Dynastic order of knighthood

A dynastic order of knighthood, monarchical order, house order or family order, is an order under royal patronage, distributed by the head of a current or former royal family as sovereign fons honorum. These orders are frequently seen as part of the patrimony of the royal family involved. Unlike military orders, religious orders, and order of merit distributed by sovereign states, dynastic orders were often created to reward service to a monarch or their family. An example of this difference is seen between the Royal Victorian Order, which is a personal gift of the sovereign, thus is a dynastic order, and the Order of the British Empire, which is bestowed by the sovereign on the basis of recommendations by the Prime Minister, and thus a national order).

Personal gift of the sovereign

Dynastic orders are under the exclusive control of a monarch and are bestowed without the advice of the political leadership (prime minister or cabinet). A recent report by the British government mentioned that there is "one remaining exercise that has been identified of the Monarch's truly personal, executive prerogative: that is, the conferment of certain honours that remain within her gift (the Orders of Merit, of the Garter, of the Thistle and the Royal Victorian Order)."