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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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Order of the Garter
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(The Most Noble Order of the Garter) The senior *order of chivalry, founded by *Edward III in 1348, with its motto Honi soit qui mal y pense (French for 'Shame on whoever thinks evil of this'). Legend has both the order and the motto deriving from the garter of a countess, dropped at a ball in Calais and chivalrously picked up by Edward who then wore it on his own calf (knights today in full attire still wear the blue garter of the order below the left knee). Historians think it more probable that the garter is a version of a swordbelt; and that the motto perhaps relates to Edward's claim to the throne of France, which provoked the *Hundred Years' War.
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St *George is the patron saint of the order and *St George's in Windsor Castle is its chapel, where the annual Garter ceremony takes place – normally on the Monday of Royal *Ascot week. Apart from members of the royal family and distinguished foreigners, the number of knights (officially Companions) is limited to 24, who put KG after their names; the non-royal members of the order were invariably men until 1990, when Lavinia, Duchess of Norfolk, became the first Lady Companion (LG).
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