| Royal Order of the Polar Star Kungliga Nordstjärneorden | |
| Awarded By: | the monarch of Sweden |
| Type: | Five grade order of merit |
| Motto: | Nescit Occasum (It knows no decline) |
| House: | Bernadotte |
| Day: | 28 April |
| Eligibility: | Swedish and foreign persons |
| For: | Until 1975: Civic merits, for devotion to duty, for science, literary, learned and useful works and for new and beneficial institutions. After 1975: Services to Sweden |
| Status: | Currently constituted |
| Head Title: | Sovereign |
| Head: | King Carl XVI Gustaf |
| Head2 Title: | Chancellor |
| Head2: | Svante Lindqvist[1] |
| Grades: | Commander Grand Cross (KmstkNO) Commander 1st Class (KNO1kl) Commander (KNO) Knight/Member 1st Class (RNO1kl) Knight/Member (RNO) |
| Date: | 1748 |
| First Induction: | 1748 |
| Last Induction: | 21 March 2024[2] |
| Higher: | Royal Order of the Sword |
| Lower: | Royal Order of Vasa |
The Royal Order of the Polar Star (Swedish: Kungliga Nordstjärneorden), sometimes translated as the Royal Order of the North Star, is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim. The Order of the Polar Star is intended as a reward for Swedish and foreign "civic merits, for devotion to duty, for science, literary, learned and useful works and for new and beneficial institutions".
Its motto is, as seen on the blue enameled centre of the badge, Nescit Occasum, a Latin phrase meaning "It knows no decline". This is to represent that Sweden is as constant as a never setting star. The Order's colour is black. This was chosen so that when wearing the black sash, the white, blue and golden cross would stand out and shine as the light of enlightenment from the black surface. The choice of black for the Order's ribbon may also have been inspired by the black ribbon of the French Order of St. Michael, which at the time the Order of the Polar Star was instituted was also awarded to meritorious civil servants. From 1975–2023, the ribbon of the Order was blue with yellow stripes near the edges (i.e., the national colors, but the reverse of the Order of the Sword's yellow ribbon with blue stripes near the edges). The black ribbon was reintroduced in 2023 when guidelines to once again award Swedish honours to Swedish citizens were introduced. Women and clergymen are not called Knight or Commander, but simply Member (Ledamot).
From the reorganization of the orders in 1975 until 2023, the Order was only awarded to foreigners and members of the royal family, often being awarded to foreign office holders (such as prime and senior ministers) during Swedish state visits. It is also awarded to junior members of royal families who would not qualify for the more prestigious Royal Order of the Seraphim. In 2019, a parliamentary committee was instructed to establish guidelines on how to re-introduce the Swedish orders, including the Order of the Polar Star, into the Swedish honours system, and how Swedish citizens again can be appointed to Swedish orders.[3] The committee presented its findings in September 2021 and the Government declared that a bill on the subject would be presented to the Riksdag on 19 April 2022. The bill passed the Riksdag by a large majority on 19 June 2022. On 20 December 2022, the Swedish Government published a new regulation that repealed the 1974 regulation, and once again opened the Royal Orders to Swedish citizens again and reactivated the Order of the Sword and the Order of Vasa, which came in effect from 1 February 2023.[4] [5] [6]
It was first awarded again in 2024 when Svante Pääbo among others were appointed to the order.[7]
The Order has five degrees:
Before 2023, clergymen and women were not called Knight, but instead made a Ledamot av andliga ståndet ("Member of the Cloth") for priests or a Ledamot ("Member") for Women. However, since 2023, the order make no difference between men and women.[8]
The Order also has a medal: the "Polar Star Medal".
Before 1975 each royal order had their own investiture ceremony.When the royal orders were reinstated, however, this practice was not restored. Instead a new state ceremony was created in which all recipients of all orders are awarded. The new ceremony is held in the White Sea Hall of the Stockholm Palace, decorated with the banners and insignia of the royal orders. After the King and Queen are announced by the Herald of the Royal Orders, tapping his staff on the floor twice, and make their entrance to the Seraphim March, the Chancellor of the Royal Orders makes an introduction speech and the King himself deliveres a speech each recipient of all orders are, one by one, one order at a time from highest to lowest in rank, announced and called upon by the Deputy Chancellor of the Royal Orders to receive their insigna from the King and shake his hand. After all recipients of a certain order have received their award, the fanfare of that order is preformed before the investiture of members of the next order begins. This ceremony was first held on 31 May 2024.[9] [10] [11] [12]
| Year | Name | Citizenship | Main occupation | Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 September 2023[14] | -- auto-translated from Swedish by Module:CS1 translator --> | Commander Grand Cross (KmstkNO) | |||
| 30 January 2024[15] | Commander Grand Cross (KmstkNO) | ||||
| 21 March 2024[16] | -- auto-translated from Swedish by Module:CS1 translator --> (in Swedish) Kungl. Maj:ts Orden | Commander Grand Cross (KmstkNO) | |||
| Commander Grand Cross (KmstkNO) | |||||
| Knight (RNO) | |||||
| 23 April 2024[17] | Commander Grand Cross (KmstkNO) | ||||
| Commander Grand Cross (KmstkNO) | |||||
| Commander Grand Cross (KmstkNO) | |||||
| Commander Grand Cross (KmstkNO) |