What Does Prince Harry’s New Knighthood Really Mean?

Yesterday, Buckingham Palace announced that the Queen made Prince Harry a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO) during a private ceremony.

The Royal Victorian Order is given by The Queen to people who have served her or the Monarchy in a personal way, and can only be gifted by the Sovereign.

Now that Harry has been knighted, many are confused about his position in the royal family.  I asked royal commentator Victoria Arbiter to clear up any confusion regarding the prince and his well-deserved accolade.

Andrew Parsons / i-Images

TDD: Does Harry outrank William now?

Victoria Arbiter: No, Harry does not outrank William. William is a Garter Knight, which is a top honour [which was bestowed up on him in 2008].

TDD: Does this change how Harry is addresses?
VA: No, he is still HRH Prince Harry, just with KCVO after his name.

TDD:  What is a KCVO?

VA: KCVO stands for Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order. It is a personal award given by the Queen without the advice of her ministers and is given in recognition of services to the sovereign.

TDD: Why did the Queen bestow this on Harry?

VA: My guess is that as Prince Harry embarks on his next chapter (he leaves the army this month after 10 years of service and 2 tours of duty),  the Queen wanted to recognise and celebrate his achievements on behalf of the monarchy. The Invictus Games, initiated by him, were a huge success.  He served in HM’s armed forces, completing two tours of duty.  Sentebale, a charity he helped established, is making significant strides, and he continues to champion the needs of wounded veterans.

The international tours he has undertaken on behalf of the Queen have been very well-received and he has successfully promoted both Great Britain and the monarchy at home and abroad. The Queen likes to recognise and reward good work.

The Queen has appointed Prince Harry to be a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order #KCVO. Here’s a photo of the Insignia that The Queen presented to HRH privately at #BuckinghamPalace today. Awards in the Royal Victorian Order are made personally by The Queen for services to the Sovereign. Find out more here: http://bit.ly/1GmXGer

A photo posted by Kensington Palace (@kensingtonroyal) on Jun 4, 2015 at 11:07am PDT

Many royal watchers are hoping that Harry is appointed a member of the Order of the Garter, of which his older brother, aunt, father and uncles are a part of. The Garter is the oldest order of chivalry, and only allows 24 members at one time.