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{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{Infobox award
| name = Royal Victorian Chain
| image = Royal Victorian Chain.jpg
| presenter = The monarch of the [[Commonwealth realm]]s
| type = [[State decoration|Decoration]]
| eligibility = Men and women, of any nation
| awarded_for = At the monarch's pleasure
| status = Currently awarded
| established = {{start date|1902}}
| firstawarded = 1902
| total_awarded = 
| image2 = [[File:Royal Victorian Chain Ribbon.svg|100px]]
| caption2 = [[Ribbon bar]]
}}
The '''Royal Victorian Chain''' is a [[State decoration|decoration]] instituted in 1902 by King [[Edward VII]] as a personal award of the monarch (i.e. not an award made on the advice of any [[Commonwealth realm]] government). It ranks above the [[Royal Victorian Order]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Birthday Honours – A Long List – Five New Peers – Many Baronets And Knights |work=[[The Times]] |page=9 |date=4 June 1917|quote= An interesting honour is that awarded to Lord Rosebery, upon whom the King has conferred the Royal Victorian Chain, the highest class of the Royal Victorian Order. }}</ref> with which it is often associated but not officially related. Originally reserved for members of the royal family, the chain is a distinct award conferred only upon the highest dignitaries, including foreign monarchs, heads of state, and high-ranking individuals such as the [[Archbishop of Canterbury]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Duckers|first1=Peter|title=British Orders and Decorations|year=2004|publisher=Osprey Publishing|isbn=9780747805809|page=40|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Yke6Q1d3gDYC&pg=PA40|language=en}}</ref>

==History==
The Royal Victorian Chain was created by King Edward VII in 1902, six years after his mother created the Royal Victorian Order. The Royal Victorian Chain ranks above all decorations of the Royal Victorian Order, but it is not officially part of the Order. Edward created it to honour his mother "as a personal decoration for Sovereigns, Princes, and other Royal personages, and also for a few eminent British subjects." It was first recorded as a new decoration in August 1902, when it was reported that [[Frederick Temple]], [[Archbishop of Canterbury]], was received in private audience to receive the ''Royal Victorian Chain'', following the coronation of the King two days earlier.<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Court Circular|date=12 August 1902 |page=8 |issue=36844}}</ref> The first recipients included the King's son George, Prince of Wales (later [[George V]]) and the King's brother [[Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Honour for Archbishop of York: Royal Victorian Chain|work=[[The Times]] |page=13 |date=2 May 1923|quote= The Royal Victorian Chain ranks above all the five classes of the Royal Victorian Order, with which it is generally associated, but of which it does not form a part. }}</ref>

==Design==
[[File:King George 1923 LCCN2014715558 (cropped).jpg|thumb|200px|[[George V|King George V]] wearing the Royal Victorian Chain in 1923]]
The chain is in gold, decorated with motifs of [[Tudor rose]], [[thistle]], [[shamrock]], and [[nelumbo|lotus]] flower (symbolizing [[England]], [[Scotland]], [[Ireland]], and [[British Raj|India]], respectively) and a crowned, red enamelled [[Royal cypher|cypher]] of King Edward VII—''ERI'' (''Edwardus Rex Imperator'')—surrounded by a gold wreath for men, upon which the badge is suspended. The chain is worn around the collar by men or with the four motifs and some chain links fixed to a [[riband]] in the form of bow (blue with red-white-red edges) on the left shoulder by women. However, [[Elizabeth II|Queen Elizabeth II]]'s sister, the late [[Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon]], in later life chose to wear her chain around the collar, as male recipients do.

The badge is a gold, white enamelled [[Maltese Cross (symbol)|Maltese Cross]]; the oval-shaped central medallion depicts Victoria's royal and imperial [[Royal cypher|cypher]]—''VRI'' (''Victoria Regina Imperatrix'')—on a red background, surrounded by a crown-surmounted blue ring bearing the word ''Victoria''. Both the crown and Queen Victoria's cypher are studded with diamonds.

==Eligibility and allocation==
The Royal Victorian Chain does not confer upon its recipients any [[Style (form of address)|style]], title or [[postnominal letters]], nor does it give [[Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom|precedence]] within any Commonwealth honours system. However, it represents a personal token of high distinction and esteem from the monarch. The chain can be conferred upon men and women of any nationality.

