas	2023
65	Sir Stephen Lovegrove	KCB	British civil servant	2024

Honorary

See List of current honorary knights and dames of the Order of St Michael and St George.

Gallery

• 
  Companion class of the order with the wearers instruction guide.
• 
  CMG class in a case.
• 
  Reverse of a CMG badge showing Saint George.
• 
  Riband, badge and star of a GCMG worn by

  Lord Tweedsmuir
• 
  Obverse of the CMG badge showing Saint Michael.
• 
  CMG class of the Order of St. Michael & St. George by Spink & Son.
• 
  CMG in a case by Spink.
• 
  Companion of the Order of St. Michael & St. George.
• 
  CMG in a case by Spink
• 
  Riband (worn incorrectly), star and collar of GCMG worn by Lord Grenfell
• 
  A Seychellois stamp depicting the Queen in robes of the order, 1986
• 
  Star and collar of GCMG worn by Serbian Field Marshal Živojin Mišić
• 
  CMG set.
• 
  Set of the Companion class.
• 
  GCMG breast star.
• 
  Companion class on a neck ribband.
• 
  CMG class of the order.
• 
  The Duke of Kent, Grand Master of the Order, and the Duchess of Kent
• 
  The GCMG set of former Dutch Prime Minister Willem Drees.
• 
  Miniature of the order.
• 
  KCMG breast star.

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

Notes

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Order of St Michael and St George.

• The Order of St Michael and St George at royal.uk
• The Order of St Michael and St George: 1818 to 2018 part one: its first century by Russell Malloch. [London, The Stationery Office, 2018] at thegazette.co.uk
• The Order of St Michael and St George: 1818 to 2018 part two: its second century by Russell Malloch. [London, The Stationery Office, 2018] at thegazette.co.uk
• "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 Archived 15 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine—gallery to full set of insignia, including images of both sides of the badge and a close-up of the star.