A great Prime Minister for Australia and a true friend of the US. He deserves it.
Posted on 02/09/2008 7:37:43 PM PST by naturalman1975
FORMER prime minister John Howard could be in line to join one of Britain's most prestigious orders. Speculation is mounting that Mr Howard has been personally selected by Queen Elizabeth to receive the Order of the Garter, the most senior and oldest British Order of Chivalry.
A spokeswoman for Buckingham Palace refused to confirm or deny the speculation.
"We have made no announcements on that whatsoever and we wouldn't speculate on who is in line to receive one," she told AAP.
"It's a great honour and a rare one."
Mr Howard will have to wait until April 23 to discover if the Queen has chosen anyone to receive the order this year.
If he is successful, the former prime minister will be invited to a special induction ceremony at Windsor Castle in June.
The Order of the Garter was founded by Edward III in 1348 and counts among its elite members 24 knights plus Royal knights.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.au ...
Following changes by the socialist government of the 1980s, Knighthoods are no longer recommended by Australian governments, but there is no impediment to an Australian receiving an Honour under the Imperial Honours system.
The only previous Australian Prime Ministers to have received an Honour on this level are Sir Robert Menzies, who was a Knight of the Thistle, and Stanley Bruce, who was created a Viscount (albeit for his later service in the British Parliament as well as his service in Australia).
It was once fairly routine for conservative Prime Ministers of Australia to be knighted (socialist Prime Ministers were not, only because they would have declined the honour) but most received the lower (though still very prestigious) GCMG.
Well deserved.
Honi sois qui mal y pense!
Order of the Garter? That sounds like a wedding reception title.
Dammit, you have no propers for awarding a thistle.
British twit. ;)
The Most Noble Order of the Garter is the pinnacle of the British Honours system, established around 1348.
The name supposedly reflects an act of chivalry by King Edward III - when a garter slipped from the leg of the Lady he was dancing with, to spare her embarassment, he picked up the garter and placed it on his own leg, saying “Honi soit qui mal y pense” (the motto of the Order which translates as “Shame to him who dares thinks ill of it”).
Smooth move!
>Order of the Garter? That sounds like a wedding reception title.<
LOL!! Well, it could’ve been worse...
It could’ve been called the Order of the Leather Collar.
The republicans will go ballistic
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