It has normally served as the senior award for [[Canadians]], who are generally ineligible to receive titular honours under [[Nickle Resolution|federal Cabinet policy]]. Only two Canadians have thus far been decorated with the chain: [[Vincent Massey]] and [[Roland Michener]], both former [[Governor General of Canada|governors general]].<ref>{{cite book|title=The Canadian honours system|author=Christopher McCreery|author-link=Christopher McCreery|year=2005|publisher=Dundurn Press|isbn=1-55002-554-6|page=105}}</ref>

The Royal Victorian Chain is invariably granted to holders of the office of Archbishop of Canterbury, often just after their retirement.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200304/cmselect/cmpubadm/212/212we68.htm|access-date=1 April 2023|website=parliament.uk|title=Annex 1}}</ref> The only holders of that title not to receive the decoration since its inception are [[William Temple (bishop)|William Temple]], who died in office, and [[Justin Welby]], who resigned in 2025.

The Royal Victorian Chain must be returned on the death of the recipient.<ref>{{cite book|title=On Her Majesty's Service: Royal Honours and Recognition in Canada|author=Christopher McCreery|author-link=Christopher McCreery|year=2008|publisher=Dundurn Press|isbn=978-1-55002-742-6|page=[https://archive.org/details/onhermajestysser0000mccr/page/114 114]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/onhermajestysser0000mccr/page/114}}</ref>

==List of living recipients==
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; background:white; border:#01796f solid;"
!Country
!Name
!Known for
!Year of conferral
!Present age
!Notes
|-
|[[Denmark]]
|Queen [[Margrethe II]] of Denmark {{post-nominals|country=GBR|LG|sep=,}}
|[[Monarchy of Denmark|Queen of Denmark]]
|1974 as Queen; abdicated 2024
|{{age|1940|04|16}}
|
|-
|[[Sweden]]
|King [[Carl XVI Gustaf]] of Sweden {{post-nominals|country=GBR|KG|sep=,}}
|[[List of Swedish monarchs|King of Sweden]]
|1975
|{{age|1946|04|30}}
|[[Admiral (Royal Navy)|Honorary Admiral]] in the [[Royal Navy]]
|-
|[[Netherlands]]
|Princess [[Beatrix of the Netherlands]] {{post-nominals|country=GBR|LG|GCVOf|sep=,}}
|[[List of monarchs of the Netherlands|Queen of the Netherlands]]
|1982 as Queen; abdicated 2013
|{{age|1938|01|31}}
|
|-
|[[Portugal]]
|[[António Ramalho Eanes]] {{post-nominals|country=GBR|GCB|sep=,}}
|[[President of Portugal]]
|1985
|{{age|1935|01|25}}
|
|-
|[[Spain]]
|King [[Juan Carlos I]] of Spain {{post-nominals|country=GBR|KG|sep=,}}
|[[Monarchy of Spain|King of Spain]]
|1986 as King; abdicated 2014
|{{age|1938|01|05}}
|
|-
|[[Norway]]
|King [[Harald V]] of Norway {{post-nominals|country=GBR|KG|GCVO|sep=,}}
|[[List of Norwegian monarchs|King of Norway]]
|1994
|{{age|1937|01|21}}
|[[Colonel (United Kingdom)|Honorary Colonel]] in the [[Royal Marines]] and [[General (United Kingdom)|Honorary General]] in the [[British Army]]
|-
| rowspan="3" |[[United Kingdom]]
|[[George Carey|George Carey, Baron Carey of Clifton]] {{post-nominals|country=GBR|PC|sep=,}}
| rowspan="2" |[[Archbishop of Canterbury]]
|2002<ref>{{London Gazette
| issue = 56749
| date = 12 November 2002
| page = 1
}}</ref>
|{{age|1935|11|13}}
|
|-
|[[Rowan Williams|Rowan Williams,  Baron Williams of Oystermouth]] {{post-nominals|country=GBR|PC|FBA|FRSL|FLSW|sep=,}}
|2012<ref>{{London Gazette
| issue = 60392
| date = 15 January 2013
| page = 1
}}</ref>
|{{age|1950|06|14}}
|
|-
|[[William Peel, 3rd Earl Peel]] {{post-nominals|country=GBR|GCVO|PC|DL|sep=,}}
|[[Lord Chamberlain]]
|2021<ref>{{London Gazette
| issue = 63322
| date = 15 April 2021
| page = 7050
}}</ref>
|{{age|1947|10|03}}
|
|}

== See also ==
* [[List of recipients of the Royal Victorian Chain]]
* [[List of Canadian awards]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Royal Victorian Chain}}
*{{cite web|last1=Robertson|first1=Megan C.|title=United Kingdom: Royal Victorian Chain|url=http://www.medals.org.uk/united-kingdom/united-kingdom018.htm|website=Medals of the World|access-date=25 November 2015}}

{{Canadian Honours System}}
{{British Honours System}}

[[Category:1902 establishments in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Awards established in 1902]]