| Order of the Companions of Honour | |
| Awarded By: | Charles III |
| Type: | Order |
| Established: | 4 June 1917 |
| Motto: | In Action Faithful and in Honour Clear |
| Eligibility: | All living citizens of the Commonwealth realms |
| Criteria: | Nationally important service |
| Status: | Currently constituted |
| Founder: | George V |
| Head Title: | Sovereign |
| Head: | Charles III |
| Grades: | Member (CH) |
| Date: | 1917 |
| Image Size2: | 100px |
The Order of the Companions of Honour is an order of the Commonwealth realms. It was founded on 4 June 1917 by King George V as a reward for outstanding achievements. It was founded on the same date as the Order of the British Empire.[1]
The order was originally intended to be conferred upon a limited number of persons for whom this special distinction seemed to be the most appropriate form of recognition, constituting an honour dissociated from either the acceptance of title or the classification of merit.[2] It is now described as being "awarded for having a major contribution to the arts, science, medicine, or government lasting over a long period of time".[3] The first recipients of the order were all decorated for "services in connection with the war" and were listed in The London Gazette.
The order consists of the monarch of the Commonwealth realms, who is the Sovereign of the Order of the Companions of Honour, and a maximum of 65 members. Additionally, foreigners or Commonwealth citizens from outside the Commonwealth realms may be added as honorary members. Members are organised into a single class and are appointed by the monarch of the Commonwealth realms in their capacity as sovereign of the order. While membership of the order confers no title or precedence, those inducted into the order are entitled to use the post-nominal letters CH.
Appointments to the order are generally made on the advice of prime ministers of the Commonwealth realms.[1] For Canadians, the advice to the Sovereign can come from a variety of officials.[4] Originally, the order was limited to 50 ordinary members, but in 1943 it was enlarged to 65, with a quota of 45 members for the United Kingdom, seven for Australia, two each for New Zealand and South Africa, and nine for India, Burma, and the other British colonies. The quota numbers were altered in 1970 to 47 for the United Kingdom, seven for Australia, two for New Zealand, and nine for other Commonwealth realms. The quota was adjusted again in 1975 by adding two places to the New Zealand quota and reducing the nine for the other countries to seven.[5]
Whilst still able to nominate candidates to the order, the Cabinet of Australia has effectively stopped the allocation of this award to that country's citizens in preference to other Australian honours. The last Australian member, Doug Anthony, former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, died on 20 December 2020.[6] Companions from other Commonwealth realms continue to be appointed, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, a New Zealand soprano, was given the award in 2018 and Canadian author Margaret Atwood was given the award in 2019.
The Lord Coe CH represented the Order at the 2023 Coronation.[7]
The insignia of the order is in the form of an oval medallion, surmounted by a royal crown (but, until recently, surmounted by an imperial crown), and with a rectangular panel within, depicting on it an oak tree, a shield with the Royal Arms of the United Kingdom hanging from one branch, and, on the left, a mounted knight in armour. The insignia's blue border bears in gold letters the motto IN ACTION FAITHFUL AND IN HONOUR CLEAR, Alexander Pope's description (in iambic pentameter) in his Epistle to Mr Addison of James Craggs, later used on Craggs's monument in Westminster Abbey. Men wear the badge on a neck ribbon (red with golden border threads) and women on a bow at the left shoulder.
