Approximately 4,400 members of the public gathered at Windsor Castle on June 15 to witness the annual Garter Day procession, a traditional event marking the installation of new Knights of the Order of the Garter. This year’s ceremony was notable for the absence of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the King’s brother, who was excluded from all proceedings for the first time.

Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his title as Duke of York and his status as a Prince last year when King Charles III revoked his royal honours, leading to his removal from the Order of the Garter. Despite his connections to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein becoming public, Mountbatten-Windsor had participated in previous years’ Garter Day events and had worn the Order’s robes at the King’s coronation in 2023. While he attended last year’s private lunch associated with the order, this year he was not invited after formally being removed from the order. His banner of arms was also taken down from St George’s Chapel following his removal.

Mountbatten-Windsor has faced legal scrutiny; he was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office in February and subsequently released under investigation. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

The event saw the King, along with the Queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Princess Royal, process to St George’s Chapel dressed in the traditional velvet robes and plumed hats associated with the order. Camilla, invested into the order in 2021 as Duchess of Cornwall, also participated. The Princess of Wales and the Duchess of Edinburgh observed the procession from the sidelines, with Catherine wearing a lemon-coloured coat dress by Patrick McDowell and a hat by Jane Taylor, and Sophie appearing in a white dress with pink and blue floral patterns and a matching hat.

The Duke of Kent, aged 90, arrived separately by car. Several notable members of the order were present, including Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baroness Amos, and former prime ministers Sir John Major and Sir Tony Blair.

This year’s ceremony saw the induction of three new Knights of the Garter: Lord Hennessy of Nympsfield, a historian; Lord O’Donnell, former cabinet secretary and head of the civil service from 2005 to 2011; and Lord Burnett of Maldon, a retired judge who served as lord chief justice of England and Wales from 2017 to 2023. The total number of members in the order now stands at 23, just one short of the maximum 24.

The Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, remains the most senior order of chivalry in the United Kingdom. Admission is solely at the discretion of the King and does not require government approval. After the service at St George’s Chapel, senior royals departed in a traditional carriage procession, concluding the day’s formal events.