Prince William missed out on this prestigious honour held by both Kate Middleton and Prince Harry

Prince William, Kate Middleton and Prince Harry

(Image credit: Nicky J Sims/Getty Images for Royal Foundation/Future)

published 26 March 2023

While Kate Middleton and Prince Harry have both been bestowed with The Royal Victorian Order, Prince William missed out on the honour. There's a good reason for this, but still, he must feel left out.

The late Queen awarded both her grandson Prince Harry and her granddaughter-in-law Kate Middleton The Royal Victorian Order in recognition for their personal service to the Sovereign, but Prince William was given no such honour.
Like his father before him, Prince William was not granted the honour as he holds other higher honours as heir in the royal line of succession.
In other royal news, Prince Harry has appeared at London's High Court for legal proceedings against Daily Mail publisher Associated Newspapers Limited.

Earlier this week, King Charles joined his siblings for a service for the Royal Victorian Order at St George's Chapel in Windsor. The service had a coveted guestlist, even more so than the rumoured guestlist for King Charles' upcoming coronation, allowing only those who have the Royal Victorian Order honour to attend.

While Kate Middleton didn't attend the service due to a clash with other engagements, and Prince Harry wasn't there for other understandable reasons, the pair would have been more than welcome to show their faces at the service. But should Prince William have turned up he wouldn't have been welcomed into the historic chapel.

This is because both Kate and Harry have been honoured with the Royal Victorian Order while Prince William has not.

The Royal Victorian Order was founded, as its name suggests, by Queen Victoria. She created the honour in 1896 to bestow it upon those whose personal service to the Sovereign she wished to acknowledge and recognise.

So why has William missed out on the prestigious honour? As heir to the throne, he will one day be Sovereign of the Order and his prominent position in the royal line of succession means he holds other honours more prestigious than the Royal Victorian Order. These include Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, which it the most senior knighthood in the Britain, and Knight of the Order of the Thistle, the highest honour in Scotland.

Just like his son, King Charles was never granted a Royal Victorian Order but now he has become King, he is now Sovereign of the Order and can attend the service for the Royal Victorian Order at St George's Chapel in Windsor for the first time.

The Queen announced Kate Middleton as a Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order back in 2019, an honour visually recognisable for the sash and medal Kate has since been allowed to wear at state banquets and diplomatic receptions.

In 2015, Prince Harry was made a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order and his title meant he wore the order around his neck at the Queen's state funeral last year.

Plenty of other Royals have also been awarded the honour; Queen Consort Camilla, Princess Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the new Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh Prince Edward and Sophie, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke and Duchess of Kent, Prince Michael of Kent, and Princess Alexandra.

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Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse is a news writer for Goodtoknow, specialising in family content. She began her freelance journalism career after graduating from Nottingham Trent University with an MA in Magazine Journalism, receiving an NCTJ diploma, and earning a First Class BA (Hons) in Journalism at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute. She has also worked with BBC Good Food and The Independent.