The Queen has appointed the Duchess of Cornwall and former Prime Minister Tony Blair to the Order of the Garter, it has been announced.
Camilla, 73, was made a Royal Lady of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, elevating her to the status of senior royals including Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Edward and the Duke of Cambridge, who are all Royal Ladies and Knights of the Order of the Garter.
Tony Blair was made a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.
Valerie Amos, Baroness Amos, who served as the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator and the High Commissioner to Australia, was appointed a Lady Companion.
The Order of the Garter is a a 700-year-old order of knighthood founded by Edward III in 1348, and recognises contributions of great public service from those honoured.
All appointments are gifts of the Queen, meaning she does not need to seek Prime Ministerial advice.
They are comparable to the Order of the Thistle, the Order of Merit and the Royal Victorian Order which are also in the Queen's gift.
There are no limit on the number of Royal Knights and Ladies but there can only be a maximum of 24 Companions.
The appointment of Mr Blair and Baroness Amos takes the total number of Companions to 21.
Knights and Ladies of the Garter are chosen personally by the Sovereign to honour those who have held public office, who have contributed in a particular way to national life or who have served the Sovereign personally.
Tony Blair served as Prime Minister from 1997-2007 and is now Executive Chairman of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, a not-for-profit organisation which works around the world.
Baroness Amos has previously been Chief Executive, Equal Opportunities Commission, Secretary of State for International Development, Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Lords, Undersecretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Co-ordinator, UN and is currently Master, University College Oxford.
The Queen and Prince Charles, as sovereign and heir, are automatically given membership of the Order and are considered 'ex officio knights' with the power to admit new members.
The Garter is open to British and Commonwealth citizens, with former Prime Minister Sir John Major and Lord Sainsbury numbered among the current members.
There are also 'Stranger Knights', the title given to foreign royal
King Felipe VI of Spain and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, were officially invested by the Queen as Supernumerary, or 'Stranger', Knight of the Garter in 2019.
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