Overview

• King Charles III’s family order made its broad public debut at the French state banquet at Windsor Castle on July 8, with senior female royals wearing the pale blue-ribboned insignia.
• The Princess of Wales donned the Family Order of King Charles III for the first time, joining Princess Anne, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, and Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester in displaying the new honor.
• The insignia features a diamond-surrounded miniature portrait of the king in Admiral of the Fleet uniform painted on synthetic polymin by artist Elizabeth Meek.
• Charles selected a pale blue silk ribbon in homage to his great-grandfather George V and chose polymin over ivory to reflect his environmental priorities.
• Following an early-19th-century precedent set by King George IV, the order continues the practice of awarding service-based honors to senior royal women at state banquets.