Garter Day 2026: King Charles leads procession at Windsor as three new knights are installed

The oldest and most senior order of chivalry in Britain was on full display at Windsor Castle on Monday as King Charles III led the annual Order of the Garter service. Members of the Royal Family joined the Knights and Ladies Companion for a ceremony whose origins reach back almost seven centuries.

Thousands of visitors gathered around the castle precincts to watch the spectacle, in which participants process in their distinctive deep blue velvet robes and plumed hats from the State Apartments down to St George's Chapel for a service of thanksgiving.

Garter Day is one of the most colourful fixtures in the royal calendar, blending solemn ceremony with the open-air pageantry that draws crowds to Windsor each June.

A procession through the castle

The King led the procession on foot, accompanied by Queen Camilla, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. The Princess of Wales, the Duchess of Edinburgh and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence watched the ceremony from the Galilee Porch.

The route from the castle to St George's Chapel takes the procession past the assembled crowds, offering one of the closest public views of the senior royals to be had at any annual engagement. The Yeomen of the Guard and the Military Knights of Windsor also take part, adding to the historic character of the occasion.

Inside the chapel, the service of thanksgiving brought together the members of the Order in a setting that has hosted Garter ceremonies for generations of monarchs.

Crowds began assembling along the route hours before the procession set out, and the appearance of the senior royals on foot, rather than in carriages, gave spectators an unusually intimate view. The blue velvet robes, gold collars and black plumed hats worn by the Knights and Ladies Companion lend the occasion a visual richness unmatched by almost any other annual royal engagement.

Three new Knights Companion

This year's service followed the installation of three new Knights Companion, whose appointments were announced on St George's Day in April and confirmed at a private investiture in the Garter Throne Room before the main procession.

The three new members are Lord Hennessy of Nympsfield, an academic and historian of British government; Lord O'Donnell, who served as Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service between 2005 and 2011; and Lord Burnett of Maldon, who was Lord Chief Justice between 2017 and 2023. The appointments brought the number of Companions close to the maximum of 24.

• Lord Hennessy of Nympsfield — academic and historian of government
• Lord O'Donnell — former Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service
• Lord Burnett of Maldon — former Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales
• Appointments announced on St George's Day, 23 April 2026
• Installed at a private investiture before the Garter Day procession

An order in the personal gift of the Sovereign

Unlike honours awarded on ministerial advice, membership of the Order of the Garter is granted personally by the Sovereign. It is reserved for those who have held public office, contributed to national life or served the Crown in a notable way, and the number of Companions is strictly limited.

The exclusivity of the order is part of its prestige. With only 24 Companion places available alongside the royal and supernumerary members, appointments are infrequent and closely watched.

Alongside the Companion Knights and Ladies, the order also includes royal members and a small number of supernumerary, or 'stranger', knights, a category traditionally reserved for foreign monarchs. The structure has allowed the order to combine domestic recognition with a diplomatic dimension over its long history.

“Membership is granted personally by the Sovereign in recognition of outstanding public service and dedication to the Crown.”

Background

The Order of the Garter was founded by King Edward III in 1348 and is the oldest order of chivalry in the country. Its spiritual home is St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, where the banners and stall plates of past and present knights line the choir.

Garter Day, held each June, has evolved into one of the great ceremonial occasions of the British year, combining the installation of new members with a public procession and a service that affirms the continuity of an institution nearly 700 years old.

“The order remains the oldest and most senior order of chivalry in the United Kingdom.”

What happens next: with Garter Day complete, the focus of the royal summer shifts to Royal Ascot and the run of garden parties and engagements that fill the calendar before the autumn season.