Garter Day – Monday in June before Royal Ascot Races begin.

The annual Order of the Garter service at Windsor Castle

Each year in June a procession and service takes place at Windsor Castle for the Order of the Garter.  This is the senior and oldest British Order of Chivalry, founded by Edward III in 1348.

New appointments to the Order of the Garter are usually announced on St George's Day, 23 April, but the chivalric and installation ceremonies take place in June, on the Monday of Royal Ascot week, known as Garter Day.

If there are new Companions of the Order of the Garter, The Queen formally invests them with the insignia at a Chapter of the Order in the Throne Room of Windsor Castle. Afterwards The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh entertain the members and officers of the Order at a lunch in the Waterloo Chamber.

After lunch the knights process on foot to a service in St George's Chapel, wearing their blue velvet robes and black velvet hats with white plumes.

The Prince of Wales and The Princess Royal in their Garter robes following the annual Order of the Garter Service at St George's Chapel in Windsor

The processional route is through the Upper, Middle and Lower Wards of the castle to St George's Chapel. The colourful procession is led by the Constable and Governor of Windsor Castle and the Military Knights of Windsor.  There are 24 knights of the Garter, besides the Royal Family members. Foreign monarchs in the Order are known as 'Stranger Knights'. These knights are in addition to the number allowed by statute, and they include the kings of Spain and Sweden and the Emperor of Japan.

This is a lovely event to watch, and has Royals, colourful robes, hats, soldiers, bands and more.  Well worth the effort to attend. 

A limited number of tickets are available for members of the public to watch the procession to St. George's Chapel from inside the precincts of Windsor Castle.  Applications must be sent between 1 January and 1 March each year to The Superintendent, Windsor Castle, Windsor, Berkshire SL4 1NJ.

Photo Credits:  Buckingham Palace Press Office