Royal Order of the Rose of Sharon
| Royal Order of the Rose of Sharon | |
|---|---|
.svg) | |
| Awarded by the Sovereign of the Kingdom of Sierra | |
| Type | Dynastic order |
| Established | 1865 |
| Country |
 Kingdom of Sierra |
| Royal house | House of Columbia |
| Eligibility | Civilian |
| Criteria | Distinguished merits at Her Royal Majesty's pleasure |
| Status | Currently constituted |
| Founder | Charles I |
| Grand Master | Elizabeth II |
| Chancellor | Andrew Barton, 2nd Duke of Keenbrook |
| Classes |
|
| Statistics | |
| First induction | 1865 |
| Last induction | 2021 |
| Total inductees | 175 |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Order of Merit |
| Next (lower) | Order of the Harmonious Kingdom |
| Equivalent | Order of the Navel |
 Ribbon of the Order of the Rose of Sharon | |
Appointments are at the sovereign's sole discretion, though customarily made with the advice and consent of Her Royal Majesty's Government, and usually in recognition of a national contribution such as political, cultural, economic, or intellectual achievement, national service, or for personal service to the sovereign. Membership is open to both Sierran nationals and foreigners alike. The Order's primary emblem is the hibiscus flower, also known as the rose of Sharon, one of the co-official flowers of the Kingdom of Sierra (the other being the golden poppy, which is the emblem of the most senior order).
History[edit | edit source]
The Royal Order of the Rose of Sharon was founded on June 23, 1865 by Charles I of Sierra. It was the fourth order of chivalry established in the Kingdom of Sierra, with the Order of the Navel being created a year prior. The Order of Navel was an order of merit restricted to military members in recognition of service. The Royal Order of the Rose of Sharon was created as the civilian equivalent to the Order of the Navel. The first inductee to the Royal Order of the Rose of Sharon was Frederick Bachelor Sr., to the level of Knight, who served as Sierra's first prime minister. Bachelor Sr. played an instrumental role in developing the early Sierran state and the relationship between the monarchy and public. He helped formulate the Sierran peerage system and became a close political adviser to the King, even following his premiership. Within a year of its creation, 20 others were appointed, including Pio Pico and John C. Frémont.
The Royal Order of the Rose of Sharon was the second-highest order in the Sierran honors system, after the Celebrated Order of the Golden Poppy, until the Order of Merit was elevated above the Royal Order of the Rose of Sharon in 1877 and the Orders of the Tricolor and the Order of the Encircled Star were created in 1915.
Composition[edit | edit source]
Membership in the Order is open to anyone regardless of citizenship, biological sex, gender, ethnicity, race, nationality, religion, or class. The monarch alone can grant membership, although membership to the Royal Order of the Rose of Sharon is customarily overseen and recommended by the Government of Sierra. Monarchs are known as the Grand Master of the Rose of Sharon, while the Dukes and Duchesses of Colorado are known as the Royal Knights Companion of the Rose of Sharon.
Male members of the Order are titled "Knights Companion" and female members are titled "Ladies Companion" (alternatively, they may be titled "Dames Companion"). The Sovereign has based their choices on the solicitation and advice of the Government since the Order's creation. The higher-ranking orders are personal gifts of the Sovereign, making the Royal Order of the Rose of Sharon the most senior order in which the monarch does not have complete discretion over nominating members into the Order.
The Order has six officers: the Prelate, the Chancellor, the Rose of Sharon Principal King of Arms, the Usher, and the Secretary. The office of the Prelate is reserved for the Archbishop of Cheshire. The offices of the Chancellor and Register are reserved to companions of the Order. The Rose of Sharon Principal King of Arms is an ex officio office held by the Lord Trenton King of Arms. The office of the Usher is held by the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms.
Insignia and other distinctions[edit | edit source]
Members[edit | edit source]
Members of the Order are entitled to wear the Order's badge, ribbon, collar, mantle, and hat. The badge belonging to the Sovereign consists of a jeweled, 18-carat gold crown of rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and jade, depicting the Rose of Sharon variant of the Royal Badge of the Kingdom of Sierra, transposed on a seven-pointed star. Inductees to the Order have badges similar to the Sovereign, albeit without the precious stones, and there are slight differences between grades. The main distinction is based on the gilt of the badge. For members, the Rose of Sharon is silver or white, while for Officers, the Rose of Sharon is gold. All are topped with either a St Edward's Crown (symbolizing the Sierran monarchy's claim to the British throne according to Jacobite lineage) or the Crown of Scotland (the crown depicted on the Sierran coat of arms, also referencing the Sierran monarchy's origins from the House of Stuart).
Officers[edit | edit source]
Officers are distinguished from members with more elaborate uniforms. During official ceremonies, the officers wear sashes depicting the colors of the Order (blue, white, purple, and gold) and their mantles are embroidered with a heraldic shield depicting the Royal Badge of the Kingdom of Sierra. Each officer also have specialized badges to signify their office. The chancellor carries a staff and purse containing the seal of the Order, while the Rose of Sharon Principal King of Arms and usher carry their own baton or staff of office.
Eligibility and appointment[edit | edit source]
All three classes of the Royal Order is open to any civilian, including foreigners. Military personnel and officers, both active and retired, are eligible for the Order's equivalent, the Order of the Navel, instead, which recognizes non-military achievements outside of military service. The Order recognizes the achievement of outstanding merit or distinguished service by Sierrans and foreigners who have made significant contributions to the Kingdom of Sierra or through personal service to the Sovereign.
Each year, the Advisory Council for the Royal Order of the Rose of Sharon vets, evaluates, reviews, and nominates individuals to be considered for enrollment into the Order by the Sovereign. Customarily, the Sovereign will make appointments based on the consensus of the Advisory Council, which represents Her Royal Majesty's Government on such decisions. Appointees are inducted at an investiture ceremony held at the Occidental Palace where they are received in personal attendance by the Sovereign.
All holders of the Order in good standing periodically receive commemorative medals. Commemorative medals based on royal jubilees are automatically granted to members of the Order.
Advisory Council[edit | edit source]
Precedence and privileges[edit | edit source]
Members, as well as spouses, children, and children-in-laws are assigned precedence, coming before all others of knightly rank (except members of higher orders), and above baronets.
Knights Companion are prefixed "Sir" while Ladies Companion are prefixed "Lady" to their forenames. This privilege extends to the spouses of Knights or Ladies Companion. Post-nominal letters are used instead for royalty, peers, peeresses, and New Anglican clergymen who rank higher in precedence above the Order.
Knights Companion and Ladies Companion use the post-nominal letters "KORS" and "LORS" respectively or "DORS" in the case of Dames Companion. When an individual is entitled to multiple post-nominal letters, those of the Royal Order of the Rose of Sharon precede all others, except "Bt" or "Bart" (baronet), "KOGP/LOGP/DOGP" (Celebrated Order of the Golden Poppy), "OES" (Order of the Encircled Star), "OT" (Order of the Tricolor), and "OM" (Order of Merit).
In their heraldic achievements, members may encircle their escutcheon with the collar of the Royal Order of the Rose of Sharon. Knights and Ladies Companion are also entitled to heraldic supporters and may choose to exercise this privilege or not.