# Order of the Companions of Honour
The Order of the Companions of Honour is an honor in the British honors system, founded on 4 June 1917 by King George V to reward outstanding achievements and services of national importance, and limited to 65 living members at any one time[1](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/all-notices/content/101267) • [2](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/appointment-to-the-order-of-the-companions-of-honour). It recognizes a pre-eminent and sustained contribution in the arts, science, medicine, or government[2](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/appointment-to-the-order-of-the-companions-of-honour). Recipients use the post-nominal letters CH but receive no title[2](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/appointment-to-the-order-of-the-companions-of-honour).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founded | 4 June 1917 by George V, at the same time as the Order of the British Empire, to reward services rendered during World War I[1](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/all-notices/content/101267) |
| Membership | The Sovereign plus 65 members; honorary members may be appointed in addition[2](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/appointment-to-the-order-of-the-companions-of-honour) • [3](https://honours.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/about/orders-and-medals/) |
| Criteria | A pre-eminent and sustained contribution in the arts, science, medicine, or government[2](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/appointment-to-the-order-of-the-companions-of-honour) |
| What it confers | No knighthood or title; recipients are entitled to the post-nominal letters "CH"[2](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/appointment-to-the-order-of-the-companions-of-honour) |
| Eligibility | The 65 members are British citizens and citizens of Commonwealth realms; foreigners and other Commonwealth citizens may be honorary members[4](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/all-notices/content/103513) |
| Precedence | Ranks above the Order of the British Empire[5](https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7627/CBP-7627.pdf) |
| Motto | "In action faithful and in honour clear"[6](https://time.com/6970300/kate-middleton-new-title-historical-significance-king-charles/) |
## Foundation and purpose
The Order was instituted in June 1917 as part of the coalition government's scheme to reward services rendered during World War I, created alongside the [Order of the British Empire](https://www.edgepedia.org/order-of-the-british-empire)[1](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/all-notices/content/101267). Unlike the Order of the British Empire, it was not split into civil and military divisions, and it received no grants in the main victory honors lists[1](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/all-notices/content/101267).
The first appointments, 18 in 1917 connected to the war effort, included four women[3](https://honours.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/about/orders-and-medals/). The founding intention, in the words of the [Lord President of the Council](https://www.edgepedia.org/lord-president-of-the-council), Earl Curzon of Kedleston, was to provide an honor for people who would "not refuse a decoration but would, for reasons entirely honourable to themselves, abjure a title"[7](https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200304/cmselect/cmpubadm/212/21204.htm). This explains the Order's distinctive character: it honors achievement without conferring knighthood or any other title[2](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/appointment-to-the-order-of-the-companions-of-honour).
## Membership and quotas
The Order originally had 50 members. In 1943 the maximum was raised to 65, and provision was made for nominations by overseas governments[1](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/all-notices/content/101267). The statutes were amended to set quotas of 45 for the United Kingdom, 7 for Australia, 2 for New Zealand, and 11 for Commonwealth nations, for a total of 65; the revision followed Canada and South Africa declining fixed appointment allocations for their residents[8](https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2012/dn-nd/D2-301-2012-eng.pdf). Honorary appointments were allowed from 1919[1](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/all-notices/content/101267), and the Order today remains restricted to 65 members from across the Commonwealth, with honorary members in addition[3](https://honours.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/about/orders-and-medals/).
The 65 members are limited to British citizens and citizens of the Commonwealth realms; foreigners or Commonwealth citizens from outside the Commonwealth realms can be honorary members[4](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/all-notices/content/103513). Nine [Canadians](https://www.edgepedia.org/canadians) have been appointed since 1917, including two former prime ministers, [John Diefenbaker](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-diefenbaker) and [Pierre Trudeau](https://www.edgepedia.org/pierre-trudeau), and one former governor general, Vincent Massey[8](https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2012/dn-nd/D2-301-2012-eng.pdf).
## What the honor involves
Appointments are made in the [New Year](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-year) and Birthday Honours lists[9](https://www.gov.uk/honours/honours-lists). Official guidance describes the honor as awarded for a major contribution to the arts, science, medicine, or government lasting over a long period of time, and anyone can be nominated for it[10](https://www.gov.uk/honours/types-of-honours-and-awards). The badge of the Order is not worn in miniature form[11](https://centralchancery.org.uk/media/3qafvnti/how-to-wear-guide.pdf).
The Order's "Home Chapel" is the [Chapel Royal](https://www.edgepedia.org/chapel-royal) at [Hampton Court Palace](https://www.edgepedia.org/hampton-court-palace), dedicated in 2019; members can request use of the chapel for weddings, baptisms, and memorial services[3](https://honours.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/about/orders-and-medals/).
