Letters Patent - Empowering Members of the Royal Family to Confer Various Knighthoods [2013-10-04]

Letters Patent - Empowering Members of the Royal Family to Confer Various Knighthoods [2013-10-04]

Honors

Royal Family

Letters Patent of Queen Elizabeth II empowering the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge, Prince Henry of Wales, the Duke of York, the Earl of Wessex, and the Princess Royal to confer various knighthoods in her absence.

Queen Elizabeth II

FOI release

2013-10-04

Jason Loch

ELIZABETH THE SECOND by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Our other Realms and Territories Queen Head of the Commonwealth Defender of the Faith To Our most dearly beloved Husband and most faithful Counsellor Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh Knight of Our Most Noble Order of the Garter Knight of Our Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle Member of Our Order of Merit Knight Grand Cross of Our Most Excellent Order of the British Empire Our most dearly beloved Son and most faithful Counsellor Charles Philip Arthur George Prince of Wales Knight of Our Most Noble Order of the Garter Knight of Our Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle Great Master and the First or Principal Knight Grand Cross of Our Most Honourable Order of the Bath Member of Our Order of Merit Our most dearly beloved Grandson Prince William Arthur Philip Louis Duke of Cambridge Knight of Our Most Noble Order of the Garter Knight of Our Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle Our most dearly beloved Grandson Prince Henry Charles Albert David of Wales Our most dearly beloved Son Prince Andrew Albert Christian Edward Duke of York Knight of Our Most Noble Order of the Garter Knight Grand Cross of Our Royal Victorian Order Our most dearly beloved Son Prince Edward Antony Richard Louis Earl of Wessex Knight of Our Most Noble Order of the Garter Knight Grand Cross of Our Royal Victorian Order and Our most dearly beloved Daughter The Princess Royal Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise Lady of Our Most Noble Order of the Garter Lady of Our Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle Dame Grand Cross of Our Royal Victorian Order Greeting WHEREAS We are desirous of conferring upon you or any one of you certain powers to act on Our behalf from time to time when either by reason of Our absence from Our United Kingdom or otherwise We cannot Ourself conveniently be personally present Know Ye that We by these Presents Do direct and empower you or any one of you from time to time to confer in Our Name and on Our behalf in as full and ample a manner as if the same had been conferred by Us in person the title degree and honour of a Knight Bachelor upon such persons as We shall have signified Our intention of promoting or appointing to be Members of the First or Second Class of Our Most Honourable Order of the Bath or of Our Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George or of Our Royal Victorian Order or of Our Most Excellent Order of the British Empire and as under special Warrant issued under the Seal of any one of the said Orders you or any one of you have been empowered to invest with the insignia of the First or Second Class of that Order And also to confer in Our Name and on Our behalf upon such other persons as We shall have been pleased to approve the title degree and honour of a Knight Bachelor together with all rights privileges and precedences appertaining thereto in as full and ample a manner as if the same had been conferred by Us in person In Witness whereof We have caused these Our Letters to be made Patent Witness Ourself at Westminster the fourth day of October in the sixty-second year of Our Reign

BY WARRANT UNDER THE QUEEN’S SIGN MANUAL

BRENNAN

Sign Manual Warrant

Black and white Royal Arms at the top.

Printed in Times New Roman. Royal name is capitalized and in boldface and begins with a large 'E' that was probably a drop cap in the original.

This document is a novelty. Traditionally, the Sovereign would delegate this power anew for each investiture (cf. Royal Warrants for Letters Patent granting the power to the Queen Mother and the Prince of Wales). However, this instrument sought to give certain members of the Royal Family standing permission to confer the honor of knighthood in the Monarch's absence.

The language is reminiscent of the older instruments with the main change being that it is addressed to multiple members of the Royal Family and it is not tied to a specific investiture.

These Letters Patent appear to remain in force despite the Queen's death. At any rate, they have not been reissued under King Charles III even though several of the individuals named in this instruments would no longer be suitable stand-ins for the Sovereign. 

There are a few stylistic issues. The Duke of Edinburgh's role as Grand Master of the Order of the British Empire and the Princess Royal's role as Grand Master of the Royal Victorian Order are omitted (conversely, the Prince of Wales' role as Great Master of the Order of the Bath is mentioned). "The Princess Royal" is also placed before Princess Anne's names when it should appear after.