| Member number | Name | width=220 | Post-nominals ! | Known for | Date of appointment | Age | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (267) | Politician | 31 July 1987 | ||||||
| 2 (270) | Politician | 13 April 1992 | ||||||
| 3 (278) | Politician | 13 April 1992 | ||||||
| 4 (282) | Opera singer | 31 December 1993 | ||||||
| 5 (287) | Politician | 11 June 1994 | ||||||
| 6 (289) | OM, GCMG, CH, CVO, CBE, FRS, FSA, FRSA, FLS, FZS, FRSGS, FRSB | Broadcaster; naturalist | 30 December 1995 | |||||
| 7 (291) | Politician | 30 December 1995 | ||||||
| 8 (294) | Artist | 14 June 1997 | ||||||
| 9 (296) | Politician | 2 August 1997 | ||||||
| 10 (297) | 31 December 1997 | |||||||
| 11 (299) | 31 December 1998 | |||||||
| 12 (300) | Artist | 31 December 1998 | ||||||
| 13 (305) | Canadian Army officer; diplomat | 31 December 1998 | ||||||
| 14 (317) | Geophysicist | 14 June 2003 | ||||||
| 15 (318) | Diplomat | 14 June 2003 | ||||||
| 16 (320) | Actress | 11 June 2005 | ||||||
| 17 (321) | Actor | 31 December 2007 | ||||||
| 18 (323) | Politician | 11 June 2011 | ||||||
| 19 (324) | Politician | 20 September 2012 | ||||||
| 20 (325) | 29 December 2012 | |||||||
| 21 (327) | Politician | 7 January 2013 | ||||||
| 22 (328) | Politician | 15 June 2013 | ||||||
| 23 (329) | Curator | 15 June 2013 | ||||||
| 24 (331) | Philosopher | 31 December 2013 | ||||||
| 25 (332) | Actress | 14 June 2014 | ||||||
| 26 (333) | Politician | 22 July 2014 | ||||||
| 27 (336) | Athlete | 1 January 2015 | ||||||
| 28 (339) | Judge | 12 June 2015 | ||||||
| 29 (341) | Art historian; museum director | 1 January 2016 | ||||||
| 30 (343) | Businessman | 11 June 2016 | ||||||
| 31 (344) | Politician; diplomat | 11 June 2016 | ||||||
| 32 (345) | 4 August 2016 | |||||||
| 33 (347) | Director | 31 December 2016 | ||||||
| 33 (348) | Musician | 31 December 2016 | ||||||
| 35 (349) | Geneticist | 31 December 2016 | ||||||
| 36 (353) | Conductor | 17 June 2017 | ||||||
| 37 (355) | Musician | 17 June 2017 | ||||||
| 38 (356) | Author | 17 June 2017 | ||||||
| 39 (357) | Entrepreneur; philanthropist | 17 June 2017 | ||||||
| 40 (358) | Cook; author | 17 June 2017 | ||||||
| 41 (359) | Economist | 17 June 2017 | ||||||
| 42 (361) | Broadcaster | 30 December 2017 | ||||||
| 43 (362) | Author | 30 December 2017 | ||||||
| 44 (363) | Historian | 30 December 2017 | ||||||
| 45 (364) | Biologist | 9 June 2018 | ||||||
| 46 (365) | ,, | Opera singer | 9 June 2018 | |||||
| 47 (366) | ,, | Author | 29 December 2018 | |||||
| 48 (367) | Politician | 10 September 2019 | ||||||
| 49 (368) | Musician | 28 December 2019 | ||||||
| 50 (369) | Historian | 28 December 2019 | ||||||
| 51 (370) | Fashion designer | 10 October 2020 | ||||||
| 52 (371) | Architect | 31 December 2020 | ||||||
| 53 (372) | Geneticist | 31 December 2021 | ||||||
| 54 (374) | Illustrator | 1 June 2022 | ||||||
| 55 (375) | Writer | 1 June 2022 | ||||||
| 56 (376) | Writer | 1 June 2022 | ||||||
| 57 (377) | Academic | 31 December 2022 | ||||||
| 58 (379) | Politician | 9 June 2023 | ||||||
| 59 (380) | Physician | 16 June 2023 | ||||||
| 60 (381) | Writer | 16 June 2023 | ||||||
| 61 (382) | Media executive | 16 June 2023 | ||||||
| 62 (383) | Dame Shirley Bassey | Singer | 29 December 2023 | |||||
| 63 (385) | Prime Minister of the United Kingdom | 14 June 2024 | ||||||
| 64 (-) | Vacant following the death of Peter Higgs, on 8 April 2024 | |||||||
| 65 (-) | Vacant following the death of The Lord Field of Birkenhead, on 23 April 2024 | |||||||