## Notable members and recent appointments
The membership roster mixes politics, the arts, and science. [Winston Churchill](https://www.edgepedia.org/winston-churchill) was admitted in 1922 at the end of [David Lloyd George](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-lloyd-george)'s premiership, and the political dimension grew under [George VI](https://www.edgepedia.org/george-vi) with nominations including Nancy Astor, the first woman to sit in the House of Commons[1](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/all-notices/content/101267). Very few people hold both the Order of Merit and the Companion of Honour; those who have include Sir Winston Churchill and Sir David Attenborough[12](https://www.royal.uk/companion-of-honour).
**Recent appointments.** In the 2025 Birthday Honours, the physicist [Jocelyn Bell Burnell](https://www.edgepedia.org/jocelyn-bell-burnell) and the sculptor [Antony Gormley](https://www.edgepedia.org/antony-gormley) were appointed[13](https://m.thegazette.co.uk/awards-and-accreditation/content/103513). In the 2026 Birthday Honours, the photojournalist Sir Don McCullin, then aged 90, and the actress Dame Helen Mirren were appointed; McCullin was the first photographer ever admitted to the Order[4](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/all-notices/content/103513) • [14](https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/photography/photojournalism/don-mccullin-becomes-the-first-ever-photographer-to-win-this-top-british-honor-held-by-only-65-people). Earlier appointments include the singer [Shirley Bassey](https://www.edgepedia.org/shirley-bassey), who became the 64th living member in the 2024 New Year Honours[15](https://apnews.com/article/0d7fd8c813432cc25bb997fb21568e7b), and the former prime minister Gordon Brown[16](https://apnews.com/article/fd53ea81b024a0f43bd44b6becbd4c9d). A vacancy was created in 2026 by the death of the artist David Hockney[14](https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/photography/photojournalism/don-mccullin-becomes-the-first-ever-photographer-to-win-this-top-british-honor-held-by-only-65-people).
## Royal Companions
On St George's Day in 2024, King Charles III appointed [Catherine, Princess of Wales](https://www.edgepedia.org/catherine-princess-of-wales), as a Royal Companion of the Order, making her the first member of the royal family to hold the title[6](https://time.com/6970300/kate-middleton-new-title-historical-significance-king-charles/). Established in 1917 by King George V, the Order honors long-sustained, distinguished work and significant service in the arts, the sciences, medicine, and public life, and bears the motto "in action faithful and in honour clear"[6](https://time.com/6970300/kate-middleton-new-title-historical-significance-king-charles/).
## References
1. [100 years of the Order of the Companions of Honour, The Gazette](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/all-notices/content/101267)
2. [Appointment to the Order of the Companions of Honour, GOV.UK (2013)](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/appointment-to-the-order-of-the-companions-of-honour)
3. [Orders, Decorations and Medals, UK Honours System, Cabinet Office](https://honours.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/about/orders-and-medals/)
4. [What is a Companion of Honour and who holds the title?, The Gazette](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/all-notices/content/103513)
5. [Constituency Casework: Honours, House of Commons Library briefing CBP-7627](https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7627/CBP-7627.pdf)
6. [Why Kate Middleton's New Title Is of Historical Significance, TIME (2024)](https://time.com/6970300/kate-middleton-new-title-historical-significance-king-charles/)
7. [House of Commons Public Administration Select Committee, Fifth Report (2004)](https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200304/cmselect/cmpubadm/212/21204.htm)
8. [Canada and honours under the Crown, Department of National Defence (Canada)](https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2012/dn-nd/D2-301-2012-eng.pdf)
9. [Nominate someone for an honour or award: Honours lists, GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/honours/honours-lists)
10. [Nominate someone for an honour or award: Types of honours and awards, GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/honours/types-of-honours-and-awards)
11. [How to Wear Guide, Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood](https://centralchancery.org.uk/media/3qafvnti/how-to-wear-guide.pdf)
12. [Companion of Honour, The Royal Family](https://www.royal.uk/companion-of-honour)
13. [What is a Companion of Honour and who holds the title?, The Gazette (2025 appointments)](https://m.thegazette.co.uk/awards-and-accreditation/content/103513)
14. [Don McCullin becomes the first-ever photographer to win this top British honor, Digital Camera World (2026)](https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/photography/photojournalism/don-mccullin-becomes-the-first-ever-photographer-to-win-this-top-british-honor-held-by-only-65-people)
15. [Shirley Bassey and Ridley Scott are among hundreds awarded in UK's New Year Honors list, AP News (2023)](https://apnews.com/article/0d7fd8c813432cc25bb997fb21568e7b)
16. [A campaigner who took on the UK Post Office joins Tracey Emin, Imelda Staunton on royal honors list, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/fd53ea81b024a0f43bd44b6becbd4c9d)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Conflict and security › Ranks, honours, and service traditions › Orders of merit and state honours › Civilian and cultural merit orders*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license